Alexpress FOR ALEXANS BY ALEXANS SINCE 1967 AcclAim for Alex Autumn festivAl By Kristen van der Westhuizen
Saturday 15 March brought great excitement and a buzz in Alex’s widely talented music department, as this marked the date for the Autumn Festival. This annual Festival showcases all aspects of the music department, from the choir to the three different bands and the orchestra. Preparation for the concert began with band rehearsal weekend – held in the last week of January. Full steam ahead, the music department prepared themselves for two matinees, which were held on the Thursday and Friday morning before the big night. Thursday’s matinee was performed for primary school students from various feeder schools around Port Elizabeth and the second matinee was held for Alex’s Grade 8s and 9s. Both matinees were enormously successful and were thoroughly enjoyed by the audiences. The evening of 15March was the highlight for the members of the music department as they were able to show the audience the product of all their hard work and effort. The hall was packed to capacity with all the Alex staff members and their partners and, of course, the musicians’ families and friends. Whether musical or not, the audience was filled with enthusiasm and generous applause, encouraging the musicians as they entered and exited the hall. A moving performance by the Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Mr JF Viljoen showed off the diversity of their string section, as they jumped from mellow to frantic and majestic to boisterous pieces. Then the award-winning Alex choir continued the programme by performing four magical, diverse numbers including a famous traditional item which brought the crowd to a stand-still. The former Symphonic Sounds fused with the Wind Band to form the new, better- than-ever Wind Band, blowing the audience away with their impressive array of well-known pieces, including: Nimrod, Big Sky Overture and the Theme from Star Wars. The Big Band followed suit playing sophisticated and often atmospheric jazz songs, which included the groovy, fast tempo of the opener, String of Pearls – including a saxophone section solo; the jazzy Brass Roots; the bluesy They Done Me Wrong and the raucous Channel One Suite, which showcased a triumphant drum solo for Zikona Zweni. continued on pg 2
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Ms Nici Coleman once again made her passion evident by leading the concert band to the show-stopping finale. They played an Andrew Lloyd Webber medley –including Broadway classics such as Memory from Cats and Jesus Christ Superstar from the musical of the same name. Two sombre and melancholic pieces followed: Air Force Band and Seal Lullaby –which was also performed by the choir. Satchmo! paying homage to the great Louis Armstrong - was the final piece, with a magnificent Dixie section performed by various soloists from each section,and brought the first of two standing ovations. The concert band received an encore for which they performed a Spanish number –Espaňa Caňi –and their second standing ovation brought the evening to a close. The audience left hungry for more!
By Katherine Bertrand
For many yearsat the end of every term, I would look for the above heading in the AlexPress and I would enjoy reading the editor’s quick review of the term or his/her motivational story. This year it is my turn. I thought for hours about what I could write that would make Alexans think and would inspire them. Anything that would be different from all the previous editors’ editorials. I realised that I’m going to need not only one original idea, but four (one for each term). It then dawned on me thatFathima and I are in charge of making this newspaper something great for one whole year. One whole year is merely four editions of the AlexPress.
Keep an eye on the circulars and calendar to avoid missing out on the upcoming performances by this very talented music department.
So at the risk of sounding very much like a cliché, right at the start of 2014, I’m telling you that this year is going to go faster than any of the years which have passed. Before we know it, we’ll be bidding the class of 2014 farewell and welcoming the new class of 2015. I hope that by the end of this year, the AlexPress board will be able to sit back and smile at how all our hard work has paid off. We’ll feel fantastic about the issues we’ve tackled and the improvements we’ve brought about. So Alexans, here’s to 2014, the best year yet, and to AlexPress, the newspaper for the people, by the people.
ATHLETICS DAY By Sive Tsatsire The annual inter-house athle4cs day was held at the Oval on 27th January 2014. Congratula4ons to following winners: • • • • • • •
Best opening presenta4on: .................Protea Best spirit : ..........................................Protea Winner of Inter-House Athle4cs : ........Heath Senior Victor Ludorum: .......................Vito Ponzo Senior Victrix Ludorum: .......................Kirsten Dodd Junior Victor Ludorum : .......................Logan Holmes Junior Victrix Ludorum: .......................Lauren Palmer 2
JAMES WESTRAADT TAKES ON KILIMANJARO As for the practicalities of the trip, they had porters to carry the tents, toilets and all their equipment and they only had to carry their day-packs. The porters also carried and cooked their food.
