End of Hilary Term 2023 Peponi Post

Peponi Post

HILARY TERM 2023

Kampala, Serena Hotel

Friday, 14th April 2023 from 3.00pm to 7.30pm

Boarding and Day School in Nairobi for ages 11 to 18 years

Excellent airport access

100% admission to international universities

Vibrant extra-curricular programme and weekend activities

Unrivalled boarding facilities and caring community

Our Headmaster welcomes you to our Informal Reception at the Individual appointments available on Friday 14th and Saturday 15th April. Please contact registrar@peponischool.org All our friends and family in Uganda are welcome. Complimentary drinks and refreshments are available

‘Home away from Home’ for your children

Outstanding Pearson Learner Awards

Every year Pearson Examination Board recognises and celebrates those learners around the world who have demonstrated academic excellence at the very highest levels in their exam performance. e awards are presented to those learners in each exam series who have achieved the highest subject mark in their country, in the region, and around the world.

Peponi School has continued to excel in Public Exams in the region and this year was not any exception.

We received 4 awards as indicated below.

Ryan Gontier Highest Mark in Kenya

Ryan Gontier Highest Mark in Kenya

Tara Vora Highest Mark in Kenya

Tasha Ndonga Highest Mark in Kenya

Pearson-IGCSE Chemistry

Pearson-IGCSE Physics

Pearson-IGCSE Biology

Pearson-IGCSE Religious Studies

We wish to take this earliest opportunity to congratulate the learners and their teachers for all the hard work and dedication in delivering such impressive results.

Ephraim Wachara Examinations O ce

MSMUN Conference 2023

e Peponi School delegation of 19 pupils participated in the 29th Edition of the Annual MSMUN Conference held at the United Nations O ces in Nairobi from 29th January to 3rd February 2023. e conference's theme was Ubuntu: ‘I Am Because We Are’ and it was attended by hundreds of pupils from di erent schools in and outside of Kenya. is was the rst physical conference pupils had participated in since the onset of the pandemic, and there was palpable excitement in the air for the four days of the conference.

e Peponi School delegation was assigned to represent ve countries, namely Ghana, Estonia, Bangladesh, Antigua and Barbuda, and the Press Corps. e proceedings of each day began with the General Assembly, followed by a short address from a keynote speaker invited by the executive committee to address the assembly. Peponi School pupils dominated the debate proceedings and actively participated in calling for amendments to motions and engaging in erce debates. eir calm, rational, yet decisive and appealing manner of participation resulted in an enriching, educational, and exciting experience.

e hard work and dedication of our pupils resulted in the school receiving several awards and honourable mentions in various categories. Amara Pannu(J), Shayan Dewany(M), Baraka Kahugu(M), Nahla Jeilan(J), and Tanya Haria(E) won Best Resolution and Best Delegate awards in di erent committees. Additionally, Rian Shah(C), Yuv Galaiya(C), Nesa Kochhar(J), Diva Karania(J), and Darsh Shah(M) received Honourable Mentions.

On the last day of the conference, the founder of the MSMUN programme, Dr Terry Howard, gave a rousing and emotional speech, and the pupils gave a standing ovation to the entire organising committee for arranging such a successful conference programme. e MSMUN Conference was a resounding success, and the participating pupils voiced their anticipation for the next conference.

George Kimani Learning Support Assistant

Hilary Term Music Report

As is often the case, the Hilary term is one of the busiest terms for the Music Department and the musical life of the school. Indeed, this term’s music-making was hugely successful!

On 25th January, and for the rst time in several years, a group of pupils attended the Oshwal Academy (Junior High) Recital. is is an annual event featuring pupils and ensembles from di erent schools. Pinkey Mhajan(J) performed ‘Dream a little dream of me’ on voice whilst Reeyan Gosrani(C) performed a solo on the saxophone. A week later, we were thrilled to host the London College of Music practical examinations (after a three-year hiatus). A full day of exams featured every level from the Step level to the Diploma (including Rani Sumaria(E)).

