Thursday evening, 21 August, saw the 2025 prefects of Union High School and Hoรซr Volkskool gather at the Graaff-Reinet Bowling Club for their annual ๐๐๐ง-๐ง๐ข๐๐๐ง๐๐๐ฅ.
On the morning of Monday, 18 August, Union High School proudly announced its ๐ฃ๐ฅ๐๐๐๐๐ง ๐๐ข๐๐ฌ for 2026 during a very special assembly in the school hall.
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐บ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฏ๐ ๐ฎ ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ as the newly elected prefects stepped forward to sign their pledge of service and leadership. Each was then presented with their prefect tie and badge – ๐ด๐บ๐ฎ๐ฃ๐ฐ๐ญ๐ด ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ด๐ฑ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ด๐ช๐ฃ๐ช๐ญ๐ช๐ต๐บ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ณ๐ถ๐ด๐ต ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ธ ๐ฑ๐ญ๐ข๐ค๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฎ – which were quickly and proudly donned with the assistance of the outgoing prefects.
๐ช๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐น๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ผ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐ด๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐๐น๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ณ๐ผ๐น๐น๐ผ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐น๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฟ๐, listed in alphabetical order, on their appointment as prefects for 2025: โข Josh Arends โข Amber Bezuidenhout โข Masixole Bhayi โข Liso Booi โข Anna Bouwer โข Samantha Charles โข Peter-Daniel Clegg โข Taegen Hamid โข Xarah Hoffman โข Yaaseen Kazi โข Athayanda Mahlati โข Misha Newton โข Katelyn Trollip โข Lisa Vutula โข Yonela Wana
Back: Samantha Charles, Xarah Hoffman, Misha Newton, Katelyn Trollip, Anna Bouwer Front: Taegen Hamid, Amber Bezuidenhout, Lisa Vutula
At Union High School, we treasure our traditions, which create cherished memories and reinforce the values we hold dear.
๐ข๐ป๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฐ๐ต ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐น๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ป๐๐ฎ๐น ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ผ๐ผ๐ธ ๐ฝ๐น๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐ฎ๐ณ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ป๐ผ๐ผ๐ป, Wednesday, 19 March, when Grade 7 class teachers, Mrs Hanli Rose-Innes and Miss Justine Matthews, hosted a delightful tea for the young Grade 7 ladies at the charming The Coldstream Restaurant.
Through events like these, they not only teach important social skills but also foster a sense of community and belonging among our girls.
The afternoon’s guest speaker, Mrs Amori Van Jaarsveld, Union mom and proprietor of the Windmill Junction, delivered a beautiful speech that resonated deeply with all the girls.
๐ฆ๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฝ๐๐ถ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฎ๐๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐๐ถ๐๐ต ๐ฒ๐น๐ผ๐พ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฑ๐ ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ถ๐บ๐ฝ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ฎ๐ธ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ฝ ๐๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ ๐ฎ ๐๐ผ๐๐ป๐ด ๐๐ผ๐บ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ผ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐โ๐ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐น๐ฑ – encouraging them to embrace their individuality with both grace and confidence.
Her message beautifully wove together the ideals of classiness and boldness, urging the girls to stand tall and unapologetically claim their rightful place in every room they enter.
In her address, Mrs van Jaarsveld reminded us that strength and sophistication can coexist harmoniously, while ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ด๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ด๐ถ๐ฟ๐น๐ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ ๐ฏ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐๐น๐ ๐๐ต๐ถ๐น๐ฒ ๐น๐ถ๐ณ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ผ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ฝ ๐ฎ๐น๐ผ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐.
Union High School prefects, ๐ ๐ถ๐น๐ฎ๐ป๐ถ ๐ฃ๐ผ๐ป๐ด๐ผ๐บ๐ฎ and ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ต๐บ๐ฒ๐ฑ, have truly hit the ground running in their roles overseeing the body’s PR portfolio.
Their ๐ถ๐ป๐ฎ๐๐ด๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐น ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ท๐ฒ๐ฐ๐, a delightful monthly birthday celebration, is already making a significant impact. Each month, they plan on surprising learners with a sweet treat to celebrate their special day, ensuring that no learner feels overlooked.
Additionally, they’ve created a ๐ฏ๐ถ๐ฟ๐๐ต๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ ๐ฏ๐ผ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฑ that will be updated monthly to honour all those celebrating.
Union High School is proud to announce the newly elected leaders of the school’s 2025 Representative Council of Learners (RCL), who are poised to guide the learner body with enthusiasm and dedication.