By Fathima Seedat Last year in December, our deputy head-boy, James Westraadt, his sister and ex-Alexan Asha Chowhan decided to climb Mount Kilimanjaro.
They were also quite unlucky because they had horrible weather throughout. It was the worst weather in seven years. Everything was wet and they couldn’t use solar power to charge anything.
It was organised through an outdoor adventure company called Zaro Adventures. James and his companions were required to buy a lot of equipment, the bill for which was really high.
“It was great, although I wouldn’t do it again. It was strenuous, physically draining. The walking wasn’t bad; it was just the night-walk.”
As for the climb itself, it took five days to get to the top and then two days down. On the first day, they climbed 14 kilometres; on the second day 7 kilometres; the third day 11 kilometres; the fourth day 14 kilometres; and on the fifth day, they climbed through the night to the top. They arrived at the top at sunrise. The view, according to James, was the best part of the trip. “The worst part of the trip was the night climb to get to the top because we hadn’t slept and it was half-past-eleven and they wanted us to start walking and we had to push through until three o’clock and only then did our bodies feel really awake. So, to get through the mental block, that was the hardest thing.”
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NOISES OFF The show will begin at 19h30 every day except on10May when it will begin at 14h00.
By Sive Tsatsire
Alexander Road High School will be staging its annual school produc4on, Noises Off, under the direc4on of Mr. GregEverard. This wi5y and comical show will be showcased at the Percy Walker Hall and will run from 5 - 10May 2014.
The cast will include Mr. Kleb and eight other talented Alex students. Mr. Everard encourages everyone to come and support the produc4on as it is one of the greatest farcical comedies wri5en in the 20th century.
The farcical produc4on is a play within a play and is about the theatre. It reveals the various angles of the play, from the backstage to the front of the stage and includes all the mayhem andmishaps that can occur when staging a produc4on.
Tickets will be available from the school bursar from 20 March.
A DAY IN THE LIFE OF...A POLO PLAYER AND A CRICKETER By Katherine Bertrand
WATER POLO is a huge sport at Alex which requires fitness, hours of training and lots of dedica4on. The various water polo teams train for an hour every Monday, Wednesday and Friday a%er school, as well as before school on some occasions. Apart from all this training, the water polo teams also take part in the Thursday night league. This is when Alexans play against various other teams. All of our polo teams are strong. It is no wonder that they are feared by so many schools!
CRICKET is also known as “the gentleman’s game.”It is a popular summer sport in whicha number of male Alexanspar4cipate. The teams train on Tuesdays and Thursdays. When the cricketers are not on the pitch or field, they can be found at the green cricket nets near the Astroturf, working on their ba6ng and bowling skills.Due to the re4rement of Jacques Kallis, the Proteas are on the lookout for the new King of Cricket and Alex certainly does have some talented young cricketers!
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MOST ROMANTIC GUYS ON VALENTINE’S DAY
BEST SPEAKERS’ CONTEST 2014 By Katie Bertrand
For the first 4me ever, the Best Speakers’ Contest was combined, with the isiXhosa, Afrikaans and English speeches all happening at one event. The contest was extremely enjoyable and showcased yet another aspect of Alexans’ extra-mural ac4vi4es and the talent that our school holds. Congratula4ons to all the par4cipants. isiXhosa Best Speakers
JUNIOR: Hlumelo Yawa SENIOR: Lisa Qeqe
Afrikaans Best Speakers
JUNIOR: Kayleigh Cloete SENIOR: Jamie Adams
English Best Speakers
JUNIOR: Allison Adams SENIOR: Lukhanyo Somlota
Dear Ma Brongqo,
By Fathima Seedat
Hein Burger and Rosanne Pieterse Ladies, this one is an “awwwww!” moment. Hein planned a roman4c date in a tree house with blankets, flowers and a picnic basket - the whole bit. He also filled Rosanne’s locker with cu6ngs of hearts. You’ve got my vote for originality and romance, Hein! Good luck topping this one next year! Scott Maitland and Jessica Springer This one definitely takes the cake though. Sco5 actually COOKED Jessica’s favourite dish and that’s not all. He set up the table like something you would see in a movie. Apple4ser in a bucket of ice, a nice tablecloth, candles and flowers! I mean how many guys can you think of who will actually remember to lay out a nice tablecloth? To top it all off, Jess didn’t know anything about this! She was caught completely unawares. This one is a keeper, Jessica!
