Category: Student Life

Bulletin, Student Life

There was a little extra chemistry among our Grade 11s this week as they celebrated Mol Day, an annual celebration of all things chemistry! Mol Day commemorates Avogadro’s Number (6.02 x 10²³), which is a basic measuring unit in chemistry.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗰𝗰𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 𝘀𝗮𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿’𝘀 𝗠𝗼𝗹 𝗿𝗼𝘆𝗮𝗹𝘁𝘆. Congratulations to our newly crowned Mol Queen, 𝗔𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿, and 𝗠𝗼𝗹 𝗞𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗥𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗠𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗮𝘆 – we hope you enjoyed your moment on the throne.

Bulletin, Student Life

There was plenty of colour, pretty dresses and happy chatter at The Coldstream Restaurant this afternoon as our Grade 7 girls joined the ladies of Union High School’s Primary Department for their 𝗮𝗻𝗻𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗹𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗲𝘀’ 𝘁𝗲𝗮.

At the heart of this lovely little tradition is something quite simple: 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗯𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗴𝗶𝗿𝗹.

𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘢 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘎𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘦 7𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘯𝘫𝘰𝘺 𝘢 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘰𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘭 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴, 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘰𝘧𝘧 𝘵𝘰 𝘎𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘦 8.

With a cheerful floral theme, delicious cake and good company, it was a lovely opportunity for the girls and their teachers to spend some time together away from the usual bustle of the school day.

The afternoon also gave everyone a chance to get to know 𝗠𝗿𝘀 𝗚𝗲𝗿𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱, our 𝗻𝗲𝘄𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗗𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁, a little better. She introduced herself to the girls, who in turn had the opportunity to give her a proper Grade 7 welcome.

Another particularly meaningful part of the afternoon was a talk by 𝗠𝗿𝘀 𝗦𝗮𝗻𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲 𝗕𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗸, who shared some thoughtful words with the girls about growing up, embracing change and learning to appreciate the young women they are becoming.

Drawing on the familiar story of 𝘚𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘞𝘩𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘤 𝘮𝘪𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘳, Mrs Brink encouraged the girls to think about what they see when they look at themselves. As they enter their teenage years, she reminded them that growing up brings all sorts of changes, both exciting and challenging, but that 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗴𝗶𝗿𝗹 𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗯𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱.

One of her loveliest messages was about the danger of comparing ourselves to others.

𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘰𝘯, 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮, 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘦𝘧 𝘰𝘧 𝘫𝘰𝘺. Just as every instrument has its own part to play in a beautiful piece of music, every girl has her own strengths, personality and special qualities to bring to the world.

Referring to Psalm 139:14, she reminded them that each of them is 𝗳𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝗱𝗲, and encouraged them to look in the mirror with kindness rather than criticism. Each girl received a little mirror bearing those very words, a small but meaningful reminder to take with her.

Her message was a simple one, but certainly worth remembering: 𝘉𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘵𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶. 𝘌𝘮𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘣𝘦 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘫𝘰𝘺.

Visit our Facebook page to view photos of the event.

And really, that fitted so beautifully with what the afternoon was all about. 𝘕𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦, 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢 𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘮 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘦𝘯𝘫𝘰𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳’𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘺, sharing a few meaningful moments and celebrating all the wonderful things that make each of our girls who they are.

𝗔 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝘆 𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗼𝗼𝗻, 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮 𝗳𝗲𝘄 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘄𝗶𝘀𝗱𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗿𝘆 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄.

Bulletin, Student Life

We couldn’t be happier to introduce Union High School’s newly appointed head prefects for 2027!

A warm congratulations to 𝗔𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿 (Head Girl), 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗞𝗿𝗮𝗮𝗶 (Head Boy), 𝗝𝗮𝘀𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗔𝗯𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗯𝗶𝗲 (Deputy Head Girl) and 𝗗𝘄𝗮𝘆𝗻𝗲 𝗞𝗼𝗲𝗯𝗲𝗿𝗴 (Deputy Head Boy).

