From the Principal's desk

Dear Parents

This has been a busy and productive term for all members of our school family. This newsletter bears testimony to the successes of our girls, in both cultural and sporting events.I am particularly proud of those girls who represent our school in events or teams who have not brought home the laurels – they have succeeded by their behaviour and participation being of a standard that has brought honour to Wynberg.

This newsletter accompanies the first term’s results.   These, as “old” parents know, contain a comment slip from each teacher about your daughter’s work in each subject.   Please study these carefully and discuss your daughter’s progress with each teacher at the Parent-Teacher discussion afternoon on Tuesday 24 April 2001 from 17:30 until 19:30.

We are sad to bid farewell to staff members Mrs Tonia Crawley (Biology)   and Miss Gill McCarthy (Maths).We will miss their contribution to Wynberg and wish them everything of the best in the future.  

We will welcome Mrs S Souter (Biology) and Mr D Burrell (Maths) to the Wynberg family next term.My special thanks go to all the staff members who have again given unstintingly of their time and energy during this long first term.

Next term, staff and members of the School Governing Body will meet to re-visit the vision for Wynberg Girls’ High and ensure that our goals are focused and relevant for the future of which your daughters are part.We see this as an exciting venture and will consult with the other Wynberg schools and other parts of the school family throughout this process.

Thank you for support for us all this term.

 Shirley Harding

Interhouse Plays

Four unique and exciting plays were staged at the 2001 House Plays.  The evening opened with Apsley, the eventual winners, and their play "The time of your life".  The play was written and directed by Kirsten Skidmore and explored the concerns of group of earnest mothers who wanted to see what their children really get up to. 

The next performance was by Copenhagen.  Their modern version of Cinderella was an adaptation of the Roald Dahl story - with a South African flavour.

After the interval, Wellesly presented the tale of The Pied Piper with a twist.   This time Ms Piper has been hired to rid the town of the popular rock band, the Rats.

Lastly, Waterloo performed "Favourites", a combination of dance and acting.  The play was about an unfortunate hiker who experiences prejudice because of her surname, Smith. Aredene Fourie, who played the aged boarder of the B&B (the setting), won best actress of the evening.  An extremely participative audience had a very good night's entertainment.

A striking scene in the house-plays

We are very grateful to Ms Glover and the girls for coordinating and organising the plays respectively.

Lauren Reid

Need a Bridge?

Need a Woman for the Job? Wynberg Girls' High is the School!  

The Challenge 

• to build a bridge
• spanning about a metre
• with pieces of pine wood
• all pieces shorter than a meter
• to be glued together   (glue supplied by sponsors)

The Judging

• by civil engineers
• judged by its weight and the load it could bear
• load is determined by the weight prior to the   weight causing it to break
• judged on aesthetic appeal

Mariëtte Fourie reports:

The morning started off bright and early.  We (Lisa Price, Mariëtte Fourie and Nadiya Allie) were filled with enthusiasm and high hopes. On arriving at the MTN Science Centre, we joined a mass of equally excited and apprehensive students. Although completely confident of our carefully formulated plans, we listened carefully to the list of instructions imparted at the start. There were changes to take into account.Clearly, this provision is made so that competitors have to reveal their engineering aptitude on the spot.

Adjustments had to be made. We worked hard, thoroughly enjoying the challenge. There was improvising, rethinking and applying. Six gruelling hours later, we had completed the masterpiece!

Judgement arrived: would the bridge hold together? Would it break immediately? We watched with bated breath as we increase the weights. Under 198 Newtons it finally buckled.

The Result?

We triumphed in the girls' category - beating all of the Girls' Schools! And came twelfth over all.

Was it worth it? The time, the effort, the challenge, the stimulation? The exhaustion?

Every time!!

 Mariëtte Fourie

Water Wise Wynberg
 

Various events were held to promote National Water Week (20 – 26 March). Firstly there was a very successful assembly by Grade 8AF.  The class gave some very interesting water facts, told the school how to save water, and then finished off with a poem and a rap!  Well done to them all.

Two matric students, Kelly Young and Toni Waywall, shared their water research project with the school, which was much appreciated.  In addition, the Grade Eight and Nine posters have decorated the hall and school and, hopefully, have made us all more aware of the importance of becoming water savers and not water wasters!  Nine posters and three of the matric research projects were submitted to the Water Department Competition.  Congratulations to those girls.