One of the largest musical events, in terms of pupils involved, must be the Inter-House Music competition. is was held on 9th February and, with Covid restrictions eased, around half of the school were participating. is was, arguably, the best ever edition with almost two hours of music and so many ne performances, but, ultimately, the overall winners were Jipe with Magadi running them incredibly close! For the soloists, the judges deemed the following pupils to be the best overall within their category:

o Best Junior Instrumentalist = Darsh Shah(M)

o Best Junior Vocalist = Baraka Wakaba(C)

o Best Senior Instrumentalist = Ronav Vora(C)

o Best Senior Vocalist = Neha Shah(J)

I am always keen to start up new events and initiatives, and on 21st February, we hosted the inaugural Peponi School Concert Festival. is is a non-competitive event aimed at vocal and instrumental ensembles from di erent schools. As music teachers, we often lament the lack of opportunities for our pupils and ensembles to perform beyond our own school concerts. Our Choir and Orchestra not only performed their own selections but were able to listen to performances of Ensembles from a number of other schools. Indeed, the number of participants was around 250 pupils along with around 20 members of sta . It was a very successful, enjoyable and rewarding morning!

e Young Musician’s Competition made a welcome return to ‘live’ performances at Kenton College in mid-February with the Preliminaries. We had a healthy number of competitors in the Solo and Ensemble categories and, as a result, I was immensely proud that we achieved six Finalists to go through to the Finals on Sunday 5th March. is was easily our best ever performance in this competition with results in the Finals as follows;

• Finalist (Intermediate Solo) – Ruchi Raja(E) (Piano)

• Winner (Intermediate Solo) – Reeyan Gosrani(C) (Saxophone)

• 2nd Position(J) (Open Ensemble) – Flute Trio (Wanjiru Kibuchi, Kheya Shah & Katanu Muindi)

• 3rd Position(C) (Open Ensemble) - Saxophone Trio (Aarav Patel, Ngumo Kibuchi & Reeyan Gosrani)

• 3rd Position(J) (Senior Solo) – Dia Khimasia (Saxophone)

• Winner (Senior Solo) - Samyak Raja(M) (Violin)

Our nal event this term, the Hilary concert, took place on ursday 16th March, with performances from our School Ensembles, our Young Musician’s Competition Finalists and a range of other solos and ensembles. It was, without doubt, one of the best school concerts I’ve witnessed in my time here.

It also featured a guest performance from a visiting guitarist, Sam Brown, who was the soloist in the Nairobi Orchestra concerts which took place on Saturday 18th & Sunday 19th March at Peponi House Preparatory School, involving Mr Laight (conducting) and Mr Wataka (clarinet).

James Laight Director of Music & Creative Arts

“ at which hath made them drunk hath made me bold, what hath quenched them hath given me re." —

Lady Macbeth (Act II; Scene 2)

Macbeth

Since September, pupils who have been part of the drama production activity have been working incredibly hard in rehearsals for ‘Macbeth’. is year’s performance was a contemporary version of the traditional play, weaving physical theatre, immersivity and site-speci c theatre together.

Physical theatre is a form of theatre that relies upon movement rather than the spoken word; the movement becomes the main form of storytelling. Another common feature of physical theatre is having multiple actors play the same character. In this production, the same character could be recognised by the same costume.

At the start of the process, the pupils were introduced to physical theatre. ey learnt about di erent practitioners and companies, such as Frantic Assembly, Gecko eatre, and

As well as the modern take on acting, pupils have also envisaged the entire school as their stage.

Site-speci c theatre has grown in popularity over recent years but is still avant-garde with only a few major groups conducting dramatic performances in this way. roughout the performance, scenes took place on di erent stages, transporting the audience to witch’s cavern, Macbeth’s home, and the King’s castle.

e pupils performed successfully over two days; performing one matinee and evening show each day. e focus and characterisation was outstanding, bringing this challenging story to life. I look forward to next years production, especially working with our talented pupils!

“False face must hide what the false heart doth know.”

Coralie Moon

Teacher of Drama and English

Mount Kenya Report

By Palvi Shah(E)

On the 10th of February 2023, a group of Peponi pupils made our way to the base of the Mount Kenya National park, to start our 5-day trek up and over the mountain.

