Thank you to all who participated in this year’s De Beers English Olympiad exam! We hope you enjoyed it!
Please note that results for the 2012 exam will be released in July 2012. This is after the official Prizegiving where the rank order of the top 100 will be announced. All certificates will be posted to schools during the month of July.
If you have any questions or queries, please contact the De Beers English Olympiad Officer on Tel: (046) 603 1145 or Fax: (046) 622 7462.
Eureka Productions presents
LIFE IN POETRY: POETRY IN LIFE!
An interactive performance workshop making poetry come to life!
Let pupils be taken into the world of poetry analysis and understanding in this fun and dynamic manner. Incorporating poems on the matric poetry list and AP English requirements such as…
This performance workshop will equip senior students with the skills to analyse and understand poetry.
MAKING POETRY FUN, ACCESSIBLE and REAL!!!
Bookings available from 14 May 2012.
First 20 bookings will enjoy a 10% off! Price: R2500 per performance (maximum 100 pupils)
50 minutes running time
“Poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings: it takes its origin from emotion recollected in tranquility”.
Also from Eureka Productions: Interested in a Poetry Festival incorporating the whole school? Ask about our POETRY FESTIVAL!!!
EMAIL clarence@icon.co.za FAX: 0866272657 CELL: 082 882 9869The De Beers English Olympiad, which saw over 7000 entries this year, has made a call for the 2012 Olympiad Exam, which will be written on Tuesday 6 March. The theme for 2012 is “When Urban Meets Rural” (the anthology around this theme which learners use to prepare for the exam will be sent out once they have registered).
Below is all the information interested learners (Grade 10-12) and teachers will need in order to register. You may contact the Olympiad Officer, Jade Fernley, on 046 603 1145 or email olympiad@foundation.org.za for more information.
Bursary Information:
There are a limited number of partial bursaries for students who cannot afford the entry fee of R95. This is a wonderful opportunity for your students to engage with the English language via the theme “When Urban Meets Rural“.
The Olympiad offers fantastic prizes for the top candidates which range from overseas trips to free-tuition scholarships for their first year of study at Rhodes University.
Please encourage your students to write a short letter of application saying why they would like to write the exam. Each applicant must pay a contribution of R10 by direct deposit, cheque or postal order – no cash will be accepted. The principal of the school also needs to write a supporting letter to endorse the student’s application.
Because there are a limited number of bursaries available, they will be awarded on merit and on a first come, first served basis. The closing date for applications for bursaries is 21 October 2011. All unsuccessful applicants will be refunded. Please send applications to the Olympiad Officer at P.O Box 304, Grahamstown, 6140 or phone 046 603 1145/ 107 for more information.
The Grahamstown Foundation’s annual SASOL Gauteng Schools Festivals are here again and will see 1 000 delegates from all around the province taking part in an exciting display of some of South Africa’s top productions, lectures and workshops!
Date: 13 – 14 and 15 – 16 Septmeber 2011
Where: University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg
Fee: R340 per delegate (Grade 11’s only)
Contact: schools.festival@foundation.org.za / 046 603 1107 / 046 603 1122
Workshops:
Learners will be given the opportunity to sharpen skills, discover new passions, build self-confidence and explore different ways of expressing themselves. They will be able to make the most of the opportunity to interact with experts and be aided in exploring their own creative potential.
Lectures:
THREE challenging lecture-demonstrations will be given during the festval, with each learner having an option as to which lecture they would like to attend. These sessions give learners the chance to ask questions, grapple with and learn from the best in the Arts Industry.
Theatre:
Popular and energetic Ash and Bradley Searle (Follow Spot Productions) present their critically acclaimed comedy, Big Boys Don’t Dance:
A show made up of energetic and jaw- dropping dance moves and hilarious antics! The dancing brothers prove that, actually, big boys do dance, and they demonstrate just how manly dancing can be, especially when there’s a fantastic storyline tying it all together. The show is a satirical look at the pre-wedding experiences of an average South African man with a less than macho past his comic brother won’t let him forget. Big Boys Don’t Dance received a Standard Bank Standing Ovation Award at the 2010 National Arts Festival and played to sold out audiences at the 2011 National Arts Festival.