Four truly wonderful young people, each with so much to offer. We are delighted with these appointments and have every confidence that they will lead with kindness, integrity and pride in their school.

𝘞𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘰 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘢𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥! 

Bulletin, Student Life

There are some goodbyes that are harder than others, and Friday, 9 October, was certainly one of them.

Union High School, Graaff-Reinet’s 𝗩𝗔𝗟𝗘𝗗𝗜𝗖𝗧𝗢𝗥𝗬 ceremony for the Class of 2026 was an incredibly emotional occasion, filled with tears, laughter, hugs and the kind of friendship that only comes from years of growing up together.

𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 and how much being part of this class has meant to them.

From the heartfelt words shared by Mr Pringle and our head prefects, Liso Booi and Misha Newton, to the matrics singing 𝘜𝘯𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘯 together and watching their school years unfold in a slideshow, 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝘁𝗶𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗲.

And as the familiar words of the accompanying song by Green Day, 𝘎𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘙𝘪𝘥𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 (𝘛𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘓𝘪𝘧𝘦) remind us, we really do hope they’ve had the time of their lives.

Because somewhere between the ordinary school days, the laughter in the corridors, the friendships, the challenges and all those little moments they probably never thought twice about, 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆’𝘃𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘆 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿.

Watching them walk out together for the last time was a reminder of just how quickly these years pass.

𝗧𝗼 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗖𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲: we hope that when you look back on your time at Union, you’ll remember not only the things you did, but the people you shared them with and how it all made you feel.

𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘸 𝘶𝘱 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸!

Bulletin, Student Life

Before stepping into their new roles, 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗻𝗲𝘄𝗹𝘆 𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲/𝟮𝟳 had a chance to spend a few days getting to know one another a little better.

From 4 to 6 October, they attended prefect camp at the Leaders In Life-School and Youth Camps outdoor education centre in the heart of Addo, accompanied by Mrs Nelia Read and Mr Hanno Sparrius.

𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗮 𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗳𝘂𝗻, 𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀, 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲, 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺. It was also an opportunity to learn more about themselves and the people they’ll be working alongside in the year ahead.

𝘞𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘜𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘧𝘦𝘸 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺!

Bulletin, Student Life

They say 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘨𝘨𝘭𝘦𝘴, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮.

For our Odyssey hikers, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘁 few 𝗱𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗰𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲. Up one mountain, down the other side… and then, inevitably, another climb waiting ahead.

There is something about a mountain that strips things back to the simplest of choices: 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨. One foot in front of the other. A little further. A little higher.

Tired legs, heavy packs and plenty of climbing – but also spectacular Karoo views, shared encouragement and the quiet satisfaction of discovering that you can do hard things.

And perhaps that is one of Odyssey’s greatest lessons: 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗲𝗿. 𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀, 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿.

Every step of 𝗢𝗗𝗬𝗦𝗦𝗘𝗬 was shared with three very special people: 𝗠𝗿𝘀 𝗗𝗮𝗻𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲 𝗕𝗼𝘁𝗲𝘀, 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿’𝘀 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲, 𝗠𝗿 𝗖𝗮𝗹𝘃𝗶𝗻 𝗕𝗲𝗰𝗸 and 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗠𝗿𝘀 𝗖𝗹𝗮𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝗟𝗲𝗺𝗸𝗲, who walked the entire route with our learners.

𝘛𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘭𝘪𝘮𝘣𝘴, 𝘵𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘨𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦, 𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮.

𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗡𝗞 𝗬𝗢𝗨 Mrs Botes, Mr Beck and Mrs Lemke, for your encouragement, patience and humour and for helping our learners make memories they will carry long after their backpacks have been unpacked.