Day 1:

A real test of the mountain challenge as, we had to walk up very steep roads to get to our Chogoria campsite. We had to say farewell to the luxuries of having phone network and transport. During the night, we struggled to stay warm and upbeat.

Day 2:

As the sun rose in the morning, we started our hike by trekking down to a shery close to camp, that works to populate the lakes and streams around the area with a variety of sh. Later on, we continued our journey to the Chogoria Roadhead campsite. Just before reaching camp, Samanta (Peponi pupil) spotted a Mt. Kenya side stripped Chameleon, which is a very rare species only found in that area. At camp, we indulged in a game of cards before feasting on lunch and then went o

Day 3: is was one of the hardest day. We had to walk 14km up the mountain ridge to Mintos camp via Neemas eye point and the Vivienne waterfalls. We were happy to have Lunch by a cli top, where we saw a great deal of birds and the view was spectacular. We managed to rest for a while and were lucky to see various mountain rodents. We arrived at Camp Mintos at 4pm and had to take rehydration salts, which none of us liked. Later in the afternoon, some of us went on a small walk to the Temple point, where you could see the Vivienne waterfalls and lake Michealson from the top of a high cli . e view was breathtaking and unforgettable. e rest of the group rested at camp, to regain their energy for the big day that was coming up.

e night was extremely cold. None of us had been at such low freezing temperatures and several people started feeling the e ects of the 4300m altitude. Symptoms we all had at some point include, Loss of appetite, headaches or nausea. We all had an early night so we could rest su ciently for the summit day.

“ e great thing about reaching the top of the mountain is realising that there’s space for more than one person. And you’re now in the prime position to help others up.” — We Dream of Travel

Day 4: - Summit day.

It was agreed and arranged by the trip leaders, that we would have a day summit rather than a morning summit and as such, we didn’t have to trek early in the morning with the roaring wind and freezing temperatures. We left camp at 8:15am, after having breakfast and breaking up camp, and started walking to the summit, Point Lenana. ere was lots of ice and snow on the ground that excited everyone and motivated everyone to keep going.

At 12:30pm, we reached the base of summit and had to take a break to regain energy that we all needed. We were spoiled with tea, hot chocolate, juice, popcorn and biscuits. As we got higher up and closer to summit Peak lenena, we started getting more motivated and emotional, with some of us crying, tears rolling down our cheeks. We climbed up to the summit whilst singing our hearts out, as we had just accomplished our goal.

We all sat on Point Lenana taking in the views of what we had walked over the last days and the beauty of Point Batian, that stood majestic in the clouds and sky. We took pictures and videos to send to our friends and families, as we managed to get phone service all the way up at 4985m asl, after 3 days of poor network.

e group then made its way down a rocky trail back down via the Sirimon route. On reaching Shiptons camp, we had Bush brunch and then we all had to push our limits and walk further down to camp. We rested, had dinner and slept early as we were all very tired.

Day 5: - Return day.

We woke up early morning at 7am and had a sumptuous breakfast. ereafter, we walked down the mountain at a fast brisk pace to Old Moses camp. Everyone was enthusiastic during the 3 hour walk and we told each other, lots of stories and jokes. We left the Mt Kenya Sirimon gate at 1pm after saying farewell to the team of guides, porters and chefs who had supported us throughout our Mt. Kenya expedition. I would like to thank Mr. Kanyiri our trip leader, the teachers and the Gap students Phoebe and Alison, who provided lots of motivation and cheerful stories and jokes throughout the duration of the trip.

Wellness Week

e theme of this term’s wellness week was ‘Self-Regulation’. e talks and activities were geared towards empowering pupils with ideas on how to handle di cult emotions in healthy ways. Self-Regulation is key as it gives an individual a sense of control in managing their own thoughts, emotions and behavior.

Part of the activities of the week included an assembly presentation where pupils shared techniques for self-regulation. ese techniques were also addressed in tutorials throughout the week. To conclude the activities for the week, the UVI Psychology class visited Kamili organisation. is is an organisation that provides a ordable psychological care and carries out community projects that aid in promoting mental health.

is visit enabled the students to understand their course content better by engaging rst hand with patients and mental healthcare practitioners. ey had a chance to hear di erent experiences from the psychologist, patients and psychiatric nurses at the clinic. e activities were culminated by the students' sharing proceeds from the Peponi community and donating money to support the various projects run by the organisation.

