WYNBERG GIRLS’
NEWSLETTER Also available on our website : www.wynghs.co.za
Dear Parents Newsletters are full of the successes of the Wynberg girls the top academics, those who excel in sport or cultural activities, and those who spend many hours in service. However, I am struck by the number of girls whose success is not contained in these pages. These are the girls who face immense personal challenges. I am struck by their courage. In the Year of the Lion, Mary Anne Radmacher's quote describes so many of these young women: "Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying - I will try again tomorrow". There are Wynberg girls who face big challenges - though illness, loss, difficult personal circumstances, barriers to learning and more. Yet, people who communicate with them every day never see them being a victim. Instead, they are courageous beyond what we could ever expect.
HIGH SCHOOL
NEWSLETTER JULY 2014
PILLAR AWARDS Congratulations to Hong Ju Nam, Nicole Wentzel, Nicole Barnett and Erin Prince, 2nd term Pillar Trophy winners, for their outstanding achievements.
Hong Ju Nam : Culture, Nicole Wentzel : Academics, Nicole Barnett : Service, Erin Prince : Sports.
HOUSE TROPHY Congratulations to APSLEY for winning the House Trophy at the end of the 2nd term. Apsley have not won the House Cup for a very long time so there were cheers of joy when the announcement was made.
With Mandela Day just past, it is fitting to remember that he was someone who showed great courage. Nelson Mandela said: “I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.” We may not know the challenges that each Wynberg girl faces, we do know that so many of our family are courageous as they face their own personal challenges each day. Parents, if one of these Wynberg girls belongs to you, please give her a special hug from her Wynberg family. They are our uncelebrated heroes. May they continue to be courageous and conquer whatever they are required to face. "We do not have to become heroes overnight. Just a step at a time, meeting each thing that comes up, seeing it is not as dreadful as it appeared, discovering we have the strength to stare it down." Eleanor Roosevelt Warm regards Shirley Harding PRINCIPAL
Mymoena Davids, &Tyler Warrin (Matric leaders), Mrs I de Waal & Delia Rutherfoord-Jones (Apsley Heads), Sara Grever & Kaylin Jacobs (Matric leaders).
OKLAHOMA! OK! Lindsay Wills, WGHS History teacher by day and Oklahoma star by night! On 24 July, over 150 Wynberg staff and girls descended on the Artscape Theatre to see the show Oklahoma! Why all this interest? Because one of the leads was none other than Ms Lindsay Wills, Wynberg History teacher, forever after known as “the girl who caint say no”! What an enjoyable, foot-tapping evening it was. We arrived with anticipation and left with smiles! Well done, Ms Wills!
Cape Town Eisteddfod
EXCHANGE STUDENTS
Bryna Steele, Antonia Ruter & Saveena Suri
Rachel Suttle
We wish a very warm Wynberg welcome to our three new exchange students: Bryna Steele & Saveena Suri from the USA, and Antonia Ruter from Germany.
Robyn Burrows
Dana & Erin
Georgia Bailey
Dana Arries and Erin Lamoral are jetting off to Sydney, Australia, in a few days’ time. They will attend Tara Anglican School for Girls while they are there. We wish them a happy stay and hope they don’t pick up an Aussie accent!
Congratulations to Georgia Bailey and the trio of Georgia Bailey, Rachel Suttle and Robyn Burrows - they have won awards in the Vocal section of the Cape Town Eisteddfod. Georgia won the Aviva Pelham Award in the Senior Best Musical section and the Trio won the Aviva Pelham Award for the Best Trio. Congratulations, too, to the WGHS Choir which, as the Most Outstanding Choir, won R1000 from the Cape Town Eisteddfod. They have been invited to perform at the Senior Prizegiving concert to be held at WBJS on Sunday 10 August at 16h00.
Bryna & Saveena are part of our regular History exchange programme with the Walt Whitman High School in Maryland. Our hope for all of them is that their stay at Wynberg is interesting and, above all, enjoyable. Welcome to the Wynberg family!
JUNIOR CITY COUNCIL
SERVICE PILLAR
Congratulations to Delucia Daniels, Asanda Masoka, Hong Ju Nam & Lara Harris on their appointment to the City of Cape Town’s Junior City Council.
CAPRICORN PRIMARY: A BIG thank you to all who supported Capricorn Primary this term through a cash donation, bringing bread and spread and/or making soup. The clothing drive and the Eco-Drive provided us with additional funds which enabled us to send a food pack to each of the 20 families to help them through this cold and wet winter holiday. Capricorn’s response: “Once again I thank you for your constant support for our learners. The learners were very pleased to receive their bag of groceries.” COIN CHALLENGE TERM 2: 1st Kirsten, 2nd Silverlea, 3rd Cavanagh, 4th Copenhagen, 5th tied Apsley & Waterloo & Wellesley, and 8th Constantia. BREAD TAG CHALLENGE
GENERAL KNOWLEDGE QUIZ 4 NAME
JERSEYS FROM NEAR & FAR! When Marj Dale (Marjorie Green, Class of ‘64) arrived back in South Africa after 35 years in Australia, she joined WOGU and found out about Wool for Wonders. Marj made a special trip to Cape Town recently, from Villiersdorp, where she lives, to hand over her beautifully knitted jersies. She also has plans to involve the local community in this project next year. We hope to see Marj at school in September when her matric class of 1964 are celebrating their 50 year reunion!