Bulletin, Student Life

Our Grade 10s set off on their annual 𝗢𝗗𝗬𝗦𝗦𝗘𝗬 on Saturday, 3 October.

There’s something quite remarkable about watching these kids head off into the Karoo with everything they need for the next few days strapped to their backs. 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 – tent, sleeping bag, sleeping mat, clothes, food and rations… all while covering kilometres on foot each day.

𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝗹𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆. At the end of a long day, there’s no room service waiting!

Backpacks come off, tents go up, supper needs to be made and camp has to be sorted before anyone can finally crawl into a sleeping bag for the night.

𝗢𝗱𝘆𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗱𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘆 – and, at certain points, we’re fairly sure “fun” might not be the first word that comes to mind either! But there’s something about a little “shared suffering” that makes for the very best memories.

The sore feet, the heavy packs, the rain, the meals that don’t quite go according to plan and those moments when the next kilometre feels suspiciously longer than the last… those are often the bits that become the best stories.

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺’𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭, 𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘴 – when the backpacks somehow become heavier, the hills steeper and the rain harder with every retelling!

Over the next few days, they’ll make their way from Nieu-Bethesda back towards Graaff-Reinet, carrying what they need and discovering, along the way, just how much they are capable of.

𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗲𝘀, tired legs and undoubtedly a few testing moments, but also plenty of laughter, friendship, spectacular Karoo scenery and memories that will stay with them long after the backpacks have been unpacked.

𝗧𝗼 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝟭𝟬𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗳𝗳 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺: travel safely, look after one another and make the most of every step.

𝘞𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘥𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭.

Bulletin, Student Life

Union High School, Graaff-Reinet is proud to acknowledge 2027 prefects 𝗝𝗮𝘀𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗔𝗯𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗯𝗶𝗲 and 𝗦𝗶𝘅𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝗦𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗶, who recently represented our school at the Youth Parliament, presented as part of the 𝘙𝘰𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘵 𝘚𝘰𝘣𝘶𝘬𝘸𝘦 𝘛𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘋𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘱𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘍𝘰𝘳𝘶𝘮’𝘴 𝘏𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘨𝘦, 𝘔𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘮𝘦.

The gathering brought young people together to engage in thoughtful discussion around education and local government, encouraging them to consider their own place and voice within their community.

𝗪𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝘁𝗼 𝗝𝗮𝘀𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝗶𝘅𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝗽 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗲, 𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻, 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗯𝘂𝘁𝗲 and broaden their understanding of the issues shaping the community around them.

Bulletin, Student Life

Earlier this morning, Friday, 14 August, Union High School, Graaff-Reinet proudly announced its 𝗣𝗥𝗘𝗙𝗘𝗖𝗧 𝗕𝗢𝗗𝗬 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟳 during a special assembly in the school hall.

It was a meaningful moment in the school year as the newly elected prefects stepped forward to sign their pledge – 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘨𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺, 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦.

Each prefect was then presented with a prefect tie and badge, marking the trust that has been placed in them.

𝗪𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀, listed in alphabetical order, on their appointment as prefects for 2027:

• Jasmine Abercrombie
• Warren Barlow
• Kirsten Collett
• Alex Hunter
• Callum Jacobs
• Dwayne Koeberg
• Leander Kraai
• Jourdon-Bethany Koeberg
• Esethu Mabula
• Richard Murray
• Sixolile Singeni
• Amber Slater
• Jade Slater
• Lulonke Vumazonke

𝘞𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘦. 𝘔𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘦𝘹𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦, 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵.

Bulletin, Student Life

Earlier today, Friday, 15 May, the local representatives of The Gideons International paid a visit to our school in order to present free copies of the Gideons’ Bible to all the Grade 8 learners.

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘐𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘧𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘦.

Union extends its 𝗚𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗙𝗨𝗟 𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗡𝗞𝗦 to the Gideons for this kind gesture.

Should you wish to find out more about The Gideons International in South Africa, you can visit their website: https://gideons.co.za/