From the Principal's desk

Dear Parents

This is the first newsletter for 2001 and you will see from the many reports that we have had an enormous number of events taking place. Wynberg girls have started the year on a high note.

Welcome to all our new parents.  We trust that this year will be the start of a happy association with our school.  Our Grade Eights have long since passed the stage of being “new” and are proving to be great Wynberg girls – they are a super group of young ladies!  We are also pleased to continue our partnership with our “old” parents.  I trust I will meet you all at the various functions during the year.

We welcome the following teachers to our staff:  Mrs Nel (Mathematics), Mr Richardson (Computer Studies), Mrs Martin (temp secretary) and Mrs Barwise (Choir training).  They have all settled in and are a wonderful addition to our educational commitment to your daughter.

Welcome to our Grade Eights 

The 22nd of January was an exciting day for the new Grade Eights at Wynberg. The Prefects had invited them to a pool party at school so that they would feel more at ease the next day - their first at high school.  The day started off with some icebreakers and then they were shown around the school on a guided tour.  Next, they had an obstacle course to complete, which resulted in many laughs. Then the traditional serving of watermelons took place. Fifteen watermelons were sliced for all to eat.  When it was eventually time to leave, the Grade Eights assured us that they left feeling much more relaxed and far less apprehensive about the big day ahead.  

L Reid

Grade Eights celebrating their arrival at the high school

Grade Eight Orientation

170 new Grade Eight learners were welcomed into the Wynberg family at the beginning of the year.   Their orientation began at the swimming pool with the Prefects' Pool Party and, by all accounts, all had an enjoyable time.

The first full day of their orientation programme was designed to promote House spirit, with the House Captains assisting the Grade Eight Register Teachers with a Mini-Olympics Sporting Competition.   Time was spent at the pool, to cool off after the Olympics, and then it was off to the Hall to hear from the various Heads of Sports and Societies about what Wynberg has to offer in the way of extra-mural activities.

On Day 2, the Grade Eights were placed into their Register classes, and spent time with their Register Teachers.  They learnt the School Song, went on a Scavenger Hunt around the school to learn their way around, and stretched their mental muscles with some team-building brainteaser games.

Grade Eights cool off at the Grade Eight Braai

The Grade Eight Orientation Programme was rounded off on the third day with Action Cricket and Action Netball at the Tokai Arena.  Congratulations, chocolates and medals were awarded to the two winning teams, The Misfits and the The Strikers, and then it was back to school, ready for the first of five years at Wynberg!

M McCarthy

A happy moment for our Grade Eights
at the Grade Eight Braai

Matric Sleepover

On 1 February, all the Matrics waited eagerly for the final bell to ring so that they could stake their claims on the "Sacred Grass". An amusing and entertaining two hours followed when tents were set up and fires were started.

Once we had erected our temporary abodes we headed off for some swimming, volleyball and socializing. Music played while the braaing took place, those not brave enough to try their own meat stuck to salad. We eventually relocated to the Hall with our pillows and duvets and after a couple of mishaps (like a food fight) we all lay back to enjoy the delicious Joshua Jackson and Paul Walker in The Skulls

A small award ceremony was held after the movie to hand out prizes to the best dancer, best pyjamas, brightest bikinis and funkiest shorts. We then headed back to our tents.

By this time it had been raining for a while, so we headed for the hot chocolate in the Matric Common Room. Some retired for the evening, while a more energetic and tireless side of the matric body continued to party into the early hours of the morning. At 4:30am one eager group decided to have a sing-along…

A loud speaker was our wake-up call at 6:00. Slowly we all packed up our belongings and made our way to the coffee pot. Some onlookers peered at us bewildered, whilst we battled with toothbrushes and tents. The day's lessons proved to be fruitless as we struggled to fight off the urge to lay down our heads.

Michelle Young

Some of those more adept at braaing
at the Matric Sleepover

Valentine's Day and Valentine's Assembly 

On Valentine's Day, the school was invited to dress in red and white to celebrate the occasion. Our camera managed to catch some of the students who entered into the swing of things.

 However, the highlight of the day was without doubt the Valentine’s Assembly - organised by the Prefects. Some say that it is the only assembly of the school year where you’ll find the girls queuing to get in – 15 minutes before the start!