Grade 12 learner ๐ง๐ฟ๐๐๐๐ฎ๐ป ๐๐๐น๐น๐ฒ๐บ๐ฎ๐ป has been elected as president, while matric learner ๐ ๐ถ๐น๐ฎ๐ป๐ถ ๐ฃ๐ผ๐ป๐ด๐ผ๐บ๐ฎ assumes the role of vice-president.
โ ๐ง๐ฟ๐๐๐๐ฎ๐ป ๐๐๐น๐น๐ฒ๐บ๐ฎ๐ป joined the Union Schools in Grade 8 after moving to Graaff-Reinet and since then, he has made remarkable contributions to our school. A talented athlete, Trystan plays for the 1st team in both cricket and rugby. His leadership skills are evident as he serves on the Media Team and takes on the responsibility of Deputy Head Boy at the school.
Trystan’s involvement extends beyond sports; he is a Blood Peer Promoter, highlighting his commitment to community service. Academically, he excels as a Top 10 student and has achieved Full Colours for Culture and Academics. His multifaceted talents and leadership qualities make him an exceptional choice for the role of RCL President.
โ Hailing from King William’s Town, ๐ ๐ถ๐น๐ฎ๐ป๐ถ ๐ฃ๐ผ๐ป๐ด๐ผ๐บ๐ฎ joined Union as a boarder in Grade 10 in 2023. Since her arrival, she has proven to be an invaluable asset to our school community. Milani currently serves as a school prefect and Head Girl at the hostel, where her leadership and mentoring skills shine.
In addition to her various roles, Milani is a Top Level Club member, a First Aider and a Mentor to our younger Unionites. She also holds the position of vice-chairman of the InterAct Club, where she actively engages in community service initiatives. Milani’s dedication and passion for making a difference align perfectly with her new role as vice-president of the RCL.
As a new year unfolds, fresh beginnings and exciting opportunities await the learners of Union High School.
The Grade 8s kicked off their academic journey bright and early Monday morning with an unforgettable ๐ข๐ฅ๐๐๐ก๐ง๐๐ง๐๐ข๐ก ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐๐ก๐ to the Camdeboo Environmental Centre, setting a positive tone for the year ahead.
Perfect weather greeted the Grade 8 learners as they ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ถ๐ฟ ๐ญ๐ฌ๐ธ๐บ ๐ต๐ถ๐ธ๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ด๐ต ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ป๐ถ๐ฐ ๐๐ฎ๐บ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฏ๐ผ๐ผ ๐ก๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ฎ๐น ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ธ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ถ๐ฟ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐ป๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป, accompanied by knowledgeable guides from the Camdeboo National Park, Union staff members and supportive school prefects.
Upon reaching the Environmental Education Centre, the eager Grade 8s took a moment to refuel with some snacks. This break was followed by engaging activities led by the parkโs educational team, designed to enrich their understanding of the environment while encouraging teamwork. ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐น๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐ฑ๐ผ๐๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ผ ๐๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฎ๐น๐น๐ ๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ณ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ธ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐พ๐๐ถ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐บ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ธ ๐๐ผ๐ด๐ฒ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฎ๐ ๐ฎ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ต๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ป๐ถ๐, ๐ฎ๐น๐น ๐๐ต๐ถ๐น๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ถ๐๐ต ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ถ๐ฟ ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐ถ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐.
By the end of the day, although completely exhausted, the Grade 8s returned to campus with a renewed sense of excitement and anticipation. They were not just tired; they were prepared and eager to embrace the journey of becoming seniors at Union High School.
Today, Friday, 11 October, was an extra special day for the matrics, their parents, special guests and Union High School’s staff, as all came together for the Class of 2024’s ๐ฉ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ง๐ข๐ฅ๐ฌ ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ ๐ข๐ก๐ฌ.
Once everyone had gathered in the school hall, Headmaster Mr William Pringle extended a warm welcome to all, after which Deputy Head Boy Josh Neill and Deputy Head Girl Sarah Wilmott led the devotion.
In response to the Headmasterโs address, Head Prefects Na’eem Mahomed and Caytah-Leigh Koeberg spoke on behalf of the class, delivering touching farewell messages.
The Class of 2024 then presented a song, ‘We Are Young’ by FUN and a slideshow of their years at the school to those gathered.
The matrics then enjoyed tea in the Tony Burrell Union, joined by their parents and the school’s staff, after which they took leave of the school by walking through a guard of honour, created by the rest of the school’s learners.