Ma Brongqo Oh my baby!
Everything you are experiencing is completely normal! MaBrongqo has had her fair share of heartbreaks in her lifetime! I have always said, tell it like it is and you cannot go wrong. Just sit this boy down and say, “Bhuti, where do we stand and what is on your agenda because I am a strong woman and I need love, and if you are just going to mess me around I will get my petos to mess you up. Uyaqonda? Do you understand me?” Then, baby girl, your problems will be solved. Always remember that you are a beautiful woman! Never settle for anything but the best!
I’m a fourteen year old girl and since I came to Alex my best friend (let’s call her B) liked this guy (let’s call him Q) and I had a crush on his friend (let’s call him Z) and he seemed to be into me too, but nothing ever happened between us un4l B started da4ng Q. Suddenly, Z was flir4ng with me and soon he asked me out. I said yes, but I can’t help wondering if he’s asking me out because he genuinely likes me or if he’s just asking me out because his friend (Q) is da4ng my best friend (B) and he doesn’t want to feel le% out. Or maybe Q suggested that he asks me out so we can all double date? Maybe I’m over-thinking everything. What do you think I should do? Confused Girl
Best of luck and MaBrongqo loves you. 5
ALEX-TAGRAM
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LATEST NEWS ABOUT THE ALEX SOCIETIES By Lukhanyiso Skosana
rs-Mr Nell e id R d r a o B x Ale s is ride the wave
Guitar C
is keen to Anyone who us, whatever your favourite in welcome to jo apon may be! The list goes we style of riding in TB05 (Mr Nell’s class) and up on a Tuesday r 13 learners to go surfing fo there is space oons. On-the-spot surf and rn e on Friday a% lessons are also provided body-boarding s are held in June and p and surf cam r. Novembe
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- Mr Kle Guitar clu b b guitar fo may be for eve r how to you? As Mr Kleb ryone, but is the play guit s teaching ar; I don ays, “I show you ’t teach h a p pens w Spoken li it. The it h k y e feeling th a true musicia ou at home.” e willing t strings calling y n! So, if you are our nam o wo r k e a over on e a%ern t your cra%, th and are e n co m e oon and string yo u away let the melody
Science Club-Mr Oosthuizen In this society, learners are exposed to science in ac4on. There is a focus on work outside of the NSC curriculum in order for learners to realize that there is so much more to science than just their everyday “boring and no-excitement” school work.
YAP-Ms Bellardi YAP, or Young Animal People, serves to raise funds and food for animal shelters. We also volunteer our 4me and services at the various shelters around Port Elizabeth.
Hands-on ac4vi4es are arranged each week, with experiments in both chemistry and physics. The a5ending teacher focuses on safety and correct skills before the pupils do the work for themselves.
What we have planned for the year: • Cake sales throughout the year. The money is donated or used for food drives. • Food drives. We collect food for different welfare organisa4ons on a regular basis. • Volunteer a%ernoons at shelters. We walk and feed the dogs and brush the cats, etc. • Fun run on Family day. We are hoping to revamp the fun run this year. Watch this spot for details.
This year we will organise and host two events at the school. The NEBD symposium (North End Beach Development) in March and the Mole Day breakfast in August. Other ac4vi4es include the weekly mee4ngs where scien4fic fun ac4vi4es will be arranged and excursions to local ins4tu4ons will be undertaken.
Any ideas for other ac4vi4es will be appreciated and taken into considera4on.
