c mpassthe keeping you on the MaP

07.15

THERE’S TROUBLE IN PEPONI...

On the 12th and 13th of June, MaP students staged the annual Maru-a-Pula

school drama production, directed by Mr Ndlovu, with musical direction by Mr Thekiso. Set in ancient Egypt in the Kingdom of Peponi, Kurana - a Cinderella story (with a surprising twist) - featured Mwanje Tembo as Kurana (Cinderella), Ramin Sabet as the Prince of Peponi, Hannah Taylor as the evil stepmother, Ruby Noble and Rati Matome as the two ugly stepsisters, and Nils Wisotzki and Samantha Moon as the rulers of the underworld.In the early hours of the evening on Friday, the Kurana cast was relaxed, laughing and snacking on pizza. Even though it was the opening night, there wasn’t a nerve-wrecked actor in sight. The six-month preparation for the

show really paid off!Some of the main characters had interesting methods of getting into character. Ruby Noble, who plays Joy, the ugly sister, said, “I get into character mainly with my makeup. I do it myself and normally do a bad job at it, so it helps me become the bad, ugly stepsister.” Hannah Taylor, the stepmother, said, “I concentrate on the evil stepmothers I’ve watched in Disney movies to get into character.” Unlike most plays, where the action is concentrated on stage, in this play the performance was spread throughout Maitisong; some action took place even on the balconies. The story begins with the cast of the play walking across the stage in their shimmering costumes and finery to a cover version of ‘Paradise’ by Coldplay, beautifully sung by Nkosilathi Zoe Nyamugama. Kurana, whose name means ‘fire’, gets her

name from her habit of spending her precious spare time sitting near a fire. Her maltreatment at the hands of her stepmother and sisters is vividly depicted - as she’s punished for trivial reasons and forbidden to call her stepmother “mother”- and her lone-liness is conveyed when she sings heart-breaking renditions from ‘Les Miserables’.In Cinderella, it’s the fairy-god-mother who comes to Cinderella’s aid. However, in Kurana, it’s Kurana’s mother who plays the role of savior when she appears as an apparition in a silky, white gown. She imparts helpful advice, encourages Kurana to not lose hope and leaves with the words ‘darkest before dawn’ echoing behind her - it’s soon after this that Kurana meets the Prince of Peponi. Before Kurana can skip off into the sunset with her prince charming, their happily-ever- (cont. on back page)

Mallika Senthil, L6L

Samantha Moon and Nils Wisotzki face off as regents of the Underworldphotos : Li Bo, 2L

Mr Laverick Publishes ‘The Kalahari Killings’the compass07.15

mid-term, term twobrought to you by the

MaP journalists team of Mr Hagger (editor)

Aaliyah MussaLi Bo (2L)

Simone Hadebe (L6M)Shivali Ittan (4L)

Nandini Kochar (L6L)Reneilwe Mabeo (2J)

Aobakwe Nkuelang (M6)Ruby Njonde (3L)

Mabedi Sennanyana (L6L)Mallika Senthil (L6L)Vamika Sinha (L6L)

Yue Tong Zhang (2K)

with thanks toMr ChalmersMs Conway

Mr NkalaKopo Keakitse (4K)

Yufei Liu (L6J)Kaya Panchalingam (4K)

Hannah Taylor (4K)Jip Vader (3J)

special thanks to Aaliyah Mussa, who is leaving the team this term - thank you and good luck Aaliyah!

longer versions of the stories in this newsletter, as well as additional

reporting on other stories, are available on the News page of the

school website :www.maruapula.org

twitter : @maruapulaschoolemail : comms@maruapula.orgfacebook : Maru-a-Pula School

tel : 391 2953 ext. 206

Two years ago, Maru-a-Pula Director of 6th Form Studies, Jonathan

Laverick, found unexpected inspira-tion when Googling research for a painting. Now he’s published his first book, ‘The Kalahari Killings: the True Story of a Wartime Double Murder in Botswana, 1943.’His interest in the story was piqued by his love of aviation. When he spoke to people about this story, they were quite amazed because we expect “bushmen to be friendly little people who live in harmony with nature and who’d never think of committing murder. The other interesting thing was learning about the history of Botswana. It’s more interesting than you’d think,” he says. The first step before he started writing his book was to find a publisher, because “writing a book is hard work and no one wants to write a book that isn’t going to be published. I looked at books that were similar in genre to aviation and Second World War and found a publisher, the History Press, UK,” he says.‘The Kalahari Killings’ tells the story of a brilliant young mechanic, Gordon Edward, from Wales, who joins the Royal Air Force (RAF) at the start of the Second World War. His passion to be a pilot finally becomes reality when he joins a flight school in Rhodesia. On the 4 October 1943, three weeks before becoming an official pilot, he and a friend, Walter Adamson, are