GRADE
%
Jessica Botha
HOUSE RESULTS
Constantia 1st Kirsten 2nd Cavanagh 3rd Copenhagen 4th Silverlea 5th Waterloo 5th Wellesley 7th Apsley 8th
67 MINUTES FOR MADIBA To celebrate the service-orientated legacy that Nelson Mandela bequeathed South Africa, Wynberg was overwhelmed with girls keen to make a difference in their community, doing their 67 minutes of community service. A group of girls spent time at Tenterden hosting a 'mini Olympics' for the children. A group of musicians put on a small concert for the residents at Murambi, home for the elderly. Once the performances were over, the musicians spent the rest of the time chatting to the residents. A group of girls made play-dough to donate to Victoria Hospital for their children's ward - the bright balls of colour will hopefully put a smile on the faces of the sick children. Many girls brought bread and various spreads for mass sandwich-making: these went to Capricorn Primary School, a school WGHS supports regularly.
To provide something for Cape Town's animals, some girls brought Sunflower Fund bandanas and made pillows for the cats and dogs waiting to be adopted at the SPCA in Grassy Park. The Haven Night shelter, an organisation that aims to provide temporary shelter for the homeless and assistance with reconnecting them with their loved ones, was also catered for: girls peeled, chopped, grated and prepared piles of veggies which went into delicious pots of soup for them. Others made newspaper sleeping bags for their use.
ENGLISH ALIVE 2014 Congratulations to two girls who matriculated last year, Kate Bell and Emma Blencowe. They have both had pieces of creative writing accepted by English Alive. Emma Kate’s piece, Letting Go, and Kate Bell Blencowe Emma’s, Gifts from my Mother, will both be published in the 2014 edition of English Alive which will be available in August. Well done, girls, and well done to Wynberg’s amazing English Department! U16C Netball vs Llanhari High School
KARATE CONGRATULATIONS to Jessica Virgin who competed in the KSI World Championships at Sun City in July and came 2nd for Individual Kata, competing against entrants from 21 countries! This was a very special event for Jessica as she and her Dad were both competing in the finals, and because it was held in South Africa. In her first KSI World Champs, Jessica achieved 3rd place for Individual Kata and Unison Kata. Hopefully this means a 1st place at the next KSI World Champs in Germany in 2016.
SANESA Congratulations to Abigail Kempster and NEWS Chelsea Tillet who have been selected as
MSA INITIATIVE
part of the Equestrian Schools WP team which will compete in the Western Cape finals in August. Abigail will be competing in the High School Level 5 Working Riding Showing A Team, the Level 3 Working Hunter Showing B Team, and the Level 2 Dressage Class 1 and Class 2 and Show Jumping Class 1 B Team. Chelsea will be competing in the High School Level 2 Equitation A Team. Good luck, girls!
Because the annual Wynberg Iftaar did not take place this year, the MSA girls felt the urge to do something in the community to spread the atmosphere of Ramadan. Firstly they raised the money and then, while many people were preparing for Eid, a few girls went to a mosque in Lotus River where they cooked the food and about 5 containers of food were distributed in the surrounding areas on Eid morning. Well done to the girls for pulling off this event, allowing them to celebrate Eid in a humble manner and give back to the community. Perhaps this will become an MSA Wynberg tradition in the future. Naafi’ah Mayet
We are delighted to announce that the Drama Department will be putting on a production of George Orwell’s Animal Farm. It is one of the prescribed works for Grade 10 English and thus will have particular significance for them. The play will be performed on Wed 6 and Thurs 7 August, in the Vera Lawton Hall at Wynberg Girls’ Junior School. Booking opens on Monday 29 July - bookings@wynghs.co.za - or with Mrs Stokell at Wynberg Girls’ High School.