Some happy little devils
on Valentine's Day

 This year the concert began with a number of awards for the best-dressed students. This was followed by the concert, punctuated by their reading out lists of those fortunate enough to have been sent a Valentine gift or rose by the boys from the surrounding High Schools. To see some of the antics from this concert you might be interested in going onto our website at www.wynghs.co.za 

Open Day - 28 February

On Wednesday, 28 February from 15:00 - 17:30, while the fire on Table Mountain was raging, and Wynberg Girls' High was bathed in an unnatural orange glow, staff and students opened the doors of the school to prospective students.

The strict dominus is entertained
at the Roman Banquet on Open Day

After registering, prospective parents and students were welcomed and addressed by Mrs Harding and two Grade Eight students (G Gildeblom and N Balfour) at an Information Talk. Thereafter, our guests were free to wander around the school, escorted by our prefects, to observe, question or be entertained by the various activities which usually take place in the afternoons, or which had been laid on especially for that occasion.

One of the interesting events, which they could witness, was the Roman Banquet, traditionally hosted and organised by the Grade Eight Latin Class. The Grade Eights transformed Room J into a Roman Dining room.

Ms Lawrence reports:

"In ready attendance (in order to avoid a lashing from the strict dominus), the slaves served the guests (clad in togas) various sorts of Roman fare, including delicious “dormice”.

Whilst the guests ate and drank grape juice vinum , they were entertained throughout the meal by Greek slaves who recited poetry; sang in Latin; died in gladiatorial fights and danced to the wondrous sounds of Michelle Fourie’s violin.  Indeed, splendid festivities!

Congratulations to the Grade Eight class!"

Prize Giving

On Tuesday, 30 January we held our annual Prize Giving Ceremony.  Certificates and trophies were awarded to those girls who achieved work of a high standard academically. Needless to say, there were a large number who received recognition for their achievements!

Although the purpose of the evening was to pay tribute to our students, we were delighted and entertained by the motivational speech given by the guest speaker, Hein Wagner at the Senior Ceremony. His memorable and heartfelt advice was that "it is better to be blind and have a vision, than to be able to see and have none." This from one who is visually impaired, and who has achieved so much himself, was certainly inspirational for staff, parents and students alike.

After the Prize Giving ceremony, we were invited to make our way to the Gymnasium, where tea was served and parents could admire the wonderful work produced by the Ms Vosloo's Art students.

Leanne Johansson

One of Alex Wiid's works on display
at the Prize Giving

ACADEMIC RESULTS

MATRIC RESULTS 2000

We were delighted to note that the exclusion of Wynberg Girls' High from the Sunday Times list of schools which had 100% pass rate has been corrected.

For the record, seventeen of our candidates achieved A Aggregates in the final exam, five of them attaining an aggregate of over ninety percent. These five were

Emma Hager
Belinda Meyer
Kelly Pairman
Amy Carter
Samantha Jones

 Those achieving aggregates between 80 and 90% include

Tamaryn Allan, Tammy Boudains, Natalie Burls, Faaiqa Gamieldien, Mary Hartley, Taryn Hopwood, Ielhaam Ismail, Karen Jennings, Katherine Newling, Melissa Olivier, Tarryn Seale amd Mandy van Niekerk

As has been mentioned, once again Wynberg Girls' High had a 100% pass rate. Of the 168 candidates who sat the examinations there were seventeen A aggregates, thirty-nine B aggregates, seventy-five C aggregates, thirty-four D aggregates and three E aggregates. Of those who wrote the examination, one hundred and twenty-seven candidates obtained full Matric Exemption. This means that seventy-eight percent of the grouping obtained an aggregate above sixty percent: ten percent of the grouping obtained A aggregates, twenty-three percent obtained B's and forty-four obtained a C aggregate.

Within each subject, Wynberg girls achieved results well above the provincial average and the school's averages tended to settle between sixty and seventy percent. It is clear that these sorts of results can only be achieved by hard work and great commitment, and it is with heartfelt congratulations that we commend the Matric students of the year 2000.                                        

ACADEMIC DEPARTMENTS

ENGLISH OLYMPIAD

On Tuesday, 6 March, several of our students sat a three-hour examination on Science Fiction. This was the 2001 Anglo-de Beers English Olympiad examination.  An open book exam, it provides students with an opportunity to work on the basis of self-study and self-motivation. Its aims include encouraging students

• to take responsibility for their own learning

• to think creatively

• to see the relevance of what they study to themselves and to the world around them.