Mallika Senthil, L6L

sent on a navigation sortie to take pictures of a few towns as part of their training. However, they get lost on their return trip and are forced to make an emergency landing as their fuel runs out. As these two men start their journey through the Salt Pans on foot, they come across a hunting party of Bushmen. Hunting was illegal back then and the headman, Twai Twai Molele, felt these two men had seen too much, so they shot the pilots in their sleep. The only remains of these two pilots lie in a jar containing their human fat.Find out whether the Bushmen were convicted or acquitted by reading Mr Laverick’s book, which will have its Botswana launch on August 20 at Exclusive Books.

MaP Students Excel in English/Maths Olympiads

Three Maru-a-Pula students (top, from left to right:

Nandini Kochar, Tawanda Mulalu and Vamika Sinha) have ranked in the top 15 of the 2015 De Beers English Olympiad. This prestigious English Language and Literature competition takes place annually and receives over 7000 entries from high schools throughout South Africa, Botswana,

Aaliyah Mussa

Namibia and Mozambique.Maru-a-Pula is the only school in the competition to have three candi-dates placed in the top 15.All three students have been invited to the National Schools Festival in Grahamstown from 12 - 17 July where they will enjoy a programme of activi-ties, celebrating English, Drama and Art, culminating in the prize-giving ceremony. At this ceremony, the top three winners will be announced and awarded cash prizes : R30,000 for first place, R28,000 for second and R25,000 for third. In addition, the top 50 candi-dates will be offered free tuition schol-arships for their first year of study at Rhodes University.Placing in the top fifteen came as a shock to the three candidates as the anthology, ‘Stories of Mzansi’, was based on South African English. “No one had any expectations because none of us speaks Afrikaans,” said Vamika Sinha. “We had to do research on the words and their meanings. That was the probably the hardest part.” Although it was challenging, Nandini Kochar and Tawanda Mulalu preferred the analysis section of the exam, while Vamika favoured crea-tive writing because she likes to “write

and take it from my own imagination.”In addition, Form 4 Student Ga Ram Park (left, below) is travelling to Chiang Mai, Thailand this month to represent Botswana at the 56th International Mathematics Olympiad (IMO) from 7th -17th July 2015. The IMO is the World Championship Mathematics Competition for high school students and is held annually, in a different country each year. Beginning with just seven participating countries in 1959, it has gradually expanded to include over 100 countries from five conti-nents. Botswana is taking part for the first time this year.Ga Ram went through two rounds of testing prior to her selection, finishing first in the country out of a total of 102 candidates. The gifted mathemati-cian will be accompanied by a team of five students from other high schools in Botswana including Moshupa SSS, Letlhakane SSS and Moeding College.She will be competing against over 600 students from all over the world, in two days of competition comprising three questions a day tested over four and a half hours. She said : “I am excited about getting tough questions in a competitive environment.”

Gabz FM Broadcasts from MaP on Day of the African Child

Solar Car ‘Illanga II’ Parks at MaP

On the 29th of June, MaP students were treated to

a glimpse into the future as a group of UJ (University of Johannesburg) students brought round their solar car, Ilanga II.A group of UJ students and lecturers are on a 12 day road trip (which began on the 19th of June) as they travel 4,160km - from Johannesburg to Windhoek and back - to test out their solar powered car - fuelled by nothing but good old sunshine. On their visit to MaP, UJ students endeavoured to spark an interest in engineering in MaP students as “there’s a shortage of engineers in South Africa.” They brought out boxes of Lego and distributed one to each team of eight students. The task was to build a Lego solar car following the instruction provided. The first team to finish received a prize - a bag of Jelllybabies. Ilanga - which means ‘sun’ in Zulu - was built by hand solely by the students. Ilanga II is the third solar car to be built since the UJ Energy Movement was established in 2010. This solar car is “built around efficiency”; the shape of the car is built around the body shape of a driver who is 1.70m and weighs around seventy to eighty kilograms. “We built Ilanga II around the body shape of a driver to make the car as light as possible, so that there isn’t too

Mallika Senthil, L6L much load on the engine,” says Rene Naidoo, one of the UJ students. Interestingly, the tool box for this car doesn’t consist of the expected spanner and screwdriver - Ilanga II’s tool box is a 3D printer. It makes parts for the steering wheel housing and certain sections of the battery pack. Resembling a combination of a space pod and yacht, the orange and white Ilanga II draws fascinated crowds wherever it stops. It allows people in the towns and rural villages along the route to see how green technology can be used in everyday life. “Ilanga II isn’t built for sale, but is used for research and development of sustainable and green engineering that can be implemented in the real world,” says Simon Kaschula, the manager of the electrical compo-nents of the solar car.

