Here are a few highlights from Kingsmead College over the month of June. We’re so happy to have some students back on campus and everyone is doing their best to adjust to our new normal.
How wonderful to welcome our Grade 7 and Matric students back to campus. They have brought a happy energy to our grounds, we’ve missed them so much.
All over the world, museums and galleries have had to close during the Covid-19 crisis, but it has not stopped them from connecting with their communities. The Getty Museum in Los Angeles asked the public to recreate famous paintings with anything they could find at home. In fact, the Getty was inspired by an Instagram account from Amsterdam called @tussenkunstenquarantaine. Pinchuk Art Museum in Ukraine also engaged their community in recreating art works and schools like St Michael’s school in Kent had their children participate in a similar project. We in turn at Kingsmead, have joined in the fun and produced recreations of our own. The Grade Six girls have recreated South African masterpieces. Enjoy!
On World Environment Day (5 June), a group of Grade 7 students shared their assembly message with us: It’s time for nature.
‘It’s up to all of us – black, white, everyone – no matter how well-meaning we think we might be, to do the honest, uncomfortable work of rooting it out. It starts with self-examination and listening to those whose lives are different from our own. It ends with justice, compassion, and empathy that manifests in our lives and on our streets.’ – Michelle Obama
In light of the surge in activism and awe inspiring solidarity world wide in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, Kingsmead is proud to join in on the call for justice and the spread of awareness. The sad reality is that even in our own country police brutality is a huge problem, taking the lives of innocent people.
The lesson we should all be learning from everything happening around us, is that knowledge truly is power and knowledge is eye opening and unifying. We should all be educating ourselves on the power of advocacy and action. Standing for what is right and leading the way for others to do so as well, is a message reflected in Kingsmead’s core values. Responsibility is the value that speaks to current events the most. We as upstanding citizens and empathetic human beings have a responsibility to speak up against injustices happening to us and to those around us. We as the youth especially have the responsibility to educate ourselves about the world around us and how we as the youth can insight change and be the agents of change.
To show our solidarity with the movement and further spread awareness, the Kingsmead community wore black.
Let’s speak up for what is right, together our voice is powerful and loud!
Deb-on-lock, (Debating on lockdown) a debating tournament hosted on Microsoft Teams over the last two weekends included 7 participating schools of which Kingsmead was one. It was an opportunity for students to compete and share ideas about the world while safely at home.
The Senior rounds took place between 29 and 31 May. The debaters took part in 5 preliminary rounds after which the seniors ranked 2nd out of 6 teams. This meant Kingsmead progressed to the semi-finals where the senior team lost 2-1. Ammaarah Wadee ranked 5th and Adiya Pillay 9th in the category of Best Speakers of the tournament. Congratulations to Adiya Pillay, Ammaarah Wadee and Juwairiyya Arain for a successful tournament.
The Junior rounds took place over 5 and 6 June. In the 3 preliminary rounds, our juniors won 1 out of 3 debates. They were unable to break due to technical difficulties but they debated well, growing more confident with each round. Congratulations to Elizabeth Hakizimana, Onthatile Sennelo, Mwamini Bukanga and Sumayya Forssman for working so hard and persevering despite the challenges.
We are so proud of our debaters, well done!
The Kingsmead Choir was showcased in the CCNF Virtual Choral Celebration Festival. The event celebrated the diversity of the South Africa choral landscape and showcased choirs from across the country. Watch here:
As we reflected on Youth Day, we saluted our Kingsmead students who have the fortitude to stand firm in the face of adversity with Courage Always.
On 17 June we welcomed our Grade 3 and 4 students back to Kingsmead. Thank you for adding some sunshine and sparkle to our campus on that very cold June day!
Our Grades 4 to 7 Wind band recorded a beautiful video. They are performing a traditional Sotho song called Kyrie. Watch the YouTube video below:
Inspired by the work of photographer Gregg Segal, the Grade 7 students photographed themselves with chosen go-to items, which they deemed to be essential in getting them through the days in full lockdown. Sometimes pets and family members sneaked into the shot too. Here are a few of their photos:
We were overwhelmed with the number of photos sent in of our Junior School students watching the Semester 1 Community Celebration Assembly this morning. How wonderful to see all your beautiful faces and you looked so smart in your school uniforms. Thank you for sharing with us. We wish our Kingsmead Community a safe, healthy and restful half term break.
View the full album on Facebook.