Thank you to all the Grade Eights and Nines for their very important and worthwhile contributions.

J McCallum

Farewell to Staff 

Ms Gill McCarthy

Ms Gill McCarthy has been a member of the Wynberg Girls’ High staff for just over ten years.  She did her practice teaching at Wynberg and loved it so much she waited for an opening and then joined us!

In this time she has shown herself to be a gifted and versatile teacher – able to turn her hand to anything asked of her.  She has taught mainly in the Mathematics Department, but has also helped with Accounting and General Science. 

Extramurally she has been one of our busiest teachers helping with Netball and Athletics coaching as well as developing the Road Running group into a formidable team.  She shows enthusiasm in whatever she does and is able to impart this to her pupils.  She has encouraged many girls to participate in various fun runs and has herself participated in 10 km runs and the Argus Cycle Tour.

In the classroom she has been exceptional, and has spent many of her breaks helping a new pupil to acclimatise or a slower pupil to catch up.  Her pupils hold her in great esteem as she has a wonderful rapport with them.   Ms McCarthy is creative, meticulous and highly organised and as a colleague she will be greatly missed, especially in the Mathematics department.

She has been an integral part of Wynberg for so long that it will seem strange without her, but we wish her well in her new ventures and hope she keeps in touch with us.

P McEwen

Mrs Tonia Crawley

We are very sad to be saying goodbye to Mrs Crawley at the end of this term. She joined the staff of this school in January 1993, and immediately made her presence felt, both in the classroom and on the sports field.

She is a committed Biology teacher and is always willing to go the extra mile for her pupils. She assumed the role of subject co-ordinator last year and has led the Biology department with initiative and skill.

She coached a number of different sports at Wynberg – Tennis, Netball and Squash. More recently, she has been the teacher-in-charge of Squash, and has successfully organised the hiring of outside squash courts, the co-ordinating of teams, fixtures and coaches, as well as the organisation of the Top Schools Squash Tournament in the year 2000.

Last year, she was elected on to the Parents’ Association and played a huge role in the many projects the PA has embarked upon. She has spent many hours at meetings, stalls, stapling raffle forms, organising food fairs and steam train tickets!

We thank her for her enthusiasm, sincerity and poise at all times. We shall certainly miss her, but do wish her well in all her endeavours, and hope that the future holds only good things for her and her family.

A Smith

STAFF

Our Western Province Shottist!

Ms Sieberhagen once again took part in the Western Province Silhouette Shooting Championships at Durbanville. She won three gold medals and moved up to International Class standard in another event.  She is looking forward to the National and Africa Championships, which will be held in Bloemfontein later this year.

Ms Sieberhagen would like to invite any girls who are interested in trying their hand at shooting to contact Jennifer Chapman (Grade 11TC), before 3 April . They will then be able to take part in a shooting day, which is being organized, probably in May, to which other schools – including Wynberg Boys' High – have been invited.

S Sieberhagen

Riotous Assembly

Laughter erupted in the hall on 22 March when Mr Wray delicately stepped up onto the stage. Wearing a Wynberg Girl's uniform, he announced the hymn number, which received another round of laughter. The school could not retain its laughter at the fact that several teachers had dressed up in Wynberg Girls' uniforms. Perhaps even stranger was that they looked no different from us.

We soon realised that it was not only the teachers who had taken part in the joke - so had the prefects. Smartly dressed prefects went onto the stage -   wearing strangely familiar clothing - the clothing of our teachers. "Mrs McEwen" read the notices. When the "teachers" were asked if there were any notices, they announced what our teachers typically say. Two very recognisable notices were for DT (Mrs Cope) and some severe R15 library fines (Mrs Freed).

All in all it was a fun assembly for everyone - something that was greatly appreciated as we moved into the final weeks of a very busy term.

 Nicole Carr

"Prefects" brazenly arm in arm in Assembly!!

On the 13 and 14 March, the Nico Milan was filled with enthusiastic students from around the Western Cape.  Amongst them, were twenty of our Grade Eleven learners, participating in the Schools’ Festival of the Arts.

The aim of the festival was to develop the creative side of our youth. Regrettably, in our education system, the Arts seem to be ignored.  With this in mind, the festival aimed to encourage learners to develop the skills learnt over the two days and share them with others to ensure that our country’s future is rich in cultural and creative expression.