MaP Bids Farewell to UM6 Top AchieversMaP bid a sad farewell in May to the June 2014 intake of Top Achievers. The group of ten Upper Middle Six students, who recently completed their A-Level examinations, were treated to pizza and golf at the Blue Tree restaurant in Gaborone.The students were joined by Tamara Lottering (back row, second from left), a former MaP student who graduated in 2012 and now studies at the University of British Colombia in Vancouver, Canada.Tamara praised the group for “late nights spent studying and discussing in the classrooms and library and contrib-uting to MaP’s excellent reputation.”

clockwise, from top right :Ms Gould and Mr Laverick inspect Illanga II at UB; Mr Treml oversees

the Maitisong demonstration; MaP students investigate magnetism

MaP welcomed Gabz FM on June 16th to celebrate the Day of the African Child. Presenters Petula and Gabriel (both in sunglasses, left) broadcast live from campus throughout the afternoon, interviewing Mr Nkala and MaP students about the service programme. Some students also had the opportunity to sing and recite poetry live on air.In his interview, Mr Nkala said : “ Our service programme provides a digni-fied way of assisting our community.”

Globe-crossing Cyclist Inspires MaP Students

On 29th May 2015, the Form Fours had the privilege of meeting HIV/ AIDS activist

Somen Debnath. At the age of 20, he began a world tour with the aim of spreading awareness about HIV/AIDS and promoting Indian culture, all on a bicycle. He has crossed 24 countries in Asia, 48 countries in Europe and 21 in Africa, with no signs of slowing down. “This travel is dedicated to the people, to reach people,” he said.Inspired by an Indian newspaper article titled ‘AIDS is deadlier than cancer,’ he set out from his home village of Basanti in West Bengal, on 27th May 2004, to begin his mission. “I started this journey because I wanted to do something different for this world,” he said. Eleven years later he has overcome countless challenges, travelling 118,000 km to 99 countries. “My goal is to cover 191 countries by 2020. I will travel 200,000 km and reach nearly 20 million people.”He urged the Form Fours to take precautions against HIV/AIDS, and convey the message on how to protect oneself against the virus to the community, in order to contribute

Aaliyah Mussa positively to the world. Debnath shared statistics that he found were a source of inspiration: “The mother-to-child transmittance rate in Botswana has reduced from 80% to 8%. So I would like to dedicate this journey to you and [take] these inspirations [to] you.”In his efforts to create awareness about the HIV/AIDS pandemic, Debnath has encountered numerous struggles, including being held captive by the Taliban for 24 days. He was tortured, interrogated and made to clean utensils and weapons, and was finally released after cooking a curry for his captors.“My dream is to build a global village in India,” he says. Four hectares of land will be reserved for accommo-dation and four hectares for food so that residents will have the opportu-nity to cultivate their own crops and fruits. Each kilometre that he cycles is sold for €1, with 60% of the proceeds going towards the village and 40% contributing towards his travel. This ecological and sustainable village will then be handed over as global prop-erty in 2025.Next on his global tour, Debnath plans

to cover West Africa, moving on to South America and then Antarctica. “I’m a global citizen and this world is my home,” he says.

Bundles of Brightness in Broadhurst

On Friday the 5th of June, the Bundles of Brightness team travelled to Broadhurst to meet a woman called Kawa for the first time. We arrived at a house that appeared reasonably well taken care of, with painted walls and of a moderate size (one of any middle-class family). To our surprise, what we found inside was quite the opposite. Walking around behind the house, we found Kawa in a small cramped room that barely fit her bed. Kawa and her two children live with no warmth or running water and pay P580 a month as rent. This gave all of us a deep feeling of sadness. We couldn’t believe or even understand how she has managed to get by

Kaya Panchalingam, Kopo Keakitse, 4K

which such little help or resources for all these years.Kawa has a four-year-old boy (right)who hasn’t started school yet and a seventeen-year-old daughter who is writing her IGCSEs this year at Naledi Secondary School. Her daughter needs just P42 a week to get to school and back, but the family is often unable to afford even this nominal expense. Kawa has struggled for the last few years to provide this money because she is ill and has no income of her own. Adopt a Person (AAP), a registered NGO, has been helping her get by for the last three years, but still Kawa cannot afford regular meals or the supplies her daughter needs to finish high school. We believe that education is the most important tool to help families, like Kawa’s, break out of the poverty cycle. Bundles of

Brightness is going to try help relieve some of the burden on Kawa’s shoul-ders by sending food parcels, and helping her daughter finish high school by providing the necessary stationery and money for her to get to school. We hope that these small acts will help us fulfil the mission of Project Starfish by making a difference in people’s lives, one person at a time.