HOCKEY vs HERSCHEL, WYCOMBE, KENT COLLEGE & PERSE! 1st Team vs Herschel: Wynberg lost 0-1 The rain created difficult conditions for both teams throughout this match. Both teams had opportunities but Herschel were able to convert more of their build-ups into shots at goal. Valeshka Harkhu was once again solid in the Wynberg goals, pulling off a number of top-drawer saves to keep the Wynberg team in the game. However, Wynberg’s inability to keep possession in key areas of the field eventually cost them the vital goal. This was a brave performance from the Wynberg team who must be commended on holding their own and never giving up. 2nd XI vs Herschel: Wynberg lost 0-6 The second team had a rocky start to the term, losing to Herschel. After a physically demanding first half and a structural talk from our coach, we went into the second half in a much more determined way and although we did not score, our game improved. 3rd XI vs Herschel: Wynberg lost 0-5 Herschel dominated the first half, scoring twice, but Wynberg refused to give up although it was just not their day! Well done, girls, for not giving up! U16A vs Herschel: Wynberg lost 0-2 Chelsea van der Berg and Nikiwe Mlumbi - players of the match were stars in defence and thwarted many Herschel attacks. Herschel displayed a greater desire to win the ball, were more clinical in their passing, and were deserved winners. U16B vs Herschel: Wynberg won 1-0 The U16s scored early in the match through a well worked penalty corner and then defended exceptionally well to keep their 1-0 advantage. The team were put under a lot of pressure by Herschel. Sisi Dingeni, the goalkeeper had an excellent match making some great saves. Well done, girls, on an excellent win. U16D vs Herschel: Wynberg lost 0-3 The U16D Hockey girls played a good match and maintained their positive and enthusiastic outlook. Despite losing the match, the girls played their best in the miserable weather. U16A vs Wycombe: Wynberg lost 1-3 Wycombe dominated the game in the early stages but Wynberg fought back strongly as the match progressed. The game was played in a very good spirit. Player of the Match was goalkeeper, Chelsea van der Berg, who made many fine saves and kept Wynberg in the game until the end.
1st Team 1st Team vs Kent: Wynberg won 3-0. Wynberg applied pressure from the start and it was only a matter of time before Jamie Southgate slammed home a cracker reverse-stick shot that took the Kent keeper by surprise. The team continued to string together constructive passes and the combination of Chelsea Manoek and Erin Prince was too strong for the Kent defence. Jamie Southgate and Tasneem Rawoot drew the keeper and set Hannah Hellenberg up to slot the ball in the back of the box. As the rain bucketed down in the last 5 minutes of the game, a goalmouth scramble resulted in a third and final goal for Wynberg, scored by Amina Williams. U14A vs Herschel: Wynberg won 2-0 A goal scored by Jenna Grey late in the first half put Wynberg ahead at the break. The victory was then sealed when Maree Petersen scored late in the second half. Player of the match: Cayleigh Hanekom (GK) U14B vs Herschel: Match drawn 2-2 The cold and wet conditions did little to deter the U14's spirit. The first half saw Herschel score an early goal, which we matched soon into the second half: a great pass from Demi Fester to Kayla Arendse who scored. Much cheering! Wynberg took the lead with a goal from Jamie-Lee Crowie but Herschel scored the equaliser. This was a great effort from all the girls. Player of the match: Demi Fester.
U16As : Wynberg & Perse School, Cambridge
NETBALL vs DSG, ST ALBANS & WYCOMBE HIGH
Wynberg vs DSG On 21 July, the U19s played two touring sides from England. It was the first day back at school for us, and we were eager to get back onto the court. U19A vs Wycombe High School: The match started slowly but gradually gained pace. Both teams fought hard and the score was always close but Wynberg pulled away to win 2822. Best attacker was Christin Sands; best defender was Paige Radford; and best shooter was Sasha Duncan.
U19B vs DSG: Wynberg lost 18-29 Wynberg started well but with the DSG defenders allowing no mistakes, we were 6-11 down after the 1st quarter. Then Wynberg got back into the swing of things, diverting DSG’s centre passes and securing their own. The defence did a magnificent job and restricted DSG to only 3 goals. With the possibility of Wynberg catching up, DSG fielded their strongest team for the final quarter and strong defence led to the final score: 29-18 to DSG. The girls really enjoyed the occasion, and want to thank DSG’s 1st team for their entertaining dance moves before the game! Best Shooter was Sasha Duncan, Best Defender was Yeukai Chamba, and Player of the match was Christin Sands. U16Bs
U19As
U16B vs Wycombe: They were tough competitors and showed great sportsmanship! Wynberg won the match 8-7 which was a great way to start the term. We are looking forward to the rest of the netball season, playing and training as hard as we can.
U19B vs St Albans: The St Albans team were the front runners throughout this match, although Wynberg did manage to improve on their defence particularly in the 4th quarter. The final score was 28-7 to St Albans. Both sides walked off the court with smiles on their faces as it was an exciting enjoyable match. Our best attacker was Lauren Jonathan; our best defender was Yeukai Chamba; and player of the match was Natalie Winter. U14B vs Wycombe U15: Wycombe displayed excellent netball U14As skills with accurate passes and extremely accurate shooting. Wynberg improved during the game but the final score was U14A vs St Albans: By the end of the 1st quarter, St Albans had 24-5 to Wycombe. scored off every centre pass, theirs and Wynberg’s! St Albans continued to U16As play strongly throughout the match and our shooters found it very difficult to secure a goal. The final score was a well-deserved 32-0 to St. Albans. In spite of the loss, we all really enjoyed meeting the teams from St Albans and Wycombe and hope that they make many unforgettable memories in our beautiful city.