After performing to sold-out audiences in Cape Town and receiving high acclaim at the 2011 National Arts Festival, Director Fred Abrahamse brings Shakespeare’s R&J to the Gauteng Schools Festivals:
Set in an exclusive boarding school, four pupils discover an illicit copy of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet and start acting it out. Perceptions and understandings are turned upside down as the fun of play acting turns serious and the words and meanings begin to hit home and universal truths emerge. Highly energetic and told entirely through Shakesperean language, physical and packed with the energy of youth, this really is Shakespeare at his most accessible and daring.
Receiving a Golden Ovation Award at the 2010 National Arts Festival, The Butcher Brothers (directed by Sylvaine Strike) brings together the likes of Jaques Da Silva and Mongi Mthombeni in a moving story of Laughter and Slaughter:
In an old butcher shop at the edge of town, two muttering old men (a retired ballroom dancer and his loyal servant) arrive for the day’s work. Inside the shop today however, a slumberous package is waiting to be discovered. “Beautifully crafted by Sylvaine Strike and conceptualised by Daniel Buckland, and artfully executed by a talented cast. This show will have you laughing and gasping at its macabre and wonderful content.” – Cue, 2010
New to the Schools Festivals genre of Theatre, Pieter Bosch Botha brings to the stage a funny and enchanting Cabaret entitled, Rose Red:
With her sparkling charm and biting wit, critically acclaimed actress Dianne Simpson effortlessly transforms herself into one of the most infamous characters in the history of fairy tales, only this time the ‘Evil’ Queen is here to tell a very different version of the classic story we all know so well. Vanity, self-esteem, longing to belong, romance, being misunderstood and the darker side of all human beings are all themes that are explored in this enlightening cabaret. The Queen’s ghostly figure stands alone in the place where she met her Stepdaughter for the last time. Why her? Has she been brought back to face the so-called atrocities she had once inflicted, or has she finally been given the chance to tell her own story?
From 10-14 July we held a very successful Standard Bank National Schools Festival in Grahamstown, South Africa. Just over 900 matric students from all around Southern Africa came together to experience 5 full days of the Arts. What transpired can only be described as inspirational, not only for the teachers and learners, but for the staff of the Arts Education project as well.
Months of preparation go into organising the festival, and sure, at times, we wonder why on earth we’re allowing ourselves to go through what feels like a gauntlet of stress and anxiety. But oh!, to watch as these future leaders discover more about themselves, engage their whole being in workshops, lectures and productions, mingle with peers from every walk of life and be given the space to stimulate their own creative ‘uniqueness’, is truly a humbling experience for us.
Many of these learners will not choose the arts as a career option, and that’s perfectly fine by us! Our project is not about creating the next soap star or stand-up comedian; what we want to achieve, more than anything else, is to create an experience that allows each person to find themselves and realise that they’re capable of so much more than what has been expected of them before. And if they fall in love with the arts by the end of the festival, then that’s another proud moment for us.
What better way to see the impact and get a better idea of what goes on during our festivals, than to read testimonies from learners themselves? One of the workshops offered during the Standard Bank National Schools Festival was given by Rod Amner, a writing & editing lecturer at Rhodes University’s School of Journalism & Media Studies, and what transpired during these workshop sessions was remarkable! The workshop, Be an Arts Journalist, allowed learners to express their experiences (and sometimes even concerns) that came about during the Festival and place it on a blog specifically created for the workshop. Articles range from show reviews, personal reflections and general festival observations, with each submission taking an honest and often hard-hitting look at their experience.
We recommend that you take a squizz through the blog (address below), absorb what these young minds have to say and just as we have, gain a deeper understanding about the lives and personal experiences of South Africa’s youth. As one learner put it, “The whole experience of the festival has made me question the allocation of titles like Arts Person or Science Person. In an age where information travels so fast and so widely, worlds tend to collide much more often and it feels as though one cannot simply be one thing without being at least a little of the other.” (Simone le Roux)
The blog can be found at: www.schoolfest2011.wordpress.com
A big thank you to Rod Amner and Push Nqelana as well as the editorial assistance provided by Alexandra Smith and Bongeka Gumede. May you continue to challenge and inspire young, creative minds!