BSPCA Golf Day

On the 14th of June 2015, Maru-a-pula students, who support the BSPCA as part of their SPE programme, volun-teered to help out at the Gaborone Golf Club’s annual golf day.The event was held to assist in raising much needed funds for this local animal shelter. Students helped to set up equipment, walk dogs and sell raffle tickets to golfers and visitors. The event consisted of a golf tournament, auction and raffle draw.

Hannah Taylor, 4K

The day was a tremendous success and the MaP students managed to raise P10,000 through the proceeds of the various raffles. Overall, the golf fun day raised an impressive total of P80,000 in support of the BSPCA.

Nepal Fundraising Week

As most people are aware, the Nepal Earthquake of

May 12th has claimed over 8,800 lives and injured more than 23,000 people. Thousands of people have been made homeless and entire villages have been destroyed. In such a tragic crisis it is not enough to merely say “pray for Nepal” and do nothing to help the victims. With that in mind, the Ray of Hope Team (a group of Form 6 volunteers who are working with underprivileged children in Botswana) decided to organise

food sales for one week as an effort to raise funds for Nepal. The sales took place from 22nd to 26th June every break time, with each form class offering to bring some kind of snacks or baked goods to sell each day. The funds accumulated through the daily break time sales, as well as indi-vidual donations from private compa-nies and individuals, will be sent to the United Nations and UNICEF, as these organizations are doing transparent and effective work in rebuilding Nepal and aiding homeless and injured survi-vors of the earthquake.

Nandini Kochar, L6L

Health Week

Health Week was launched in 2013 in response to the drop in physical activity by our students in the winter season. It was aimed at spreading awareness to our community of the benefits derived from beginning and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. To achieve this, MaP put together a programme that involves health talks, medical screening, various wellness programmes and small-sided sports games. This year the event ran from 25 May to 29 May. Talks were given by the Botswana National Olympic Committee (BNOC) on anti-doping in sports, a KBL repre-sentative who spoke about alcohol abuse and a sports psychologist who spoke of mental preparation during sports and exercise, goal setting and maintaining motivation during activity. MaP was also visited by mental health expert Caroline Gartland who deliv-ered workshops on teen mental health to Forms 1, 2 and 3. These inter-active workshops focused on starting conversations and debunking some of the myths that surround mental health. Students found the talks hugely beneficial.Medical health screens were conducted in the school clinic for staff while students engaged in a host of physical activities, the most popular being cycling. A bus load of students were treated to a free session at Curves Gym, which also provided us with Aerobics and Zumba instruc-tors. The physical highlight was the daily Kgale Hill climbs using transport provided by AT&T Monnakgotla.We would like to thank our speakers from BNOC, Dr Tshube (sports psychol-ogist from UB) and Mr Mokoro (KBL). We would also like to thank our spon-sors and partners AT&T Monnakgotla, Chain Reaction and Tsela Riding. A big thanks also goes out to all the teachers who chaperoned, ran and participated in activities.

Mr Nkala

clockwise, from top right : Dodgeball; Zumba; Fitness Test; Caroline

Gartland; Alcohol Awareness talk with Mr Mokoro; Cycling

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BasketballU14 Boys ISSSA1/06/2015v Rainbow @ MaP5 -13U16 Boys ISSSA1/06/2015v Rainbow @ MaP20 - 23U19 Boys ISSSA1/06/2015v Rainbow @ MaP50 - 9U14 Girls ISSSA1/06/2015v Rainbow @ MaP12 - 14U16 Girls ISSSA1/06/2015v Rainbow @ MaP18 - 14U16 Boys BISA6/06/2015v Maoka @ MaP48 - 25U16 Girls BISA6/06/2015v Maoka @ MaP30 - 4U19 Boys BISA Juniors TOP 44/07/2015v Ledumang S.S.S @ MaP75 - 21v Naledi @ MaP86 - 14 v St. Joseph’s @ MaP68 - 26Qualified to nationalsU19 Girls BISA Juniors TOP 44/07/2015v GSS @ MaP36 - 39 v St. Joseph’s @ MaP29 - 41Knocked out