Each learner attended three workshops of her choice over the two days.  These included a poetry exploration with Robin Malan; looking at rhythm in voice; creating emotional tension through drama; miming; looking at differences in gender; exploring music through the ages. There were also workshops for the teachers. Fourteen workshops were offered altogether and each learner did not find it particularly difficult to find three workshops appealing to them.

Not only were our days filled with workshops and practical exercises to develop our own creativity, but we watched professionals put theirs into practice in various theatrical productions.

‘Dig the Beat’ was a celebration of poetry, rhythm and beat throughout the ages, while ‘Between the Teeth’ dealt with the deceptive nature of our present language. Written and performed by Andrew Buckland, it explored lying as a form of self-protection, currency as a deadly weapon and the elusive and ambiguous nature of words: they seldom mean what they appear to.  ‘Voices Made Night’ (originally a group of stories by Mia Couto) used physical theatre to express metaphoric imagery.  Fire juggling, acrobatics, stilt walking, gymnastics and dancing formed the basis of ‘Myth-Allated Spirits’. Other productions included ‘Chandis’ and ‘At Home with William Plomer’.

Music filled the piazza at lunchtime with the Langa and St. Joseph’s Steelbands, and the Cape Philharmonic Orchestra brought the festival to an end.

Needless to say, our learners were greatly inspired by what they saw.                                               

 Leanne Johannson

Arts Festival - 5 April

Wynberg, recognising and celebrating creativity and our rich cultural heritage, hosted an Arts Festival on the Thursday, 5 April. This provided students with an opportunity to reveal their creativity, to practice what they had learnt from their lessons, and to give their audiences experiences to remember.

An enormous amount of work hard work, planning, rehearsing and practising went into the Arts Festival. Long before the performances were seen, the sounds of the Festival could be heard quite clearly. They echoed in the rhythmic beat of the Xhosa society’s songs and resonated from the music block and soared with voices of the choir assembled in the main hall.

The evidence was not only heard in the sounds heard during the latter part of March and early April. Dances were choreographed in extraordinary places and practised and performed over and over again. The languages offered at Wynberg were explored in new and creative ways such as Mrs O'Reilly's Grade Ten's  'Besoek aan Distrik Ses’ as seen through the eyes poets, I.D. du Plessis and Uys Krige. Sounds of France echoed in the poetry and song performed by the Grade Eight and Nine French groups.

The artworks, which have been produced throughout the year by Ms Vosloo's art classes, were gloriously exhibited, and this time we were able to witness work in progress. Pavement Art provided a feast for the eyes. The gastronomic delights organised and co-ordinated and provided by the Parents' Association and decorated by the students at the school were much appreciated, as guests participated in and witnessed the celebrating of a variety of cultures.

Leanne Johannson

Dance

The Grade Eleven Dancers chose to do something slightly different from the usual classical ballet. Using the theme ‘Cheerleaders', we worked a sequence around it. Choreographing the dance entirely on our own, we had great fun and really learnt a lot. The dance included lots of jumps and some funky, typically cheerleading moves. The music we choreographed the number to was by Phatt Bass, which is a very high-powered energetic piece found on the new Bump 6 CD. Everyone put forward very exiting ideas and moves, which we managed to combine to create a uniquely Grade Eleven dance sequence. We really hoped that our audiences got as much enjoyment from watching our dance as we did choreographing and performing it.                                                          

Tarah King

MUSIC
ORCHESTRA

We entertained audiences with pieces such as ‘The Seasons’ (Autumn and Winter); ‘La Rejouissance’; ‘William Tell’; ‘Eye Level’ and ‘Mull of Kintyre’. Since they were fairly new pieces to us, we had to work extremely hard to prepare for the Festival.  Enthusiastic practising took place every Monday and Thursday. All of us were very exited about our pieces and performance at the Arts Festival and were glad to have the chance to present our many hours of work!

SOLO

RECORDER ENSEMBLE

The recorder ensemble is made up of two descant recorders and one treble recorder. At the Arts Festival they were heard playing ‘Terzetto’ and 'A Rondo’. They too practised every Monday, and although extremely nervous as they prepared for their performances, they were delighted to have participated.

MARIMBA BAND

This is a group, which has only recently been started and consist of sixteen extremely enthusiastic players who are all new to the playing of marimbas. Because of this, each practice demanded exceptionally hard work, lots of fun and many laughs! They had enormous fun and delighted audiences with their performance of light hearted songs such as ‘No Woman No Cry’; ‘Tshosholosa’; ‘In the Jungle’ and ‘IpiTombi”

JAZZ COMBO:

The Jazz Combo is made up of only four players: two saxophones, a clarinet and a piano. “Whisper" was played by us for the festival and in order to do this, we have practised every Friday.