Psychology Departmen

“Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.” — Albus Dumbledore

Anne Maina /Michelle Wanjiku

Why we all need to be mindful of our digital footprints

Our online presence has a signi cant impact on our lives, both personally and professionally, in today's digital age. WhatsApp, YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, and other popular social media platforms allow us to stay in touch with friends while also sharing our thoughts and experiences with the rest of the world. It is, however, critical to be aware of our digital footprint and the impact it can have on our lives.

Many pupils and individuals have had to come to terms with the consequences of their online activities. One of the most famous examples of the consequences of a negative digital footprint is Justine Sacco, a public relations executive who tweeted an o ensive joke before boarding a ight to Africa. By the time she arrived, the tweet had gone viral, and she was red and publicly humiliated.

Closer home, Idris Muktar, a Kenyan and former CNN journalist, became embroiled in controversy after a tweet he posted ten years ago resurfaced. Muktar has since apologised for using o ensive language in his tweet, claiming that he was young and ignorant at the time. Despite his apologies, CNN ultimately decided to part ways with him, citing their commitment to maintaining an inclusive and respectful workplace culture.

Another instance of this is the case of Kyle Kashuv, a Harvard student whose acceptance to the university was revoked after racist comments he made in a private chat were leaked online. Despite his public apologies, the damage had already been done, and his reputation had been tarnished.

Similarly, a group of California high school students set up a private Instagram account to share sexually explicit images of their classmates without their permission. When the authorities discovered what had happened, the students faced severe consequences, including suspension, legal action, and harm to their future prospects.

“In this day and age, the digital age, you can forget about a resume; you are what your social media says about you.” — Germany Kent

ese are just a few of the risks associated with a negative digital footprint. It is critical that we are aware of our online activities and the impact they can have on our lives. e information we share on the internet has the potential to be permanent and accessible to anyone, anywhere in the world. We lose control over how something is used and who sees it once we put it out there.

Being aware of our digital footprint is crucial for all. is is especially true for pupils when applying to colleges and future employment opportunities. Employers and university admissions o cers routinely examine social media pro les in order to gain a better understanding of their potential hires and pupils.

Peponi Social Sta Football

is term the sta football has continued to excel enhancing the bond within the Peponi community.

Firstly, playing against sta from other schools has allowed us to network and socialise with educators from di erent institutions. is has helped to create a sense of community among teachers in the area, promoting collaboration and knowledge-sharing beyond our school walls.

Our digital footprint therefore, may have negative e ects on our personal and professional lives. It is critical that we are aware of our online activities and take steps to carefully manage our digital footprint.

We should think before we post, use strong passwords, and review our privacy settings on social media platforms on a regular basis. We can protect our privacy, reputation, and future prospects by being aware of our digital footprint.

Secondly, playing against our pupils has been a great way to build relationships and rapport with them outside of the classroom.

It has allowed us to showcase our skills and interests beyond our roles as teachers, helping to break down barriers and create a more relaxed atmosphere in the school.

Overall, the friendly matches have fostered a sense of unity and camaraderie among our sta both from Peponi House and Peponi School and pupils, helping to create a more positive school culture. e shared experiences and memories created on the pitch have undoubtedly helped to strengthen the bond within our school community.

Teacher of ICT & Computer Science

John Kutner

Sports Coach

Oscar Kambona

Visit to Tafaria Castle & Centre for the Arts

e rst half of the term ended with a one-night, two-day trip to Tafaria Castle with Fifth and Sixth form pupils. is was an opportunity for both the Fine Artists and the Photographers to learn more about the creative world and its possibilities, from pottery and textiles to sculpture and applied art in museums.

Some art pieces produced by pupils:

Below are some comments from the pupils:

“I loved how each sculpture represented a topic and how the artists conveyed emotions in their visual arts…”

- Aya Mohsen(E)

“I have learnt that art really has zero limits; when I saw the instrument that was created using simple wood and recordings implanted in them to make music, combining technology to make an incomprehensible instrument, this was truly inspiring.”