NetballU14 Girls ISSSA Tournament27/06/2015v various schools @ Westwood1st PlaceU16 Girls ISSSA Tournament27/06/2015v various schools @ Rainbow3rd PlaceU19 Girls ISSSA Tournament27/06/2015v various schools @ MaP1st PlaceU19 Girls BISA30/05/2015v Mogoditshane S.S @ Kgari Sechele II28 - 13v Kgari Sechele II @ Kgari Sechele II40 - 184/06/2015v GSS @ MaP28 – 166/06/2015v Molefi S.S.S @ Ledumang S.S.S43 - 13v Ledumang S.S.S @ Ledumang S.S.S29 - 24U14 Girls Friendly3/06/2015v Legae @ MaP17 - 3U16 Girls ISSSA Rematch8/07/2015v TLC @ Rainbow6 - 4Bronze medallistsU16 Girls Friendly3/06/2015v Legae @ MaP8 - 3

U19 Girls Friendly3/06/2015v Legae @ MaP20 - 5U19 Girls BISA Juniors TOP 44/07/2015v Ledumang @ MaP33 - 30 v Ledumang @ MaP46 - 35v Mogoditshane @ MaP23 - 22Qualified to nationals

FootballU14 Boys Friendly3/06/2015v Legae @ Legae0 - 3U16 Boys Friendly3/06/2015v Legae @ Legae1 - 2U14 Boys ISSSA Tournament27/06/2015v various schools @ Westwood4th PlaceU16 Boys ISSSA Tournament27/06/2015v various schools @ Westwood4th PlaceU19 Boys ISSSA Tournament27/06/2015v various schools @ MaP3rd Place

Welcome, Ms Hickerson

“I’m Caitlin Hickerson. I was born and raised in New York City. I currently teach History and am Coordinator of the Service Learning Program and Student Activities in the Middle Division of Horace Mann School, where I have been for the last seven years. I received my B.A. from Bryn Mawr College and my Master’s in Teaching at Fordham University. I am also a yoga teacher, love to swim, and am an avid reader. This is my first visit to Botswana, but my second visit to Southern Africa. With fond memories of my stay, I decided to come back and spend more time in the region. I am here to conduct leadership seminars and encourage MaP students to think about how they can act in the best interest of others in small ways every day. I will also be working on a service project with the LM6 students during my month-long stay.”

Welcome, Harvard Interns

This year’s Harvard interns are (clockwise, from top right): Caleb,

Melissa, Paul, Natalie, Jessica, Alondra. Princeton and Harvard bios, and

interviews by MaP Journalists, arealso available on the Princeton and

Harvard pages at www.maruapula.org

Welcome, Ms Murphy

“My name’s Meghan Murphy, and I am from just outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I graduated from the University of Maryland Honors College with a degree in Biological Sciences and certificate in Global Studies. I am looking forward to my fellowship year teaching Forms 1 and 2 sciences. Outside of teaching, I will be working with the Maru-a-Pula Refugee Advocates (MaP RAds), Bundles of Brightness, and assistant coaching. I am very excited to get to know my students and the entire MaP community!”

Welcome, Ms Lewis-Meeks

“Hello MaP! My name is Anya Lewis-Meeks, and I am one of the new Princeton-in-Africa fellows, teaching Forms 1 and 3 History and Geography. A little bit about myself: I am originally from Kingston, Jamaica, and I gradu-ated from Princeton University with a BA in Public Policy and a minor in Creative Writing. I’m a huge fan of Harry Potter, One Direction, and Usain Bolt. I’m excited to be helping out with Gasiko Teaching, French Tutorials, and Zumba next term! Looking forward to meeting you all.”

Alondra Ramirez - “You can come to me for Math, psychology, sociology, Spanish, Italian, SATs, and college applications.”

Caleb Johnson - “If you are inter-ested in economics, business, religious philosophy, sports, and American college life, come say hi!”

Jessica Sithebe - “In addition to tutoring, you can talk to me about choosing a university or major, SATs, and personal statements.”