The 2011 National English Olympiad, sponsored by De Beers, has offically announced their top 50 winners! The exam which took place 8 March, saw over 6 700 Grade 10 – 12 learners from all around Southern Africa enter.
While the rank order of the top 100 will be announed at 11h00 on Thursday 14 July, below is the list of the top 50 learners, in alphabetical order:
Alphabetical List 1 – 15
Name Surname School Grade
Emma Atkinson Pietermaritzburg GHS 11
Belinda Banks St Dominic’s Academy, Newcastle 11
Ruth Brain Springfield Convent 12
Anika Brand St Patrick’s College, CBC 12
Christiaan Bronkhorst St Andrew’s School, Bloemfontein 11
Roxanne Carlse Uplands College 12
Ethan Chetty Edenglen High School 12
Ian Currie Pretoria Boys High School 12
Kerstin Hall Chesterhouse 12
Hankyeol Lee Edenglen High School 12
Nicholas Lock York High School 12
Emile Pienaar Somerset College 12
Lillina Ruiters Westerford High School 12
Trudie Spangenberg Pretoria High School for Girls 12
Esther Van Zyl Parel Vallei 12
Alphabetical List 16 – 50
Samantha Arnold St John’s DSG 12
Meghan Boroughs De La Salle Holy Cross Convent 12
Muhammed
Ismail Bulbulia St John’s College 11
Matthew Field Selborne College 11
Allison Gallant Stirling High School 12
Simone Gray The Wykeham Collegiate 12
Stuart Hadfield Michaelhouse 12
Cherith Herolds The King’s College 12
Jessica Hichens Westerford High School 12
Nadine Hugo Aurora Private School 11
Jami-Lee Janse van Rensburg Stirling High School 12
Raquel Jones Pretoria High School for Girls 12
Mary Kennedy Roedean 12
Yoon Joo Kim American International School of Mozambique 10
Stuart Lewis Parktown Boy’s High School 12
S Linkov Somerset College 11
Alexander Minney St Andrew’s College 12
Ashraf Moolla Rondebosch Boy’s High School 12
Faizan Nadvi Westville Boy’s High School 12
Yolanda Ndhlovu Selly Park Secondary School 12
Azraa Parak Parktown Girl’s High School 11
Reantha Pillay Maris Stella 12
Nashin Pillay Northwood School 11
Murray Polkinghorne Kearsney College 12
Ruci Pretorius Midstream College 12
Olga Pretorius Rhenigh Girl’s High School 12
Nina Reinach Glenwood House 11
Scott Roberts Westville Boy’s High School 12
Holly Robson St Mary’s, Waverley 12
Emma Ruiters Crawford College, Pretoria 12
Vanessa Salisbury The Wykeham Collegiate 12
Claudia Schmidt Crawford College, Sandton 12
Roxine Staats Hudson Park High School 12
Jolandi Swanepoel Pretoria High School for Girls 12
Joanne Tomlinson Heronbridge College 12
A BIG CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL TOP 50 LEARNERS! And to the Top 15, we’ll see you at our 2011 Standard Bank National Schools Festival in Grahamstown (10th – 14th July)!
From Left: Chaperone & Director of Scifest Africa Anja Fourie, Francois Kassier, chaperone & Olympiad Officer Niki Searle, Kerstin Hall and Kajal Tulsi.
Over 6 000 Senior High school students from around Southern Africa took part in the annual De Beers English Olympiad Exam in March last year. Kajal Tulsi (Edenvale High School), Francois Kassier (Hilton College) and Kerstin Hall (Chester House) were proudly declared the 2010 Top Three Olympiad winners. Due to their outstanding creative essays, they each received an all-expenses paid trip to the UK to experience the English Language and Culture.
Below are letters written by Francois and Kerstin, telling of their experience to the UK. For more information on the project, please see the bottom on this post.
Letter by Francois Kassier:
“I write this letter in the hopes that, through it, I may reveal to you some small part of my gratitude for this trip. More importantly though, I hope that I can successfully relate the importance, relevance and overall impact that this tour has had on me.