                Yumna Martin

CHOIR

Since the beginning of the year, the choir has been rehearsing after school and during breaks every week to perfect the songs sung at the Festival. After countless attempts to reach notes, and trying hard to sing and breathe simultaneously, we prepared two delightful numbers: ‘Heroes and Dreams’  and ‘The Rhythm of Life.’

Lauren Manual

DRAMA

“ All the world’s a stage and all the men and women merely players”

Shakespeare (As You Like It)

Our Grade Eleven Drama Group had been experimenting with various ideas and after much brainstorming and improvisation,, we came up with the theme of  ‘Rejection’. We decided to explore it from a variety of perspectives: from rejection in the animal kingdom to a very personal rejection. Included in our performance was a selection of contemporary poetry dealing with a variety of issues that we face in our daily lives. Kirsten Skidmore and Michaela Nevin performed various solo pieces, as well as a duologue.

Our aim as a drama group was to explore and reveal different physical and emotional situations the world faces today. We hoped to inspire our audience so that they walked away with something to think about.

Firdous Hendricks

The Grade Ten Drama group provided audiences with an experimental work in progress called ‘Explore and Discover’  - an original work derived from a series of workshops in mime and improvisation.

There were three performances from the Grade Twelves.  Nikki Ramages explored poetry, prose and monologues thematically linked by song - a piece entitled ‘Love and Separation’. Charlie Zweig and Toni Crawley’s performance looked at ‘The Eight Ages of Women’ - and Shakespeare thought that there were only seven!! Lastly, Kate Gerhardt and Nicole Henderson’s performed a dialoque from Sue-Pam Grant’s ‘Curl up and Dye’.

XHOSA SOCIETY

The Xhosa Society practised very hard every Wednesday (from 3 to 4pm) in the gym for the Arts and Culture Festival. They performed three dances on the night ranging from traditional to "kwasa-kwasa." Voices from the Afrikaans and Xhosa Departments joined together to celebrate Halala Africa and the Grade 8FR's thrilled audiences with their Bejuxuza Ngochulumanco (Dancing with Joy!)  As ever, we were enthralled by the superb sounds, rhythms and dance of Africa. Viva Africa, Viva!

Nocamagu Mbulawa

INTERACT CAMP 2001

It's Friday afternoon, about 13:00, and twenty-one Wynberg Interact girls are racing around: stressed out; excited; anticipation bubbling.Transport ?  Equipment ?  Registration ?   Toilet rolls ?   Check, check, check.

Two hours later, along with SACS Interact, we arrive at Froggy Pond Fresh Air campsite in Simon's Town, armed only with plastic whistles. 

Then one hundred Afrikaans-speaking nine year olds from Edendale Primary descend on us.

Our job? 

To entertain them and to offer them an experience of life other than that which is plagued by gangsterism, violence and abuse.

What followed was a jam-packed, energy-filled and incredibly successful programme.

Our theme was Hollywood, which included Oscar skits, Britney Spears and Christina Agulera dances. There were dancing competitions, a fashion show put on by the kids, and very convincing appearances from Destiny's Child and Britney Spears from the braver SACS guys.

As well as using the playground, we played pass-the-parcel, rotational sports, soccer and volleyball.  These began at 7am sharp, after an energetic aerobic session – a ploy to help the bedtime process!   Highlights of the day included a Marie Biscuit sweety-face workshop, a treasure hunt, making paper jets – surprisingly, very popular, and a highly successful visit to the beach. 

Members of Interact who went on the Camp

Fun was definitely to be had in large doses. But we, the hosts, experienced this not without some soul-searching and reflection on our own protected and privileged lives. The contrasts between what was their life, and our own was at times painfully obvious.  As our worlds collided, we were surprised by new experiences: comforting the sleepless, breaking up knife fights, comforting a runaway…

It was an extraordinary weekend. We learnt much from our experience and have reason to believe that we offered an enjoyable to our guests. We will not forget easily the children we met, provided for and looked after for one short weekend.