It is an examination, which Wynberg Girls' High supports because, along with the National Academic Co-coordinator of the English Olympiad, we believe that the project is "particularly enriching … because …it provides students with an unusual opportunity to experience the English Language and its literature and indeed, the cultural and social issues from the prescribed text in a personal, creative way."

MAYNARDVILLE

Othello was the production being performed this year and the performance was a top quality one. Of added interest was that one of the leading roles, Desdemona, was played by a Wynberg Old Girl, Tessa Jubber. 150 girls enjoyed the evening out.

ART WORKS FROM PAST PUPILS

During our Arts Festival, to be held on 5 April, we will be auctioning off some of the Artwork of our students to collectors. Should you be a past (Art) pupil of Wynberg and should you want to include any of the work you produced when you were at the school in this auction, please would you contact the school urgently.                                                  

SCIENCE IN ACTION

The Science Department has been extremely busy this term. But without doubt one of the highlights was the testing of the Matric Science girls' mechanical engineering abilities. On Thursday, 22 February, the entire Science class actually rushed to the lab - some say for the very first time. All were very keen and excited to show off their steam cars.  Most quashed any mutinous fears and anxieties, which had kept them awake the previous night. 

Treading warily but noisily down to the Maths block to what had been a locker room, the Aspirant Engineers lined up their little racers.  They filled them up with metholated spirits and water, and set them on the boil.

Minutes ticked by slowly as they anxiously awaited the steam to build up. This they hoped - prayed - would spin the turbine very, very fast and hurtle their cars across the floor. 

One of the finer designs of the
Matric Steam Engines

Amidst passionate and desperate prayers, squeals of excitement, groans of despair and shrieks of delight, the Science Set of 2001 got most of their cars to go a couple of metres. There were gasps of admiration as some reached Formula One speeds, and others puffed and pulled off to a fabulous full mark rating. Needless to say there were some very depressed and dejected contenders as they observed their engine's efforts

"full of sound and fury,
 … but signifying nothing"

And they're off - to the great delight of their designers!

It was at this point, that Claire Wright set her car alight and the fire extinguisher had to be brought out to restore order. (Could this possibly have been an ingenious and deliberate attempt to divert the attention of chief examiner and marker Ms Jaaback?) 

Whatever the case, it provided an enthralling lesson. Not only for the participants, but also the observers, who had gathered in awe of the tremendous feats of the Science set of 2001.

T. Main

2001 LOK-SIMPOSIUM

Lede van die Afrikaans Departement het Vrydag, 16 Februarie, en Saterdag, 17 Februarie, die bogenoemde simposium by die Universiteit van Kaapstad bygewoon.

Dit was interessant om Zuretha Roos se gedagtes oor haar roman, Die Verdwyning van Mina Afrika te hoor. Haar bydra is deur Dr. E. Smuts voorgelees. Die bespreking deur   Mnr Gerard Davids oor die Matriek  Stelwerkvraestel was ook van waarde. Mev. S.C. du Plessis, Die Hoërskool Stellenberg, se bespreking van die Kortverhale was insiggewend. Haar bereidwilligheid om haar “werkboek” met ander kollegas te deel, word waardeer. Die hoogtepunt, beslis, was die aanbieding van Prof. Henning Snyman oor “ Nuwe Tendense in die Poësie “. Laasgenoemde was inderdaad ‘n verrykende ervaring!

Mev. A. Cope.

DANCE 

Junior Ballet Theatre is a youth dance group started by professionals and ex-professionals. On Saturday,  10 February, thirty-one hopeful dancers arrived for an audition, which was held at our school.

The selection panel consisted of Johnny Bovang, Phyllis Spira, Eduard Greyling and Phillip Boyd, all principal and ex-principal dancers of Cape Town City Ballet, as well as Carol Shapiro-Dodds.

We are thrilled, delighted and extremely proud of three Wynberg girls (they join eight girls and nine boys) who have been accepted into this new venture. They are Celeste George,  Kerryn Howard and Nozuko Domane

They will be working, every Saturday, on a programme/performance to be given later in the year.

Well done girls and good luck. Keep the school flag flying.