Like the mythical end of the rainbow this trip has always seemed rather unobtainable and while I was lucky enough to receive this prize, this year, it actually provided a very important function every year I entered but did not win, not only to me but to every other youth that enters the Olympiad, motivation.
The sheer scale of the prize provides an incentive so powerful that it draws in many kids who would rather be playing soccer etc. and involves them in an extremely rewarding Olympiad, rewarding in that even though the majority may not win anything the sheer act of participation strengthens their mastery of the English language and encourages academic endeavor which can, and does, leak over into their school work. Like a good restaurant the Olympiad thrives on repeat customers and it is your prize that encourages kids to enter again and again by promoting the simple logic that “hey, if you don’t enter you can’t win.” Because the Olympiad is not solely orientated around grammar or syntax but instead places a far greater emphasis on creativity and imagination it provides an opportunity for children of every level of capability a chance to flex their imaginations and soar. Instead of being exclusive to children unusually gifted in a specific field i.e. mathematics, the English Olympiad provides a platform for anyone to explore the richness and diversity of the English language and, in tandem with your prize, does great things for children across this country.
In regards to the actual trip let me extend to you a hearty thank you for what was an absolutely awesome tour. In almost every way the trip provided me with so many opportunities of enrichment and exploration. Although cliché this trip truly has widened both my horizons, perceptions and understandings of so many different areas of both history and modern-day life. The sheer scale of the cathedrals was matched only by the brilliance of the various theatre productions. The richness and awe of the museums was only deepened through the wonder of the real life monuments themselves. But more than the physical, beyond the itinerary, this tour was made special by the people involved and the simple act of exploring a foreign country bursting with both information and excitement. The tour of your London branch proved both intriguing and very enjoyable as the processes involved in your craft were detailed and explained and added the metaphorical cherry on top of an already spectacular tour.
Although I have attempted to relate my gratitude I am afraid that mere black on white will never do justice to your gift. Know that this trip was truly amazing and has meant so much to both myself and Kirstin and Kajal. Thank you, for everything.”
Letter by Kerstin Hall:
Kerstin Hall, Niki Searle & Anja Fourie having fun at an outdoor ice-skating rink.
“I entered the 2010 De Beers English Olympiad and was lucky enough to finish in the Top 3. As a result, I was one of the fortunate recipients of an all-expenses paid trip to England in December 2010, sponsored by your company. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your generosity. It was an incredible trip and I feel extremely privileged to have been a part of it.
Quite apart from being fun, it was also a culturally enlightening and eye-opening journey for me. I have learnt so much about art, history and modern English culture. As I have not travelled much beyond South Africa before, everything was very exciting and so different from what I am used to at home. It has left me with the desire to travel more widely and to see as much of the world as possible. But it has also made me appreciate my home and family more.
Due to this trip I feel I have developed more independence and focus. I’m more willing to take decisions regarding my future after school. This is obviously very important, and I thank you for sending me to all these places and prompting me to stand on my own two feet.
The trip lasted just over two weeks and in that time we visited Canterbury, Salisbury, Bath, Stratford-upon-Avon, Oxford and London, where we saw the most incredible architecture, visited numerous museums and art galleries and watched so many wonderful theatre performances. Of all the shows we attended, I am unable to pick a favourite because I liked them all so much! Matilda, Wicked, Warhorse, Thirty-Nine Steps; these are all productions I would probably never have been able to see had I not won this trip and I really loved them all.
Thank you for allowing me to enjoy this amazing experience.”
Information about the De Beers English Olympiad:
The De Beers English Olympiad is a joint project of the Grahamstown Foundation and the South African Council for English Education. It allows senior school pupils to write an examination in English which encourages entrants to be responsible for their own learning, to think and write creatively and to discover the relevance of their studies for themselves and the world around them. The top 15 candidates win a week to the National Schools Festival and the top three win a trip to the United Kingdom to learn more about the English language and culture. In 2010 the top 50, while subject to university entrance requirements, won a free first year tuition scholarship to Rhodes University. The 2011 exam was written on Tuesday 3 March. Visit our website for more information.
