𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗚𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗨𝗟𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗦 to Union High School, Graaff-Reinet Grade 6 learner, 𝗟𝘂𝗸𝗵𝗼𝗻𝗮 𝗕𝘂𝗹𝗲𝗺𝗯𝘂, who has been selected to represent the Eastern Province at the u/12 Southern Regional Rugby Tournament to be hosted in Riversdal.
This tournament forms part of the u/12 talent identifications process in aid of identifying talent for the 2024 u/13 Craven Week side.
(𝘓𝘶𝘬𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘢’𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘶/12 𝘚𝘶𝘣 𝘜𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘛𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘒𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘨𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺.)
The following Cultural and Winter Sport awards were presented during the Awards Assembly held on Monday morning, 19 August 2024:
Earlier today, on Monday, 19 August, Union High School, Graaff-Reinet proudly announced its 𝗡𝗘𝗪 𝗣𝗥𝗘𝗙𝗘𝗖𝗧 𝗕𝗢𝗗𝗬 for the upcoming academic year of 2024/25.
𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘥𝘺𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘤 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘱 𝘰𝘧 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 𝘴𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺, 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺 𝘢 𝘱𝘪𝘷𝘰𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘱𝘦𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘶𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗯𝗼𝗱𝘆, 𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗹𝗽𝗵𝗮𝗯𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿, 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗳: Muhammad Ahmed, Xavier Barlow, Farronique Booysen, Tara Ferreira, Erin Gedult, Trystan Hulleman, Sarah Jacobs, Shaakir Kazi, Kyle Liebenberg, Daniel Marais, Kenza Neill, Milano Pongoma, Ndodana Speelman, Aaminah Steele and Uyintando Ziswana.
As these young leaders step into their roles, we remind them of the words of John Quincy Adams: “𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦, 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦, 𝘥𝘰 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳.” This quote encapsulates the essence of leadership – the ability to inspire and uplift those around you.
With this new responsibility, the prefects are encouraged to serve the school with pride and dignity. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗷𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗲𝘆 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗹𝘂𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹, 𝗳𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗶𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲
This past Saturday saw Union High School, Graaff-Reinet hosting its first-ever social 𝟲-𝗔-𝗦𝗜𝗗𝗘 cricket tournament.
𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘴𝘢𝘸 𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘴 𝘨𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘭, 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘦𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘴𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘯𝘫𝘰𝘺 𝘢 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯.
A heartfelt 𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗡𝗞 𝗬𝗢𝗨 goes out to all the teams that participated, including our Old Boys and the various clubs from Graaff-Reinet who came out to support the day.
𝘾𝙤𝙣𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙪𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙚𝙧 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙃𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙛𝙞𝙚𝙡𝙙, 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙚𝙡𝙡-𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙚𝙙 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙢𝙥𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙪𝙜𝙪𝙧𝙖𝙡 𝙩𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙖𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩!
As we reflect on this wonderful day, we are already looking forward to next year’s event.
We hope to see all of you return to enjoy another fantastic day of cricket in the beautiful Karoo.
𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘶𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦. 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘧𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘶𝘴 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴.
Here’s to many more successful tournaments in the future!
𝗜𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗦𝗖𝗛𝗢𝗢𝗟𝗦 is more than just an annual event; it’s a tapestry woven with deep emotions, fierce competition and unforgettable memories. Every year, this special occasion seems to draw out the very best and, at times, the worst in us. But this duality is not something to be feared or resented – it’s reflection of our deep passion and unwavering commitment to our children. We cheer with all our might when they excel and we feel every stumble as if it were our own.
The intensity of our emotions during Interschools stems from a place of love, pride and an earnest desire to see our children succeed. It’s in these moments that our true selves are revealed, for better or for worse. We find ourselves in the joyous highs of victory, but also in the quiet moments of reflection after a loss.
This ebb and flow of emotions is not new. Interschools has always been this way – 𝙖 𝙢𝙞𝙘𝙧𝙤𝙘𝙤𝙨𝙢 𝙤𝙛 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙪𝙢𝙥𝙝 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙡𝙠 𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙞𝙣 𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙙.
INTERSCHOOLS REULTS
Senior Rugby
While Volkskool’s 1st XV may have taken home the win (22-12), it was the Union team that truly captured our hearts! You fought valiantly, showing strength and determination that exceeded all expectations. We couldn’t be more proud of you! Your passion and spirit shone brightly today!
More Results
U/13B: 17 – 17
U/13A: 5 – 5
U/14: 0 – 53
U/15: 7 – 5
U/16: 8 – 25
3rd Team: 0 – 39
2nd Team: 6 – 24
Hockey
In a thrilling chapter of Union’s storied history, the 1st team hockey girls clinched a narrow yet glorious victory over Volkskool with a score of 1 – 0 during the 𝗜𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗦𝗖𝗛𝗢𝗢𝗟𝗦 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰 encounter.
𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 to our champions!