C Shapiro-Dodds

MUSIC DEPARTMENT

We are indeed happy to welcome Mrs Barwise to the Music Department. Mrs Barwise not only joins us in a private capacity as educator to those girls taking singing as a curricular and extra-curricular subject, but also as leader of both our choirs.  

In order to build spirit amongst members of both choirs a choir camp was held on the 24 February, which the girls not only enjoyed but also learnt a lot from under the expert guidance and leadership of Mrs Barwise.   Its was a great success and we plan to have one every term.

We are delighted that the Marimbas have arrived and have already given some of our Grade Eights an opportunity to play them. We hope to start up a Marimba group as soon as possible.

Please diarise the following musical events and dates for your calendar at which our music students, all choir and orchestra members will be performing:

5 April 2001   - Arts Festival

6 April 2001   - First Term Music Concert

7 April 2001   - Maynardville

E Lith

DRAMA REPORT

It has happened!!  The Wiz has been cast!  The auditions were absolutely fantastic. Ms Glover and Mrs Lith were kept entertained and were very impressed with the huge amount of talent those who auditioned displayed. The song, dance and skit routines were original and slick and deciding on the cast was a difficult task. It is a nerve-wracking experience, auditioning for a show, so congratulations must go to all those girls who made the attempt.

The cast is as follows:

Dorothy:        Hayley Domain-Harris
Evillene:         Lauren Adriaan
Addaperle:     Firdous Hendricks
Lion:               Andrea Stavridis
Scarecrow:     Lunga Guma
The Wiz:       Luca Piemontesi
Tinman:          Steven Jubber

The rest of the characters have not yet been cast as the cast have shown such an incredible talent the directors are having difficulty deciding who to place where. They are as follows:

Judy de Smidt, Tarryn Jupp, Amy Leibbrandt, Sam Donet, Claudette Hare, Catherine Hutton-Squire, Kirsten Skidmore, Klee Barris, Rizqa Sulaiman, Nikki Aspeling, Elizabeth de Jager, Tarryn Matthews, Sibongile Balfour, Emma Maiken, Tanya Fortuin, Janine Fresen, Stephanie Allan, Kerryn Lancaster, Morgan Smith, Amy Valentine, Tarryn Blows, Ondine Corewijn, Lindy Anderson, Fia Bradfield, Kira Koopman, Ashleigh Smith, Claire Mills, Shameema Winkler-Moolajee, Kim Barton, Tarn de Villiers, Ellie Shortall, Clair Ingram, Jenny Moolman, Boniswa Isaacs, Stacy Lee Son, Robyn Pocock, Olivia Van den Heever, Nomi Nangu, Sedi Mofokeng, Emma Mulholland, Hayley Griffiths, Amy Donaldson, Tara Notcutt, Jessica Riviera, Sibbs Matiyela, Caitlin Bracken, Bongi Solundwana, Nolizo Ncatu, Lulu Matutu, Hilary Ions, Kyle Porter, Etienne Davis, Gavin Schreiber, Sean Laskey, Richard Higgins, James Dicki-Clark, Gareth Maggs, Matthew Moor, Patrick Sakayi, Scott Thomson, Shaun Van Doorn, Mattew Keating, Andrew Mandy, Khetho Thlane, Peter Slater, Andile Williams, Darren Turner, James Hutton-Squire, Eugene Vanqa, Ameen Harron, Mishal Fortune and Eduardo dos Santos.

DRAMA  (continued)

Besides all the hype and buzz around The Wiz, the drama departments are frantically preparing entertainment for the Arts and Culture Festival on the 5 April. Interhouse Plays are on 22 March! We are busy, busy, busy but looking forward to keeping you entertained.

P Glover

ARTS FESTIVAL - COME CELBRATE WITH US

Come and celebrate the Arts with us!

Come and stomp out your rhythms with the Gumboot Dancers from Grade Eight and the Xhosa Society!  Weave with the undulating rhythms of the Marimba Band.  Witness the work shopping of splash painters, musicians in the making, and orators presenting poetry.

Marvel at the magnificence of our Performing Arts candidates: our delightful dancers or brazen buskers, magnificent musicians or appealing actors.

Munch on the marvelous meals provided by our "International" chefs as you are entertained and amused, informed and stimulated by the talent of the "Wynberg Girls Extraordinaire!"

Where else could you get an offer like this? Come celebrate the Arts with us on April 5 from 18:00 until 21:00. Tickets are only R10 per adult and R5 per scholar.