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THOUGHTS OF AN EIGHTH GRADER By Luyelwanda Tanda It’s funny how new Grade eights look on their first day in high school. Dark chocolate brown uniform, new brown lace-up shoes, rocking hairstyles and don’t forget the oversized bags full of books.
Feeling excited,in4midated, nervous or lost? Actually, it’s all of the above. From primary school to high school is a huge jump, especially at Alex. There's just so much to choose from! I'm also a new Grade 8 pupil at Alex and I can tell you first hand that it’s quite overwhelming. Only a few weeks at Alex and already it feels as if a year has passed. I felt at home in the first few hours we spent at the orienta4on.
TOP 3 FUN HOLIDAYS By Fathima Seedat
3 International Left-Handers Day (13th August) This holiday was launched in 1992 to increase public awareness of the advantages and disadvantages of being le%-handed and to promote the development of new le%handed equipment. In the UK it is celebrated by having “Le%y Zones”, le%-handed tea-par4es and le% versus righthanded sports matches.
I just tried my best to stay out of everyone's way, so that I could find my place at Alex! I told myself that in the next 5 years at Alex, I'm going to make the most of it, get involved and have fun!
2 Blame Somebody Else Day (13th April) Rumour has it that a woman by the name of Anne Moeller came up with this day when her alarm clock failed to go off, resul4ng in her being late. She blamed her tardiness and everything else that went wrong that day on somebody or something else. Of course, this hasn’t been proven so don’t blame everything on a woman! 1 Be Late For Something Day (5th September) This holiday encourages you to take a step back from your hec4c life and to be inten4onally late for something. The aim is to allow for some “me” 4me and for people to realise that work is not everything. No jokes! This is an actual holiday. Hmmm... Now we all actually have a reason to be late for class!
HOW TO ANNOY A TEACHER WITHOUT GETTING INTO TROUBLE By Ziyanda Makibeni 1.
Raise your hand to answer a ques4on and say “never mind" when called upon.
2.
When the teacher cracks a joke, laugh really loudly. Then apologize, explaining that you "have a naturally loud laugh”.
3.
Speak incorrect English like "ain't" and "gonna". When the teacher corrects you, nod as if you understand and con4nue to speak improperly.
4.
Colour red dots all over your arm, then show your teachers and tell them that you are "allergic to school".
5.
Hold your head and groan, then tell your teacher your
“mul4ple personali4es are figh4ng".
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6.
When the teacher asks you a ques4on, say "I'm sorry, the brain you tried to reach has been disconnected. Please ask someone else or try again later. Thank you".
7.
Hide under your desk and yell “the sky is falling".
8.
Bring an inanimate object to class. During the lesson, put your hand up and say your “object has a ques4on". Stare at the object wai4ng to hear the ques4on, then act very disappointed when it does not say anything.
9.
When the teacher says take a seat, you answer " take it where?"
WE PAY TRIBUTE TO THE FOLLOWING ALEXANS
THE LOST SOUL
By Lukhanyiso Skosana
The loud cry of sorrow and hurt strikes her like a blazing fire. At a crossroad, tempted by a ball of guilt and depression.
By Kelsey Bruce: Gr 10
Thembakazi “Thembi” Losi She was a student leader and the Junior City Mayor. Here are some kind words about her from Ms Mtshake,” Thembi had a contagious smile and the most beau4ful pair of green eyes. She was always warm and recep4ve. The fundamental aspect about Thembi was her servant heart. She is and will be deeply and sorely missed. May her dear soul rest in peace.”
She is constantly faced with This shame and hurt breaking her on the inside, but making her stronger on the outside. Suddenly, a dove captures her a5en4on and, just for a moment she forgets about her sorrows.
Tshepo Orleyn Tshepo was an ac4ve patron of our sports programmes where he was involved in the 2nd team rugby as captain and in matric, he was in the 1st team as a wing. Here are a few kind words from Mr Zakumba,” We are deeply saddened by the passing of this Alexan as he was taken very early from this life from us, the Alex family as well as from his family and friends.”
She gazes up to the sky and realises that there is so much to live for . . . Never give up!
HOCKEY * RUGBY * SOCCER
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