Neville Engelbrecht, Director of the Arts Education Department at the Grahamstown foundation (South Africa), answers some questions about the challenges of Arts Education, and his vision for the future.
“Studies show that knowledge of dance develops attributes of creative thought, including originality, fluidity and an ability of abstraction. Theatre teaches us to understand complex situations and incites us to reflect on the motivations of others as well as honing our interpersonal skills. Learning music increases the capacity of reasoning and makes use of the abstract thinking needed in mathematics.” -Steven Brault, Canada Council for the Arts
What is arts education?
Arts Education for me is a very fundamental ingredient that is lacking in our education system in general. We try to fill that gap by providing the youth with our arts-based festivals and other projects.
It promotes collaboration, communication and direct interaction in a non-threatening “neutral” environment. Most importantly, it enables a significant boost of self-esteem and confidence and in doing so, facilitates the discovering of the values of co-operation and empathy that the ensuing self-realisation fosters. This can only mean a healthy society in general.
What is the aim of arts education?
Our aim mainly, is to facilitate the unlocking of the potential for creative thought and imagination within the youth. Whether they become scientists or accountants, we want them to be creative in whatever they do in life and to be confident in their abilities as human beings. Of course we are also interested in encouraging and nurturing an appreciation for the arts as well, but the focus is on spiritually and emotionally healthy future South Africans.
Why is it so important?
For me, especially in the South African context, I think it is absolutely essential that we have arts education. Arts education is not really about creating the next best actor, or director, or whatever.
Whether you become a scientist or an accountant or a lawyer, it is so essential to be creative, to think creatively in life.
The whole point of it is to unlock people’s minds, to get them to think creatively, to get them to think laterally, and in so doing, actually improve their lives immeasurably.
What is your vision for South African Arts Education?
The main ideal would be that schools actually include arts education in their curriculum and that there would be more support and more interest. That would mean in a sense that we wouldn’t be necessary because we fill a huge gap in their education curriculum. But realistically, I think that instead of reaching 15-16000 kids during the year with our projects in arts education, I would like to grow those numbers. I would love to see more support from business and from education and from the government for our projects.
Festivals have been growing over the years; I mean it’s been going for over 37 years since Professor Guy Butler came up with the idea and it started as this tiny small Shakespeare festival for local schools and it’s grown from there. First it was the National Schools Festival in Grahamstown, then it became regional and over the years it’s just been growing and growing. It’s still growing but we’re pretty much limited to the capacity of the venues we go to. We don’t have many of those 1000 seater theatres around the country, so we end up having double festivals in some places just so we can cope with the demand.
It’s a pie in the sky for now, but part of my dream of where I want to see arts education is to be able to go right back to the start, not drop what we’ve got but build on what we have. I would really love to be able to have the capacity to reach even younger learners and expose them to the Arts as young as possible. By the end of primary school would be ideal because learners at that age are that much more receptive. I think if it was spread both towards the end of primary and the end of high school, which would be ideal, but that would be a whole other project in itself.
The 2011 Arts Education Team (from left): Neville Engelbrecht (Director), Derralyn Short (Manager), Lily May (Senior Administrator), Benita Rama (Marketing Officer), Niki Searle (Olympiad Officer)
Greetings to all teachers, artists, scholars and anyone who accidentally found themselves on our new Schools Festival blog!
While we’re well into 2011, the Ars Education Department here at the Grahamstown Foundation has decided to make a conscious effort to keep our Festival Friends (and future ones!) informed and excited about our cycle of events! This includes creating a new website and a “Schools Festivals” page on Facebook and of course, this blog.
If you’re wondering who we are, what we do and why we do it, feel free to read up about us in the ‘About’ tab at the top of this page. Being Arts AND education based, we’re passionate about keeping the power of the arts alive in South Africa’s youth, while using it as a platform to educate, motivate and inspire the future leaders of our beautiful country.
Other than that, we’ll have a full gallery of pics from our past festivals for you to soon check out, especially if you’ve recently attended a festival and would like to see if you or any friends / favourite artists appear in them.
For those interested teachers, artists and scholars that would like to be involved in any of our festivals, please click on the “Contact” tab at the top of this page and feel free to get hold of us.
Think, Breathe, Be Creativity!