Not only will there be an auctioning of the Art work of our students (past and present), where you may well be purchasing your first "Picasso", you will also be presented with an opportunity to see some of the extraordinary work produced by our students.  Some of it will be displayed; some of it will be in the making.  The school  - the staff, the students and the Parents' Association - will be affording visitors a rare opportunity to explore the uniquely South African:  the rich and varied culture of our great community.

Come celebrate the Arts with us!

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

TERM ONE  

MOTHERS WHO CARE

Mothers Who Care consists of a small group of Christian mothers who believe in the power of prayer. Their primary objective is to provide prayer support for the learners and educators at Wynberg Girls' High. They believe in God’s ability and willingness to help and bless. They can be called upon in confidence at any time for emotional, spiritual or practical support.

The group led by Mrs Karen Pike meets at school on a Thursday from 1:30pm to 2:30pm. At present, prayer requests are placed in a box in the staff room. The prayer items, which may be written anonymously, are treated in the strictest confidence. Urgent requests are conveyed to the members of the prayer group by telephone.

Any mothers, grandmothers or guardians who feel called to be part of this ministry are welcome to contact Mrs Smith at school. Any learners or parents who have prayer requests are also welcome to hand these in at the office in a sealed envelope addressed to “The Mothers Prayer Group”.

A Smith

STAFF ACHIEVEMENTS

GAIL DOES IT AGAIN IN THE MIDMAR MILE

We salute our champion Gail Bristow! 

Considered the largest open water swim in the world, the Midmar Mile attracted more than 5000 swimmers this year. Gail Bristow holds the record for the most swims, celebrating twenty-six years this year! Gail swam the first Midmar Mile in 1974 when only 157 competitors took part and the women were unofficial! Since then she has been placed in the Top Ten Women Swimmers each year and holds the record for the most crossings by a female swimmer. This year she was placed fourth in the senior ladies category in a time of 24 minutes.

SOUTH AFRICAN MASTER'S SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS

On Sunday, 3 March, Gail participated in this prestigious event in Pretoria. It should be said that Masters swimming begins from the age of 20! On this occasion Gail participated in six events, and brought home four gold medals and two silver. She won two gold medals in relay events both won in South African record times. We do salute her efforts and were delighted to hear that she was re-awarded her South African National Colours - an award given only to those who qualify in the top ten world ranking.

FUNDRAISING EFFORTS

Two years ago the staff instituted a way of raising funds: we aimed to collect money for a deserving charity by paying a fine for wearing casual clothes on the last Friday of every month. This year the staff have held Casual Days to raise funds for DARG, the Woodside Sanctuary and to support the family of Natalie du Toit, a former pupil of ours who was involved in a serious motor accident.

STAFF DEVELOPMENT

CO-OPERATIVE LEARNING WORKSHOP

A workshop on Co-operative Learning Techniques was held for the Wynberg staff on Tuesday 13 February.  An Outcomes-Based philosophy of learning, which is the current approach to education for our Grade Eights, requires a considerable amount of group work.  At this workshop, teachers were shown various Co-operative Learning Techniques to facilitate worthwhile group work.  In addition, techniques for the assessment of the necessary skills for successful group work were covered, as well as methods of assessing the eventual end product. 

M McCarthy

NOMINATIONS AND ELECTIONS OF THE REPRESENTATIVE COUNCIL OF LEARNERS

Prior to the election of the Representative Council of Learners (RCL), which took place on 7 February 2001, all nominees were given an opportunity to introduce themselves to their fellow pupils at grade assemblies.  The results of the election were as follows:

Mrs Harding, who acted as electoral officer, chaired the first meeting of the RCL and the following office bearers were elected: 

Lisa Price and Yvonne Townsend, the RCL Teacher Liason Officer, attended a Wynberg Area RCL and TLO meeting at Groote Schuur High School in February.  This provided an opportunity for Lisa, our new Representative Council of Learners Chairperson to be introduced to RCL members from other schools.

The RCL members addressed their fellow pupils at grade assemblies and will be conducting a formal assembly during March.

Y Townsend

Student Leadership

Prefect Camp

Over the weekend of the 16-18 February the prefects attended a camp at Franschhoek situated on an olive farm.  It was in a lovely setting and the girls were able to enjoy many outdoor activities.