- Andrew Akampa(M)

“At Tafaria, you have complete creative freedom and you can reduce waste by recycling it.”

-Tacha Lemarti(J)

“I saw the appeal in being unique as an artist, although drawing inspiration is important, it is just as important to express yourself fully in your own way”

- Grace Muema

(E)

“I learnt that there is more to art than just drawing and painting. I learnt that an artist can express themselves in many di erent ways and one can create art in almost any environment”

- Imani Slater(J)

e Grounds

Teacher of Art

Betty Wakhu

Shell Taita Taveta History Trip

World War I is too often seen as a European war and the con icts within East Africa are overlooked and forgotten. Most people, even in Kenya, forget that Kenyans played a vital role in the victory of the Allies in East Africa. A small body of people are trying to remedy this by preserving the places of interest and the battle sites of the con ict, mainly around Taita Taveta. It was our honour this term to explore these sites and learn from historian Willy Mwadilo who has dedicated his retirement to teaching people about World War I in East Africa and to raising money to establish a permanent memorial to those Kenyan men who fell in battle or died from exhaustion as a porter in a war that had nothing to do with them, for a colonial power that did not care enough to honour their sacri ces.

is term the Shell pupils combined the classroom with a fun safari in Taita Hills, learning about the contribution of Kenyans to World War I and visiting the sites associated with this con ict. We visited Piquet Hill, a signal station, the baobab where a German sniper lived avenging the death of her soldier husband and war cemeteries where the absence of the graves of Kenyan askaris and porters was very poignantly noticeable. One part of the trip that really brought history to life was walking in the footsteps of long forgotten soldiers in the remains of the World War I trenches.

is annual trip to learn more about the forgotten part of Kenya’s history was a great success and the pupils all learned that we must honour and remember those who make sacri ces in war and that history can be forgotten unless dedicated people devote

Dean of Studies

Jimmy Ogodo

"

e only one who can tell you ‘you can’t win’ is you and you don’t have to listen."

Jessica Ennis-Hill

Sports Report

Tennis

is being the hottest season of the year the pupils graciously endured the heat and exhibited good e ort. We had a total of 36 seniors and 30 juniors during games, putting our tennis programme in a good place to develop head of the next season in Trinity term.

Girls Hockey Report

We had two home xtures against Hillcrest where the pupils did exceptionally well with a new crop of our players having maiden xtures and were excited to build upon their competitive experience. We look forward to more competitions next term against the likes of Rosslyn, ISK & RVA.

Hockey this term has been a rollercoaster to say the least. We dusted o our hockey sticks and got straight to work early in the term in absence of the Upper 5th due to their mocks. Practices were not easy in the early days but were vital in supporting our match play. Although there were comparably less xtures compared to this time last year, we had much greater opportunity to improve during practices, to ultimately prove ourselves against the teams we thought we couldn’t beat, and teams who thought they could beat us.

20.

KAISSO U15 Tournament

We arrived at the tournament, con dent in the feeling that we had had good preparation for everything that we had in our control. Even though things didn’t pan out as we would have wished, we exited the tournament in the semi- nals, up to which point, we played our hearts out and left the tournament knowing we did everything we could.

Ciru Kibuchi – Girls Colts Hockey Captain

e U19 girls’ hockey team played a total of 8 matches and 3 tournaments this term and were victorious from their very rst match to their very last tournament. e season began at the Greensteds friendly where we won 2 matches and drew 1. is was followed by the Peponi tournament where after a competitive set of group stage matches and a heated semi- nal, we successfully dismissed Hillcrest 1-0 in the nal, securing ourselves the gold medal with Dia Khimasia winning the tournament’s Most Valuable Player award as voted by the umpiring team.

e team continued to shine as we were successful in many of our weekly matches, both at home and away. We proved ourselves again at the U19 girls’ hockey tournament at Rosslyn where we came rst once again, seeing o the usual opposition in some hard-fought wins.