Welcome, Ms Tuberville

“I’m Susan Tuberville, and I gradu-ated from Birmingham-Southern College with majors in Studio Art and Art Education and a minor in Human Rights and Conflict Studies. Since graduation, I have gained experience in teaching art at the early childhood, primary, and secondary levels. I’m excited to be teaching Forms 1 and 2 History as well as contributing to the art department at Maru-a-Pula. I will also be joining the photography club, yoga, and one of the many service opportunities at MaP. I am eager to learn alongside the MaP community this year!”

Welcome, Ms Gould

“My name’s Meg Gould. During my fellowship year here at Maru-a-Pula, I’m very excited to teach Maths and to get to know my many wonderful students. Originally from Memphis, Tennessee, I recently graduated from the University of Virginia with degrees in global studies and French. I am also looking forward to assisting with the Girls Soccer team, volunteering with the MaP RAds program, and becoming a part of the MaP commu-nity in as many ways as possible.”

Melissa Joseph - “Feel free to talk to me about drama, financial aid, the college admissions process, a ‘liberal arts’ education and Beyonce.”

Natalie Antunez - “Feel free to talk to me about reviewing essays, college life, English literature / critical reading, Spanish, and public speaking.”

Paul Stainier - “Talk to me about Hip-Hop, my high school in India, or the English Premier League.”

Welcome, Mr Creighton

Mr Graham Creighton, a native of South Africa,

has joined MaP to teach History and English. Mr Creighton previously taught at an international school in Japan, and has recently moved to Botswana with his wife - who he met in Japan - and their two sons.His passion for teaching stems from his experience coaching cricket and rugby at a high school. “I enjoyed that coaching role and being around adolescents,” he says. “As a teacher, you also have a coaching role.”Since Mr Creighton taught at an inter-national school, he wasn’t familiar

with the Japanese school system. Their school lasted longer, usually ending around 4pm. “What I like about MaP is that there is less time wasted between lessons,” he says. “Teaching and learning are done quickly enough to allow time for other activities.” Mr Creighton loves the “openness, friendliness and helpfulness” of MaP students. “The students here are defi-nitely more social,” he says. “At my previous post, the students were a lot more reserved. It took a longer time for them to finally speak up.”Mr Creighton has “a deep love for Africa” and wants to see countries “grow and compete with the rest of the world. I definitely want to be a part of the growth of Botswana. Even when I was in Japan, I always had my eye on events happening in southern Africa. I

Simone Hadebe, L6M

noticed that there are a lot of nega-tive perceptions of Africa abroad. I want to help young people in southern Africa to reach their potential; to grow this region so that people in the rest of the world won’t look down on us,” he said.

Welcome, Ms Mabona

Ms Portia Mabona, our new Chemistry teacher, is from

Tonota, in the North East of Botswana near Francistown. She has been teaching for 14 years, most recently in Flamingo Private School, in Sowa. She “loves teaching” and wants every child to receive a quality education.“The Maru-a-Pula community is very

supportive, warm and welcoming and I wholeheartedly enjoy the assembly mornings,” she says. She really likes the way students are focused, and that motivates her to look forward to a new day.She also says, “Knowledge of the nature of the chemicals and chemical processes provides the insights into a variety of physical and biological phenomena. Knowing chemistry is worthwhile because it provides an excellent basis for understanding the physical universe we live in. I am looking forward to my journey at

Shivali Ittan, 4L

Welcome, Ms Phillime

Geography teacher Ms Chaha Phillime previously

taught at St Joseph’s College for 11 years before coming to MaP.She currently teaches seven Geography classes and takes part in Cookery, Tennis and Tshwaragano Primary Reading from the SPE program.Outside of school, Ms Phillime says she does a lot of baking but mostly, she’s a television person.She originally heard about the job opening at MaP from a friend, and

decided to come because she wanted change after eleven years of teaching at the same school.She said: “I knew it was different. I heard a lot about the school and I wanted to see for myself.”According to Ms Phillime, the students at MaP are very sweet but can be incredibly hyper. The students at St Joseph’s were reserved and did not talk much but here, they are always talking and they say whatever they want to say. But it’s great.”So far, Ms Phillime thinks the MaP community is friendly and welcoming. Teaching requires a lot of hard work, which she is willing to put in. She said: “It’s fast-paced but so far, so good.

I love it. Life is all about choices. Life can throw stuff at you but how you react is a choice you make and the consequences are because of your choice.”

MaP and am really excited to meet everyone.”