More Results
U/13B: 2 – 0
U/13A: 0 – 1
U/14A: 9 – 0
U/16A: 1 – 1
2nd Team: 8 – 0
Senior Tennis
Union’s 1st girls’ team showcased their talent by winning decisively with a score of 8 – 1. The 2nd girls also performed admirably, clinching a narrow victory with a score of 5 – 4. However, the 1st boys faced a tough challenge, ending the match with a score of 1 – 8 in favour of Volkskool.
The 2nd boys and 3rd teams fought valiantly, but ultimately fell short, with scores of 2 – 7 and 2 – 7 for the 3rd girls and 3 – 6 for the 3rd boys, respectively.
Junior Tennis
The first team girls fought valiantly, narrowly losing with a score of 4-5.
The second team girls, however, shone brightly as they clinched victory with a solid 6-3 win. Kudos to them on a stellar effort!
𝗢𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝘆𝘀’ 𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗲𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗲. The first team boys faced a formidable challenge and, despite their best efforts, fell to their Volkskool counterparts with a score of 0-9.
The second team boys also put forth a commendable effort but ended with a score of 1-8. Both teams demonstrated great sportsmanship and tenacity and their commitment to the game is something to be proud of.
Quiz
Our quiz team put forth a stellar effort, narrowly missing out on victory in a nail-biting finale, finishing just one point shy with a score of 37-38 in the dying moments of the quiz.
Speeches
Our junior and senior speech learners also took centre stage, displaying eloquence and grace that left a lasting impression on everyone present. 𝗔𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗕𝗲𝘇𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁, 𝗕𝗲𝗻 𝗟𝗲𝗺𝗸𝗲, 𝗝𝗼𝘆 𝗠𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗹𝗱 (1st place) 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗔𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗗𝘄𝗮𝗻𝗲 comported themselves with remarkable poise, embodying the very essence of what it means to be wonderful representatives of our school.
Chess
The high school teams (Grades 8 to 12), saw the Union 1st team lose 5-9, with the 2nd team making a clean sweep with a point tally of 14-0 in their favour, to claim an overall victory of 19-9 in the division.
Meanwhile, the Primary School teams (Grades 5 to 7) dominated the board, with the 1st team winning 10-4 and the 2nd team winning 13-1, to claim an overall win of 23-5.
Not to be outdone, the Union Preparatory School, Graaff-Reinet team (Grades 1 to 4) fought valiantly to secure an 11-9 victory, contributing to Team Union’s overall triumph.
𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮 𝘁𝗼𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝟱𝟯 𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘂𝘀 𝟮𝟯 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗻𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿𝘀.
The 𝗠𝗔𝗧𝗥𝗜𝗖 𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗠𝗦 engaged in a fun match that showcased the lighter side of competition, facing off against the Volkskool side. In a spirited encounter, the Matric players lost 7-13, but the camaraderie shared during the games proved that 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙟𝙤𝙮 𝙤𝙛 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙮𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙚 𝙫𝙞𝙘𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙣𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩.
Union High School, Graaff-Reinet‘s u/13A hockey team had the privilege of participating in the annual Pietie Coetzee u/13 hockey tournament in Bloemfontein this past Friday and Saturday.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀’ 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗱!
Wishing all competitors from the Union Schools and Hoër and Laer Volkskool the best of luck.
As we engage in friendly competition, let us remember the words of John Wooden: “𝘚𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘢𝘮𝘦.”
𝗠𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝗯𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝘅𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽!
MEET OUR 1ST TEAMS
Joy Merifield and Asive Dwane (seniors), as well as Amber Bezuidenhout and Zusange Phehlukwayo (juniors) will proudly represent Union in the annual Speech Competition during this year’s 𝗜𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗦𝗖𝗛𝗢𝗢𝗟𝗦’ week.
Congratulations to the first team on their impressive 6-2 victory! This match was undoubtedly one of the most challenging and physical encounters we have faced this year. St Michaels proved to be very physical and fit ,maintaining relentless pressure throughout the game. Our players had to dig deep and perform with immense determination, which they did.
During the first two chukkas, we dominated the game, scoring goals that alleviated the scoreboard pressure. Our defense was robust, winning every 50/50 ball and imposing our presence on our opponents. However, in the second half, we experienced a loss of focus and appeared unfit and slow at times. This is an area we need to address and improve in the coming weeks.
This match was an excellent preparation for the interschools. Special recognition goes to Sarah Jacobs, Leigh-Ann Murray, Kenza Neill, and Aaminah Steele. I am very proud of my team. Thank you, girls, for giving 110 percent at practices and games. Your dedication to the sport is both admirable and greatly appreciated.
Fixture results:
1st team won 6-2
2nd team won 2-0
U16A lost 2-1
U14A lost 2-1
On Saturday the 3rd of August Union’s 1st XV rugby team made their last away travel for the 2024 season down to George to play against York High School. The 1st half was a easily contested affair with York taking the lead into the half-time break by 15-12 after each team scored two tries. The 2nd half was a different story and Union came out guns blazing and then taking the lead through tries by Makukhanye de Beer and Peter Michaels. York however managed to put more points on the board but couldn’t catch up to Union. Union won the game by 33-22.
