Bulletin, Cultural

Art Club Explores Local Gallery

The members of Union High School’s Art Club managed to escape the searing heat this week and spent a cool, contemplative time in the Hester Rupert Art Gallery Graaff Reinet.
During this time they were shown some of the national treasures that are exhibited in this gallery, including original works by Irma Stern, Maggie Laubser, Alexis Preller and Walter Battis.
The young artists looked at works from various art movements such as Impressionism, Expressionism, Surrealism and Post Modernism.
They also saw works in different mediums including oil paint, watercolour, sculpture and various printing techniques.
We are so fortunate to have a collection such as this in Graaff-Reinet, and the Art Club came away with a new appreciation of the visual arts.
Bulletin, Cultural

Interact Commemorates Women’s Day

Supporting and celebrating women’s rights is a year-round responsibility. So, during the month of May, to commemorate International Women’s Day, Union High School’s Interact committee hosted a Civvies Day, or rather days, on 19 and 20 May 2021, to raise funds for a very special project.
A staggering amount of R2 901 was raised and the proceeds used to purchase 580 packets of sanitary towels, which were delivered to Vuyani Safe Haven and the Thembalesizwe, Isibane, Kroonvale, Narsingstraat and Graaff-Reinet primary schools.
The Interact members extend their grateful thanks to Union’s management team, Headmaster Mr William Pringle in particular, for their support of this initiative.
A further note of thanks is also extended to the school’s learners, members of staff, Ms Elsabé Moos, Mr Donald Kingwill, Mr Trevor Zali and Mr Arnold du Plessis for going above and beyond to ensure the smooth running of this project.
Bulletin, Cultural

Eco Club Is Back In Action

“𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥.” – 𝗠𝗮𝗵𝗮𝘁𝗺𝗮 𝗚𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗵𝗶
Eco Club gives all our learners who are interested in the environment a chance to meet, learn, discuss and expand their knowledge of environmental issues.
During their meeting on Wednesday afternoon, 17 March,, it was all about dogs as they kicked off a three-part series of hands-on lessons about pets and how to care for them.
This series encourages children to think about respect for pets and what they bring to the lives of human beings. They will understand that by providing animals with basic needs and treating animals with kindness and respect, they are demonstrating responsible pet care, environmental stewardship and acting as responsible citizens of the community.
Biathlon, Cultural

Rockschool Piano Examinations

Union learners Melissa Naude and Sasha Cochrane were officially presented with their Rockschool certificates of achievement today, for their stellar performances during their respective piano examinations at the end of last year.
Both pianists obtained distinctions, with Sasha Cochrane earning 90% for her Rockschool Grade 3 practical piano exam and Melissa Naude earning 93,75% for her practical Rockschool Debut Piano exam.
See the previous Facebook posts announcing their respective achievements here:
Bulletin, Cultural

Well Done Melissa!

Congratulations to Grade 6 learner Melissa Naudé who passed her practical Rockschool Debut Piano exam with distinction – 93,75%!
Melissa takes music lessons with Ms Sanette Brink and is the very first Union learner to have played an exam associated with the Rockschool Piano syllabus.
Well done and congratulations Melissa, the many months of dedicated and consistent practising have paid off! We are very proud of you.
Bulletin, Cultural

Project ‘Love Sandwiches’ Gains Momentum

It was with much anticipation that Union High School’s Grade 9 learners arrived at school on Wednesday morning, 19 February.

It was their turn to participate in the Interact Club’s ‘Love Sandwiches’ project, so they arrived at school bright and early with all their necessary sandwich-making supplies in hand and – most importantly – a can-do attitude!

The learners, who were challenged to make as many sandwiches as possible in an hour’s time for Graaff-Reinet’s impoverished residents, managed to set a new record of 743 sandwiches!

Since its inception at the start of the term, the Interact Club watched with amazement as their project gained momentum with more and more sandwiches being delivered by the school’s respective grades each week.

“We are so proud of all our learners, teachers and parents for supporting this project so wholeheartedly,” said the Interact Club’s Teacher-in-Charge, Mrs Abigail Gedult.

The 743 sandwiches were delivered that same afternoon to the Camdeboo Hospice, the Umasizakhe and Horseshoe Clinics as well as the Khanyisa Day Care Centre.

“It was truly overwhelming for our Interact members to see the joy on every recipient’s face when they delivered the sandwiches,” concluded Mrs Gedult.

• Click on the following link to find out more about this project: http://bit.ly/LoveSandwiches

Bulletin, Cultural

Eco Club Celebrates Recent Rains

The members of Union High School’s Eco Club visited the Valley Of Desolation on Friday afternoon, 14 February, where they were amazed to see how this drought-stricken area’s plant life has recovered since the recent rains.

It was also a beautiful sight for all to see the Nqweba Dam with some water in it again after having been dry for almost a year and, as always, the view of the town set against the timeless backdrop of the vast plains of the Camdeboo was a treat for all the learners.

Bulletin, Cultural

Operation ‘Love Sandwiches’ Continue

It was the Grade 10s turn on Wednesday morning, 12 February, to try and best the other grades in the ‘Love Sandwiches’ project recently initiated by the school’s Interact Club.

[This ongoing project sees the learners of the respective grades at Union compete to see who can make the most sandwiches in aid of this initiative.]

Armed with all their sandwich-making supplies, the three Grade 10 classes, led by their class teachers Miss Jacqui Jones, Mr Erwin Ittershagen-Strauss and Mrs Bronwen Langmead, managed to set a new record – a whopping 487 sandwiches!

The sandwiches were delivered later on that afternoon to the Midlands Hospital, the CMR and the soup kitchen at the East Street Congregational Church.

Bulletin, Cultural

Exploring Connections

The members of Union High School’s Eco Club recently spent an afternoon learning about the interdependence of biotic and abiotic things in the environment.

Braving the sweltering Karoo heat, they worked well in their teams, conducting an audit and then using that knowledge to play ‘The Web of Life’ game.

A fun and educative afternoon was had by all!