Yue Tong Zhang, 2K

Welcome, Ms Disele

MaP alumnus Ms Lebogang Disele is a dancer, actress, and now a part-time Drama teacher here at MaP.“My love for Drama started in Standard 6 when I got my first itty-bitty role in the school play,” she says. After realising her love for theatre, she went on to attain her BA in Film and Media Production and a Bachelor of Honours in Drama at The University of Cape Town and a Master of Arts in Dramatic

Arts at Wits University.She says that working and interacting with high school students and young people in general is what she loves best. “MaP will teach me to live in the moment and be young again!” she adds.Besides teaching, Ms Disele works in partnership with Maitisong, co-directing and performing in its productions. She also balances being a professional dancer at Sky Blue Dance Hub with her role as a devoted mother to her adorable three-year-old daughter.Sadly, Ms Disele’s stay at MaP ends this term, as she is always on a quest to challenge and better herself as a

performer. “I believe everyone should strive to be the best that they can be,” she says. Ms Disele plans on pursuing her PHD in Theatre and Performance in South Africa after leaving MaP.

Mabedi Sennanyana,L6L

MaP Students Enjoy Brooks Exchange

Last term, L6J students Karabo Sekgororoane

and Yufei Liu went on the annual exchange trip to the Brooks School in North Andover, Massachusetts. The pair attended sophomore (second year) classes and lived on campus during their stay.At Brooks, students study five majors and one minor. Exchange students usually do four majors and one minor, with the fifth major being an exchange program run by the exchange coordinator. Karabo did three majors: English III, Honours Chemistry and French IV, with minors in Film, Life skills and a Sustainability seminar. “Sustainability seminar was similar to the Edible Permaculture and Eco Warriors services at MaP,” he said. Yufei also did Pre-Calculus and described it as being “dead easy.” She also did Biology, Environmental Science, English and Life skills.Karabo’s extracurricular activi-ties included the Spring Film, a play held every spring. Students this year decided to make a film. Karabo joined the project three weeks into produc-tion, setting up sets, acting as an extra and even filming two films! Yufei and Karabo both took English III and their highlight was when their class reviewed episodes of Game of Thrones. “Our teacher was definitely unorthodox,” said Yufei. “It was really cool because we were the only class doing it. We would review sections of the book and compare them to the series, discuss how effectively that

Simone Hadebe, L6M

scene was portrayed and so on.”Each dormitory is assigned two resi-dent dorm parents and two associate parents. “My favourite dorm parent was Mr Price,” says Karabo. Every Saturday was ‘Saturday Dorm Food’ where one of the dorm parents would bring food for everyone at 11pm. This occasion allowed students to bond with their dorm parents. During their stay, the pair took a town tour of North Andover with two other Spanish exchange students. They took a tour of Boston and even watched a Red Sox game at Fenway Park. Aside from a shopping trip, they also visited the campuses of Harvard and MIT.“This trip was one of the best experi-ences of my life and I would give anything to go back,” Karabo said. It was quite rewarding for both of them, as they got a slice of the American pie. Both expressed their desire to study in America after A levels.

Goodbye, Mr Vernon

Mr Vernon first came to MaP three years ago, in July 2012, to teach English and History.He is leaving Botswana to begin a postgraduate degree in journalism in New York City in August.While Mr Vernon was at MaP, he was also deeply involved with the Amnesty International service and several important Bundles of Brightness

projects serving communities such as Malwelwe and Mabaone. He says he would love to see more students get involved in thinking critically about service and what they can do to help their community. He loves that students are motivated and curious. He also likes the strong relationship between our teachers and students.“Even though History and Literature might not lead to the highest paying careers, knowledge of them is more valuable than any salary and that it teaches us about who we are and where we are going,” he said. “Thank you for a wonderful three years and I will always be available by email.”

clockwise, from top : at Boston Harbour; at MIT; with the Samuel Adams statue; with the John Harvard statue; at Fenway Park; at the Brooks Prom

Shivali Ittan, 4L

Books with Yue

I’m Yue Tong (You-tong) and this is “Books with

Yue”. This is where I’ll talk about some brilliant books that every-body needs to read which are available in our school library.

Butter by Erin Jade LangeI loved Butter because what is not interesting about a fat boy who decides to literally eat himself to death? He expects to be

mocked or teased, but instead he is greeted with encouragement and finds friends within the school’s most popular circle. For teenagers, this book is easy to relate to and is written in a way that appeals to this age group. It contains a lot of light and witty humor, but beneath all that,

it’s heart-wrenching.