Sincere thanks must be given to Ms Jordan, who quickly became the leader's saint and sanity; Ms Sieberhagen, our resident cook; Mr Naude, the SACS teacher in charge of the boys; and the two generous teachers from Mannenbeg Ms Wood and Mrs Crowie.  Without all of their support, the camp would not have been possible.  This is certainly a project we hope to repeat again .

Jessica Howell

BLOOD CLINIC TO BE HELD AT WYNBERG

Matriculants respond to calls for blood donations

On Friday 30 March Wynberg held the first of several Blood clinics to be held this year. All of those with permission from their parents or who were over the age of eighteen who wished to donate blood came down to the Ballet Hall.

PREFECTS' CAMP 2001

After an extremely hectic week at school, the prefects headed off into the sunrise, singing Valentine tunes along the way, as the camp officially began.

It was a jam-packed weekend of laughs, team-building, friendship bonding, brainstorming and many, many laughs.

We arrived early and energetic in beautiful Franschhoek, where we were told by the camp convenor that we were allowed only five items from our bags and everything on our body, for the entire weekend!  You can imagine our reactions, as many of us were already roughing it with one bag…Tamzin had no problems choosing items from her bag, as she literally put everything on!!

Down at the dam we made rafts - perhaps a more honest description would be something like a … float! It was to carry us to the other side.  After accomplishing this task, we had to swim back:  Lauren and Anita opted for the long walk around, while Lucindi and Portia paddled back in a leisurely fashion.

After team activities and war cries we did some brainstorming and reflection of our year so far.  We then went and practised our aim with some rather vicious looking catapults and were treated to watermelon on our return. Marshmallows over the candle-flame aren’t quite the same as over a log fire or braai, but on camp anything tastes good - and our beds that evening were most welcome. Everyone was fast asleep way before lights out time.

On Saturday we went for a hike in the Franschhoek plantation and learnt more valuable survival skills from Henda, our camp co-ordinator, such as how to open a tin can without an opener!  With a breathtaking view in the background, happily munching our survival food, we discussed future spirit builders for the school.

Our next trip out gave us a little time to feel like tourists in Franschhoek, where we explored the Huguenot Monument.  Some wandered through the landmark, while others (ie Tricia) decided to get a little too into the local art…

On another trip to the dam, Beth’s creative clay moulding turned into serious clay fight.  Megan abstained with a Kodak moment - “This is childish!” - and our last clean clothes became a very distant memory.

Not always able to release tensions at school, Belinda, Toni, Leanne and Tricia took full advantage of the water balloons - and were able to get back at Lucindi and Tamzin…Nobody can really remember exactly what for!  No amount of from Halima, Monique or Lauren, could persuade them that the attackers were not hiding. 

When Tamzin emerged in Tricia’s sleeping bag, there was no choice but for all to turn against one another (after all the balloons would’ve surely been wasted…)

Poor Tricia’s last clean clothes were ruined, but Tamzin finally got what she deserved.

A time-management session from Mrs Harding was definitely helpful and appropriate, and the conscientious Geography girls used their free time to start studying for their postponed test.

In our teams, we explored communication blindfolded, which proved hilarious when the syndicates tried to make squares with ropes.  Janet, the human protractor, ensured all angles were acute, while Beth’s square defied science by having five corners?! Who’ll forget blind and unsuspecting Toni and Tricia repeatedly urging Mrs Harding and M^cEwen to “Squeak piggy squeak!”?

Deidre and Toni’s expressions in a competition game of Blow Hockey were priceless, as were the memories made and friendships, old and new alike, that were secured on the Prefects’ Camp 2001.

Lauren Reid

Prefects listening intently

For the last 20 years a body of Grade Ten and Eleven learners, from various schools in Cape Town, have been striving to be a successful mouthpiece for the youth of Cape Town and to promote friendly relations between the various sectors of our community.  Over the years, communication between the different communities and the JTC has deteriorated, but 2001 sees us back with a wish to re-establish these relationships.

Two Grade Ten and Eleven learners from each school are chosen to be representatives on the Council.  Once a Councillor reaches Grade Eleven, he/she can stand for Executive elections.  Here the Mayor, Deputy Mayor and other Executive Councillor positions are chosen. 

Our school is fortunate to have two Grade Elevens on the JTC Executive:

Jessica Howell (Junior Fundraiser of Cape Town)
and Pranisha Maharaj (Junior P.R.O of Cape Town),
as well as
Nisrat Rawoot (Grade Eleven), Alex Butterfield (Grade Ten) and Lesedi Mofokeng (Grade Ten), who are all prominent Councillors.