The happy band of  Prefects of 2001

They had great fun and bonded well, but unfortunately many of the activities geared towards increasing their leadership skills were a repetition of things already covered at a previous camp.

The prefects were able to relax after a frenetic week's activities and from their point of view, the weekend was a great success. 

P McEwen

HOCKEY TOUR AUSTRALIA - 2002

FUNDRAISER

Clubs and Societies

Interact - Making the Difference Together

Interact is a society that has been involved in many different projects throughout the year, ranging from tea gardens and street collections to food drives.  The society participates annually in events such as Red Nose Day, St Luke's Hospice Fete and Uncle Paul’s Christmas Party.  This term, we once again ran the tea garden for the SPCA at the Community Chest Carnival and helped them to achieve the target they had set for their fundraising.

We will be tackling two new projects this year: Firstly, Interact has teamed up with an underprivileged school in the Cape Flats.  We have already held a food drive to collect food for them.  Our next project with them involves taking their Grade 3 pupils away on a camp to Simons Town.  We will be doing this project in conjunction with the SACS Interact.

Our second new project for the year is providing assistance to Victoria Hospital.  This project has both long and short-term goals.  Our plans involve practical assistance such as providing clothing and toiletries and more complex tasks such as upgrading the facilities.  Interact believes that in participating in such projects, the benefits are immeasurable: not only in teaching us important values, but also enabling us to develop communication and organisational skills.

Jenny Jordan

CAPSTONE

"Informed Prayer" - Prayerful Action

This was the theme of the Women's World Day of Prayer on Friday 2 March. The programme was prepared by the women of Samoa, and various services were held around the Peninsula.

At Wynberg, two learners, Tamzin Bassett and Tasneem Parker, prayed on behalf of our one thousand women, young and old.  They prayed for all women in want or need, for those who are poor and lonely or in distress or despair. In addition to praying about gender differences, they also prayed for protection for all women – those at WGHS, in all of South Africa, and in the rest of the world.

A Smith

WEB COMMITTEE 2001 

Every Friday during second break, while everyone else is enjoying their lunch, a few dedicated senior girls meet in the computer room to discuss the work that needs to be done on the Wynberg Girls' High website.  It is purely the administrative demands of the work on our website that the committee has time to discuss, and it is then that tasks are delegated to the members.  

Committee members for the year 2001 include:

Lauren Reid (Chairperson), Tarryn Lawrence (Secretary) Debbie Jones, Monique Willis, Monique Jacobs; Leanne Johansson; Lauren Manual; Rone Hector; Lauren Hartmann; Pranisha Maharaj

These hard working girls give up not only their breaks, but also the better part of their afternoons. This they do to keep the website up-to-date, by reporting on current events in and around the school. They work hard to make sure that visitors to our website have something new to learn about the school and her active learners. Some of the more recent stories reported on by the commitee include the Matric 2000 Results; the Valentine's Assembly, organised by the prefects; the Matric Sleepover; the Prefect's "Grade Eight Welcome Party"; the engineering feats of our Science Girls and the 2001 Prize Giving

The committee has found that despite their longing to re-design the website, there simply has not been the time! Consequently we have recruited a significant number of very enthusiastic new members (seen pouring over the computers with the committee alongside this article) who are eager to show off their artistic and writing skills. We are delighted that these nine new members have joined us, and hope to be featuring their work on the website soon.  

If you have not yet visited our site or joined our membership list (at the bottom of the home page), please be sure to do so at www.wynghs.co.za. We will do our very best to keep you informed of recent events taking place at Wynberg. 

DEBATING 

On Thursday, 22 February, our debating societies and many loyal supporters walked en masse up Cavan Road to debate against the Wynberg Boys.

Our senior team, Tarryn Lawrence, Clair Wright and Emily Veitch had the difficult task of proposing the legalisation of performance enhancing drugs in sport. As predicted, the WBHS debaters oozed charm and sarcasm in order to try to intimidate us.   This tactic failed to achieve its desired effect and our girls stuck fast to their argument. This was the first time that we debated using the World Schools' Debating style of debating and it proved to be exciting and contentious. For political reasons, Mrs Kannie, the adjudicator refused to name a winner.

