National All Girls Festival:
Chess
Our Chess Team competed at the National All Girls Festival at the end of April. They played seven rounds against some of the top ranked schools and won a total of 13½ out of 28 matches. They finished in 9th place out of 14 schools.
Creative writing
The Creative Writing section of the Festival took the form of rigorous writing workshops based on the technicalities of language and originality of work. Congratulations to Zuzokuhle Ndumdum, who placed third in the poetry category and Sienna Govind, who placed second in the poetry category. Out of six awards in this section, Collegiate received two.
Cross Country
The girls ran with heart and spirit and had a great time over 3 really great courses. Many workshops were attended by our runners and we have gained much knowledge and experience from this.
Debating
Our junior team of Grade Nine girls was thrown into the deep end by being entered against the best debaters in the country and did us proud. Of the five debates, they won one and received favourable feedback for the other four. Caitlin van Heerden was listed 28th best speaker out of 71. This proved to be a valuable learning experience for a team that continues to grow in strength.
Drama
The Drama Department is known for applying innovative practices in creating new works. Collaborating on this project were Petra Coltman, Alice Erasmus, Olona Gwili, Lathi Mgwebi and Isabella Pringle. Using a range of technologies as technical elements and props, the group produced a highly original art work. The works that schools presented were subjected to various tasks at the Festival which altered the pieces entirely. Although the ensemble was tight-knit, Alice Erasmus was singled out in the Best Supporting Actress category winning a silver medal. We are pleased with our accomplishments and what we’ve been able to take away.
Hockey
The team played some lovely hockey and finished in a respectable 7th position out of twenty-one teams. The team played seven matches in total, losing two and winning five. The team can hold their heads high.
Master Chef
We were very excited to participate in the programme that Eunice presented to us. Jemma Scholtz, Mia Erasmus and Mrs Lotz joined 13 All Girls Schools in the culinary adventure. We visited the CUT’s Hotel school and learnt table etiquette, setting a formal table and napkin folding. We joined Chef Suné Niemand at her demo kitchen, Uppercrust. She demonstrated different ways of plating, flower arranging and function planning.
The Masterchef competition took place at the Hotel school. They presented us with a mystery box. The kitchen was an industrial kitchen and quite different to our Consumer Lab. They use gas stove tops, which was a bit of a challenge. The competition was tough, and the stress level peaked. We came out victorious with second place, and Afrikaanse Hoër Meisieskool came first. Our malva pudding, served with crème patisserie and an infused rosemary berry coulis, showed the judges what these two girls were made of.
Netball
The Collegiate 1st Netball Team played extremely well during the All Girls Tournament. Even though they have lost three matches, it was not always a true reflection of their performances on court. The team played a total of eight matches and ultimately placed eleventh out of twenty-four teams that competed at the All Girls Festival.
Public Speaking
Well done to Tsepiso Malahleha-Qaku and Aisha Mxokezeli, who participated in the Public Speaking section of the Festival. They were required to present a prepared speech and take part in an unprepared conversation. Congratulations to Aisha, who placed fourth in the junior section owing to being well prepared and strategic.
Squash
The team played every game with determination and in a good spirit. The support from other learners really encouraged the squash players to give it their all and brought out their fighting spirit. There were 9 teams in total and every school played each other in a round robin format. The Top 3 places were awarded based on the total amount of points that were obtained by each team, where each game won, counted a point. Collegiate beat Danville Park, La Rochelle, Pretoria Girls, Rustenburg and Queenstown. They lost to Paarl Girls’ High School, Eunice and Clarendon, but overall had more points than Paarl, which placed us third. We are extremely proud of the team.
Tennis
The pool stages included matches against Paarl Girls' High, Parktown Girls High and Rhenish Girls High, where our players took on some of the highest ranked players in the country. Our team showed great courage and commitment and ended up 3rd in our pool after winning one fixture and losing two. We then went on to the playoff stages, where we won the first round against Potchefstroom Girls’ High 12 – 0; narrowly lost the second round to Rustenburg Girls’ High 7-11; and won the last round against Pretoria High School for Girls 10-4 to finish 11th overall. In a game that is self-umpired, the girls are commended for their exemplary sportsmanship and integrity.
Visual Art
The art component of All Girls Festival took the format of an art workshop and the creation of a piece of art over the two-day period. Our experience included guest lectures by renowned artists, a gallery visit and a studio visit. The theme of the workshop was; My personal protest and the brief indicated that we explore resistance art in a street art style. Our Artist had a clear vision and decided to collaborate on an artwork that addressed gender stereotypes. Their artwork series won them the ‘creativity and innovation’ award. We are very proud of them and the wonderful artwork they produced.