On Monday, 19 March, the Cape Town Civic Centre hosted the annual JTC Inaugural Ball.  Principals, staff representatives, parents and Councillors were given a chance to socialise and see the Executive Councillors being sworn into office. 

 After an excellent dinner, the current matrics on the JTC received awards for their contribution to Council, as we bid them farewell.  The evening was concluded with "Message from the City", delivered by the Deputy Mayor of the Unicity of Cape Town, Councillor Belinda Walker. She left all of us inspired and challenged to do something not only for ourselves but the broader community.

The Junior Town Council has many projects planned for this year: these include an AIDS awareness campaign and Youth Development. We look forward to the support from our schools and community. 2001 will see us living up to our motto: "Let Us Lead The Way".

 Pranisha Maharaj

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

TERM TWO

APRIL

MAY

 JUNE

The matric hike is a longstanding tradition of the Mountain Club at Wynberg Girls' High - our women with altitude. This year the girls opted for the Boesmanskloof Trail in the Sonderend Mountains between Greyton and McGregor.

Friday night was spent in the village of Greyton at the hostel of Uitkyk Primary, an excellent venue for school groups.

The first two hours uphill slog from Greyton is challenging, and one pupil even carried two backpacks to help a friend to reach the saddle. Oak Falls are always a wonderful respite in the heat, and the deep cool water is an incomparable refresher before one tackles the steep ascent to Die Galg.

Barry Oosthuizen was at his cottages to welcome the group, and the fridges were stocked with ice cold cokes - clever man!! Barry grows proteas for export, but the three-year drought is causing severe losses and he has resorted to removing intermittent rows to increase the free flow of air to aid cooling.

We appreciated his hospitality and also the thoughtfulness of the Fisher Family from Belgravia High School who were overnighting at Die Galg. There was much laughter in the rafters as the Matrics retreated to the mezzanine floor, leaving the teachers downstairs. Well rested, the group returned to Greyton on Sunday with many good memories of their final school trail.

SPORT

 ARGUS CYCLE TOUR 2000

On Sunday 11 March, 33 000 people took to the streets of the peninsula once again to conquer the Argus Cycle Detour. The gruelling race, which covers a 110 km route, consists of hills such as Ou Kaapse Weg, Smithswinkelbaai and Hospital Bend - not a challenge for the fainthearted!

In the past, the team representing Wynberg Girls' High has proved to be made of steel (their minds and bodies) We are the title holder for the 2000 Senior Girls' team section. This year, a team did not compete due to the injury of fellow cyclists, but outstanding times were made individually.  Thank you to all who supported the event.

Robyn Penberthy

SPORT

INDOOR HOCKEY REPORT: 3^RD AND 4^TH TEAMS  2001

The 3^rd and 4^th Indoor Hockey players have just completed a highly successful Indoor Hockey season, with  the 3^rd team ending first in their league. From the outset it was clear that the teams contained talented, enthusiastic and dedicated players. This was apparent from the consistency with which they attended practices and the way they gave it their all during matches.  Facing teams such as Herschel, Rustenburg and St Cyprians was no easy task, but the girls proved their skills and desire to win.

As coach, Ms Sieberhagen was particularly proud of the fantastic teamwork and sportsmanship displayed by all players. She particularly commends the two captains, Liana Gibson (4^ths) and Tricia Main (3^rds), for their excellent leadership and creative game plans - but recommends that there be no more switching players at short notice!!!

Deidre van der Lith is a dynamic player who took initiative and bravely scored goals even when the task seemed impossible.  Wendy Clark and Blair O'Neill were the most improved players of the season, displaying tremendous skill and stickwork finesse.  Kira Koopman showed great promise as an alert defence player. A special word of thanks goes to Dominique Anderson who took on the Goal-keeping for both teams, also to Dominique's and Hayley Damain-Harris' parents for being such loyal supporters!

Thanks for a wonderful season, girls. See you on the Astro!

S Sieberhagen

SWIMMING REPORT

The Swimming season ended extremely well this year as Wynberg once again took the P.G.S.G.U Interschools trophy as well as the U19 section trophy.   Wynberg also managed to set two new records, the only ones of the evening.  Wynberg have won all of their galas this season with the exception of the Interschools Co-ed gala, which was taken by Reddam House. This is an excellent achievement.