๐๐ข๐ก๐๐ฅ๐๐ง๐จ๐๐๐ง๐๐ข๐ก๐ฆ to Aaminah Steele (Head Girl), Shaakir Kazi (Head Boy), Kenza Neill (Deputy Head Girl) and Trystan Hulleman (Deputy Head Boy) on being appointed as Union High School’s, new ๐๐๐๐ ๐ฃ๐ฅ๐๐๐๐๐ง๐ฆ!
We couldn’t be more proud of these outstanding learners and are extremely excited for the well-deserved recognition they have received.
On Thursday, 3 October, Union High School, Graaff-Reinet’s ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฒ ๐ฑ ๐น๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ผ๐ป ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฐ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐๐ฐ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ฎ๐น ๐ผ๐๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด to Weltevreden Farm, designed to incorporate a variety of subjects including Natural Science, Geography, History, Creative Art, Design & Technology and Physical Education.
The adventure began with a scenic journey to the farm, where the learners made a special stop at the captivating Stone Folk of Ongeluksloot. This outdoor installation, featuring a collection of intriguing stone figures, provided the perfect backdrop for a lesson in history and art. ๐๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ข๐ณ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ด ๐ฎ๐ข๐ณ๐ท๐ฆ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ข๐ต ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ช๐ฒ๐ถ๐ฆ ๐ด๐ค๐ถ๐ญ๐ฑ๐ต๐ถ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ด, ๐ด๐ฑ๐ข๐ณ๐ฌ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ช๐ณ ๐ช๐ฎ๐ข๐จ๐ช๐ฏ๐ข๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ด ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ช๐ฏ๐ด๐ฑ๐ช๐ณ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ช๐ณ ๐ค๐ณ๐ฆ๐ข๐ต๐ช๐ท๐ช๐ต๐บ.
๐จ๐ฝ๐ผ๐ป ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฎ๐ ๐ช๐ฒ๐น๐๐ฒ๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ป ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐บ, the young learners participated in an informative session focused on water management. This hands-on lesson highlighted the importance of sustainable practices and the vital role water plays in agriculture. ๐๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ข๐ณ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ด ๐ธ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐จ๐ข๐จ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ฆ๐ข๐จ๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ข๐ณ๐ฏ, ๐ด๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ธ๐ค๐ข๐ด๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ช๐ณ ๐ค๐ถ๐ณ๐ช๐ฐ๐ด๐ช๐ต๐บ ๐ข๐ฃ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ต ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฏ๐ข๐ต๐ถ๐ณ๐ข๐ญ ๐ธ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ญ๐ฅ.
After a morning filled with exploration and learning, it was time for a well-deserved lunch. The Grade 5s enjoyed a delicious meal, recharging for the creative activities that awaited them.
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ต๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐น๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ฎ ๐ณ๐๐ป ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ถ๐บ๐ฎ๐ด๐ถ๐ป๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐ ๐ต๐ฎ๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐๐ป๐ถ๐๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ณ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ถ๐ฟ ๐ผ๐๐ป ๐บ๐ถ๐ป๐ถ ‘๐ฆ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐น๐ธ’ ๐๐๐ฎ๐๐๐ฒ๐. Using small pebbles and wire, they channeled their inner artists, creating unique pieces that reflected their personalities and artistic flair.
This delightful outing not only enriched the learnersโ knowledge across multiple subjects but also fostered teamwork, creativity and a deeper appreciation for nature and art.
For the past couple of years, Union High School, Graaff-Reinet has been running a cross-age ๐ฃ๐๐๐ฅ ๐ ๐๐ก๐ง๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ก๐ ๐ฃ๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ฅ๐๐ ๐ ๐ at the school to promote the learnersโ physical, social and emotional well-being.
The programme also comes with the additional impact of providing leadership and development opportunities to the older or near-peer youth who serve in the mentoring role.
The support of parents and teachers is undoubtedly vital for the success of our learners. However, ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐๐๐ฉ ๐ฉ๐๐๐ฉ ๐๐ช๐๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐๐๐ ๐๐ง๐ค๐ข ๐ฅ๐๐ค๐ฅ๐ก๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ค ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ก๐ค๐จ๐๐ง ๐๐ฃ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ฃ ๐๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐จ ๐ค๐๐ฉ๐๐ฃ ๐ค๐ซ๐๐ง๐ก๐ค๐ค๐ ๐๐ – in fact, peer mentoring has been shown to lead to improved attitude to school, attendance and behaviour. It can also help learners to build up a peer network within their school, causing more holistic benefits such as a sense of community and belonging.