On Monday 12 March Wynberg is participating in the Rotary Interschool Debating Competition and will be debating against Herschel in our Ballet Hall. We will be opposing the motion: Child labour is justifiable in the developing world. Interested pupils and parents are invited to join us on this occasion

N Sparks and A Kourie

Executive Members of the Web Committee
and the new recruits
examine one of the pages
on www.wynghs.co.za

SPORT

Road running

The season has got off to a great start with a large group of enthusiastic runners gracing the paths through the winelands of Constantia, Chapman's Peak and the road to Kirstenbosch top gate and back. The beach runs have been varied with trips to Noordhoek and Hout Bay.

S Wucherphennig

Swimming

Our swimmers have done extremely well this season winning all their league galas thus far.  Congratulations to Candice Van Zyl for being selected to represent Western Province this year.

The interschools co-ed gala took place on the 14^th of February at which Wynberg Girls' High took second place.  Even though this was Valentines Day the girls showed their support tremendously.  Well done to all our swimmers who have participated this season.

K de Kock

Atheletics

15 athletes participated in the Western Province USSASA meeting on the 26^th of February at Greenpoint Stadium with 4 girls going through to the semi-finals held on the 3^rd of March.  Congratulations to Danielle Kroezen, Aimee Du Toit, Kerry Stuart and Xena Jansen for participating in this event.

K de Kock

Water Polo Report

The Water Polo girls have enjoyed a successful 2000/2001 season and at the time of writing this report, are waiting to hear if we will be joining 3 other schools in the semi finals (and finals???) of the Waller Cup on March 13. This promises to be a big event, to be held under lights at Newlands pool and playing all the age group semi-finals and finals on the same evening.

continued in second column

Water Polo Report (continued)

After losing some of our strongest players (matrics) last year, the teams are now made up of fairly young players who have gained plenty of experience in a short time. Wynberg is fortunate to be able to field four teams in the league and also to offer social water polo for beginners.

Well done to all the girls, but especially to Kelly Bevan who represented Western Province U16 at the interprovincial tournament held in Johannesburg recently. Finally, we wish the best of luck to all the girls participating in the Western Province U19 trials to be held soon. Interhouse Water polo was held during Open Day on the 28^th of February and the results are as follows:

P Bodenstein and  D Wray  

Western Province Reps

Kelly Bevan has been selected for the Western Province U16 Waterpolo team.

Robyn Elford has been selected for Western Province diving.

C van Zyl has been selected for the USSASA Western Province High Schools' Swimming team for 2001 and participated in the National Aquatics Championships held in Pretoria on 23 and 24 February.

Alexis Solomon has been selected to represent Western Province at the SA National Development Aquatic Championship from 26 February - 4 March. Brian da Silver informs us that more than three hundred swimmers swum qualifying times, but only the best from 170 swimmers were selected and she was one of them.

Michaela Nevin - selected to South African Junior Synchronised Swimming team - will travel to Seattle Washington in August

Sailing

DINGHY INTERSCHOOLS REGATTA 2001

With the matrics of last year gone, this year’s Regatta saw many new sailors braving the waters of Milnerton Aquatic Club (MAC).  Charis and Rosslind were keen crews on Saturday, and Caroline Poulter and Christel Nossek equally enthusiastic on Sunday.  Our skippers were Penny Allison, Abby Smith and Saskia Kemp. 

Saturday morning saw the Wynberg Sailing team trying their best to rig three Mirrors. We very grateful for the help of Penny and her Dad (without their help I am sure our boats would have fallen apart as soon as we got onto the water!)

Wynberg Girls and Wynberg Boys
against a spectacular backdrop

The racing was scheduled to start at 13:30pm and we were all very nervous as the time approached.  Saskia Kemp was a first time dinghy skipper and there were girls very new to sailing as well. 

Greater love hath no woman…

The first race began well for Saskia and her crew, but didn’t end too well when they capsized, filling their boat up with water and practically sinking.  They were forced to retire and sail back to shore in order to drain the water from their boat.  Penny did very well getting two third places in the day's racing

Sunday’s racing began at 10:30am and Penny Allison and Christel Nossek started off very well, achieving a first place in the first race.  Abby Smith had rudder troubles and was forced to retire from the race to fix her rudder.  Saskia Kemp and Caroline Poulter managed to make it over the start line for the 3^rd and 4^th races, achieving a fourth place in both races.  Penny Allison achieved a second and a first in the next two races, managing a first place overall. Abby Smith came 5^th in the second race of the day, but capsized in the third race and was unable to finish.