Congratulations to Bevin Reynolds on being awarded her full colours for Swimming.  Thanks for a great season, we hope to see many more learners joining the swimming team in the future.

K  de Kock

INDOOR HOCKEY - 2001

Once again, Wynberg enjoyed a successful Indoor Hockey season!

We entered four teams into respective leagues, with the 1st, 2nd and 3rd teams all finishing 3rd in their leagues. 

The 1st team represented Wynberg at Interschools at Herschel on the 23rd March. The girls played 4 matches winning 3 (against Rustenburg, Springfield and Herschel) and losing 1 (to St Cyprians), which resulted in our winning the Interschools' trophy for the 4th successive year!

Outdoor season starts in earnest with a match against the touring Cranleigh team from England, followed by a tour to Bloemfontein in April.

Andi Bernstein

TENNIS

This season has been very successful and enjoyable, with an outstanding standard of tennis being played.  Six teams entered the league and produced very pleasing results, winning most of their matches.  There are over 30 team players, who have shown dedication, enthusiasm and sportsmanship, and I would like to thank everyone for keeping up the Wynberg spirit!

Interschools was very successful and after an exciting day we managed to come second overall. Herschel were the winners. 

The Grade Eight teams were also entered into their own league, and did exceptionally well throughout the term.  At the Grade Eight Interschools' competition, Wynberg also did well to come 4^th overall.  A special mention must go to the first couple, who came 2^nd in their section.

Thank you to all the teachers for all your support and transport to and from matches.

Nicole Roach
Tennis Captain

DIVING

The diving season has come to an end and once again Wynberg Girls' High has dominated.  The Wynberg diving programme has changed significantly since last year: the coaches, Mrs Slade and Christopher Lane, have been able to offer diving to a larger number of girls, as well as increasing the number of weekly practices.  It seems that the hard work has paid off as the season has left us with several notable highlights.

There were four interschool competitions this season, and Wynberg featured prominently in all of the events.  Robyn Elford had four successful interschools, winning three and taking 2^nd place in one.  Bevin Reynolds also had a spectacular season, placing 2^nd in all three of the competitions she entered.  The rest of the 1^st team girls all finished in the top six of their respective events, at all four competitions. Robyn Elford was also awarded the interschools high point award – given to the diver with the highest average score per dive throughout the four interschool competitions.

There were three other optional competitions this season, which were open to high school divers.  Not surprisingly, Wynberg was amongst the best.  In the fourth term of 2000, Western Province age group trials were held and a team was selected to represent Western Province at the SA National Age Group competition held in Port Elizabeth.   Two Wynberg girls – Robyn and Bevin – were selected for the side. The girls performed well, and both finished in the top eight on both the 1 metre and 3 metre boards.

The second optional competition was the Western Province High School trials. Robyn Elford won the trials in her age group, earning her a spot on the Western Province High School team. Tara Morton placed 3^rd, narrowly missing the selection.  High Schools Nationals were held in Pretoria, and after an arduous 23-hour bus ride, Robyn dived nicely, placing in the top 12. 

The last optional competition was Western Province trials.  This is a separate event from the school trials, and once again Wynberg Girls' High had a very strong showing.  Robyn and Bevin took top honours in their age group, splitting victory – Robyn won the 3m and Bevin the 1m – and subsequently both achieving WP colours.

The Wynberg girls finished the season by taking the High School title with an exceptional combined effort from all the first team girls at the final interschools on March 24.

WATERLOO HOUSE

The creeper at the top of the lane leading to the hostel is turning various shades of red and orange, signifying the end of summer and the first term. We have had a wonderful, intensively busy time getting to know new faces and renewing old friendships while we played and worked hard. 

Our Prefects have enjoyed inter-hostel exchanges with Rustenburg Girls' High and SACS. They returned home, having gained new ideas by experiencing differences in the way things are done elsewhere and feeling proud of our hostel.

There was much excitement as new acquisitions arrived in our hostel recently. We received 12 computers from the school for use in the hostel by staff and learners and they are proving to be most useful and we also very grateful for the long-dreamt-of chest-of-drawers for the termly boarders.

The ‘termlies” planned a farewell braai for Ms Gillian McCarthy. We would like to take this opportunity to thank her for her involvement with our hostel. We do appreciate her willingness to help us in so many areas of hostel life.

Ms McCarthy
with some of the hostel girls
at the farewell braai held in her honour