e nal tournament of the season took place at Hillcrest for the U19 KAISSO tournament. e group stages saw all the usual the highs and lows of competition, but we progressed through into the semi- nals to play BGR as second-placed pool nishers with 4 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss. After a tough match-up, the team came together and won 1-0, which meant that we would then play our rivals – Premier – in the nal. After a 14-minute match the nal whistle blew and neither team had yet scored. Tensions rose exponentially as Tara, Lisa and Dia were nominated by the coach to lead the penalties. But after 2 goals from Tara and Lisa and two spectacular saves from goalkeeper Millie – who at the time had a dislocated shoulder – the team won the tournament and took home their third trophy of the season! is tournament also saw Clare Ndegwa (Shell) step up to play for the U19B team, picking up four MVP nominations in the process...

Gakenia Kagucia - U19 Girls Hockey Captain.

Girls Football Report

After a long and exciting season, the U15 girls’ football team had a few, yet exciting xtures both at home and away. Our rst xture was against Aga Khan and St. Christopher’s at home. We drew against Aga khan 1-1 before going down to a last-minute goal to St. Christopher’s. at weekend, the team also had an early start and headed to Greensteds for a triangular against the Nakuru Schools. Whilst we pleaded to the sun for mercy, in the end we were ignored and were hit with the infamous Nakuru sun rays early in the morning, but it seemed that both Greensteds and Turi succumbed much greater, as our A team won two matches and drew one.

On 11th March, the A team made it to the KAISSO premiership tournament while the B team were at Braeburn Imani School for the Division 1 show. ough intimidating, tough, tiresome and incredibly competitive, we feel that we were still able to play to the best of our abilities and put up a good ght in the Premiership, but, we unfortunately didn’t make it through to the semis after a succession of draws in all of our group matches.

e B team however, exceeded expectation under the leadership of andie Rwego at Braeburn Imani by drawing three and losing two. ey did not make it through to the nal but would like to thank Dun for the opportunity to go and compete.

I personally think that the U15 girls this season have outdone themselves in all possible ways. ey have put in the work and commitment and even gave in to Dun’s early morning practices. roughout my time at Peponi, and as a member of the junior team, I have never seen so many people eager to learn, to put in the work to become better, and to want to play in the morning at 6.00am, and with a full turn out. I am not only honoured to have been able to captain my amazing peers but I’m so very proud of what they have achieved to prove that they are committed and active contributors to the team. As an opportunity I’ll not be able to experience in the same way again, it has been an honour to be your captain for the 2023 girls U15 football team. ank you.

Maya Kinuthia- Colts Girls Football Captain.

Basketball

Peponi school once again had a good basketball season as we portray the amazing talent of boys and girls that we have at the school. eir commitment and hard work have been applauded by many and it is surely the right direction that we are hoping to keep achieve and even aim higher.

We were able to host both Peponi basketball and KAISSO tournaments for both junior and senior categories. Our U19 boys missed out on both KAISSO and Peponi tournaments knock out stages but did demonstrate an admirable level of sportsmanship.

Our U15 boys lead by captain, Mwema Mutinda, did very well and sadly fell short in the nals in both the KAISSO and Hillcrest tournaments. Our U15B team also had a chance to participate more on our school xtures which was encouraging. A special mention to Andrew Akampa whom during the tournaments, got a huge amount of MVP nominations.

Our head coach, Ancet Wafula, was also voted for as the Coach of the Year for running a nonpro t organisation that aims at providing opportunities for underprivileged girls to learn and develop basketball skills. We are very proud of the work that Coach Ancet has done in the world of basketball in Nairobi.

Dayne Massey

Director of Sport

“We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give." —

Winston Churchill

Charity Committee Report

Charity Walk and Fair

Peponi School Charity Committee planned and executed a splendid and successful Charity Walk and fair on Friday 17th March 2023 at the Northlands Ranch. All the

e theme of the walk was “Walking towards sustainable hunger alleviation, step by step”. is was in collaboration with Food Over Ksh. 2 million was . is money will be utilised to put up two food driers in two food-de cient counties in Kenya. e aim is to stem food wastage through drying perishable vegetables, which can then be supplied throughout the year to needy by Food Banking Kenya. We thank all the pupils, parents and other stakeholders for their contribution in making this event a resounding success.