The final placings were:                   

Penny Allison and Christel Nossek                     First
Saskia Kemp and Caroline Poulter                      Fourth
Abby Smith and Roxy MacNaughton                 Fifth

Much was learned from this weekend and much fun was had.  We had our share of capsizes and boat troubles, but we all thoroughly enjoyed the sailing and showed all who were there what it means to have Wynberg Spirit. 

By the end of the Regatta the sailing team had developed a new explanation of the abbreviation WGHS  - no longer were we Wynberg Girls' High School but Wynberg Girls – Hardcore Sailors!”

Saskia Kemp

Our sailors bring home the trophies -
much to the delight of Mrs Jaaback

WATERLOO HOUSE 

We have started this year with a very full house! I would like to extend a warm welcome to all the Grade Eights, new girls in higher grades and new boarder mistresses in our hostel. Although the term has just begun, it has been a very busy time for us all. 

We are most fortunate to have a fine group of boarder mistresses assisting us in caring for the girls this year. Sianedd Elliott, a GAP student who is from Cardiff in Wales arrived a few days before the start of the term and says that she is enjoying her experiences in South Africa immensely. She likes playing sport, especially hockey and will be studying medicine at Sheffield University next year. Tracy Steart, who arrived a couple of days later from Pietermaritzburg, loves the outdoors and working with young people. Although she has a degree in commerce, she is presently studying at U.C.T. so that she can follow a career in primary school teaching.  Katherine Sanders, also a GAP student, arrived at the beginning of this week from Nottingham in England. She enjoys travelling and went on a tour to Europe before coming out to South Africa. She says she is passionate about football and ice hockey but will play and watch most sports. Her other interests are in learning new languages and she will attend Newcastle University to study German, English Language and History towards the end of this year. 

New Grade Eights were introduced to life at Waterloo House during an “orientation week”. During this week they met the staff and their matric mentors over hot chocolate and biscuits, learnt about hostel rules and enjoyed an evening braai at the pool. Miss Jordan, our school counsellor, presented a wonderful workshop, where the Grade Eights got to know each other and the hostel better through a treasure hunt, pictionary game, pass-the-parcel and plate-packaging exercise. Who could forget the look on their faces as Miss Jordan climbed higher and higher to “test” the “effectiveness” of each teams’ efforts to protect their plate!

During the 2^nd weekend of the term, the Prefects attended a seminar at the hockey club on “Behaviour Management”. This was also facilitated by Miss Jordan and was most successful. Many pertinent issues were raised and much was learnt. The day ended with an evening out together as thanks for all that had been accomplished that day. 

Congratulations are extended to two of our residents, Kelly Bevan and Robyn Elford, who have been away for part ofthis term because of their fine sporting achievements. Robyn was selected to compete in the Inter-provincial Schools Diving Championships and Kelly was selected to play for the Western Province U16 Water Polo Team. Kelly went to Johannesburg to compete in an Inter-provincial tournament where her team won all of their games! 

Entertainment this term has been varied. A visit to Century City, trips to the beach, movies and Maynardville are among some of the outings experienced.

As part of a Grade Eleven Fundraiser, the Wynberg Boys’ High School Hostel: Littlewood House were invited to our hostel to watch a video and sample the homemade sweets and cake on sale. The grade Eleven’s have pronounced the evening a success which is not surprising considering the steely financial minds behind the venture: some even suggested that we sell “Waterloo House water” at R3 a cup!

As always, life in Waterloo House continues to bring new excitements and challenges each day. I look forward to what the rest of the term is yet to bring.

D Cheney

1 March was a rather special day for a group for Grade Eleven students from Wynberg Girls' High. They visited the 35 Squadron Air Base near Cape Town International Airport. 35 Squadron is the Maritime division of the air force: their motto is Shaya Amanzi or "Strike the Water"

The girls were invited to visit the base by Lieutenant Butler as part of the squadron's outreach programme that extends to twelve schools each year.

After an extraordinary slide show on the history and work of the squadron, the girls were given insight into navigation training and spent time in both the flight simulation center and the planetarium where navigators are trained for night flying. The Shakelton, the last remaining one in the world that still flies was a source of fascination and many interesting historical tales.

The best however was a flight over the Cape Peninsula in the Dakota, especially for those who had never flown before.