Uglies by Scott WesterfeldThe vividly described futuristic setting was one of the first things that kept me reading. On their sixteenth

birthday, everyone goes through

Yue Tong Zhang, 2K

plastic surgery to turn them into a perfectly symmetrical and incredibly beautiful “Pretty”. Tally Youngblood after waiting all her life for her sixteenth birthday to become a Pretty begins to have second thoughts.I love books that have a completely different plot than what you gener-ally expect from young adult fiction. This story made me think about what is really considered “beau-tiful” in our society and why people that don’t follow those guidelines aren’t considered beautiful.

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick NessTodd lives in a town only inhabited by men. The men can also hear each other’s thoughts;

there are no secrets here and there is no quiet. Then, one day, he stum-bles upon an area of complete silence - but that’s not possible…Patrick Ness is an author with an incredible talent with words. I love the way that so much attention was paid to the smallest of things. Even the most boring of objects is described with such detail that it creates vivid images in your mind. Though I lost interest in the rest of the series, the first book in the Chaos Walking trilogy is a book that must be read. Don’t get put off by how thick it looks, because you’ll be finished with it sooner than you expected.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen ChboskyNow a major motion picture, this story is about Charlie. He is considered a wallflower because he watches what happens around him, but never

really participates. He then befriends two people that help him cope with teenage life and uncovers something unexpected about him.This, like many other young adult fiction books, could have a great impact on today’s youth because I feel so many teenagers are able to relate to it. Much like ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime’, this book goes into the head of a naive and rather odd boy and gives you a detailed picture of how he is.Written in the form of a letter to a friend, The Perks of Being a Wallflower is an immensely captivating page-turner.

Delirium by Lauren OliverThis story is also set in the future, but in a future where love is thought of as a disease, so people are vacci-nated against it.It felt as if the words in this book were delicately

pieced together like the beads of a necklace. Lauren Oliver’s writing is so beautiful and so descriptive that it’s hard not to get pulled in. Every single word grasps your attention.

Students’ World :Botswana Air Show 2015

On May 16th, I went to the Botswana Airshow held at Matsieng Aerodrome. It was my first time ever to go to an air show, and I have to say it was much better than I expected. I thought some planes were going to fly around. It was far more than that! There were planes flying in little groups, really close to each other; there were somersaults and many more cool tricks. I came late, so unfortunately I missed the helicopter tricks. Apparently, the heli-copters picked up a car (after the announcer had said it wasn’t parked nicely) and later dropped it next to the runway.They also showed many different types of planes, such as vintage aircraft, patrol and stunt planes, biplanes and so on. So we learned a lot about different planes. Near the end of the show something cool happened. A Mustang from World War II started flying. It was superfast, and hard to take pictures of. In one of my pictures you can actually see the pilot smiling in the cockpit. This plane did some really awesome tricks. The first thing it did was fly over the crowd really low.

Jip Vader, 3J

Then it dropped a bomb and shot some machine gun bullets. And after three rounds of that, it blew up the car that was dropped next to the runway earlier!The Mustang act was followed by one of the best pilots in the world. He began with some beautiful stunts. Then he did something awesome. When he was very high, he switched off the engines and let himself freefall to the ground. He switched the engine back on just in time. At the end of his perfor-mance and his dangerous tricks, he did the donut. The donut is when the plane does some spins on the ground. The show was just absolutely breath-taking and I think everyone should go next year!

Seen something fantastic?Been somewhere wonderful?Tell us about itin Students’ World!

www.maruapula.orgtwitter :@maruapulaschoolemail :comms@maruapula.orgfacebook :Maru-a-Pula Schooltel : 391 2953 ext. 206

Verbal Emancipation 2015 : Brave New World

(cont. from front page) -after takes a swift left turn as Kurana is poisoned by her evil stepmother (Hannah Taylor, left). When the Prince of Peponi discovers the death of his beloved, he takes the poison, and this lovely couple succumbs to the same tragic fate as Romeo and Juliet.But the story doesn’t end here; in the underworld, the Prince of Peponi is challenged to a duel by his cousin the Prince of the Underworld (Nils Wisotzki), who was banished to the underworld by the King of Peponi earlier on for attempted murder of the prince. “If you, Prince of Peponi, defeat me in this fight, I will grant you one wish,” he

bellows.Fortunately the prince does win the fight, but one wish means only one person can be returned to the ‘Land of the Living’. The prince chooses to send his beloved back while he remains in the underworld.Kurana, beautifully staged on different levels around Maitisong’s auditorium, concludes with a surprisingly melan-cholic end where the stepmother is sealed in a coffin with flesh-eating bugs and Kurana is alone yet again, but this time as an independent, stronger woman who won’t have to suffer beneath the rule of her wicked stepmother.

On Friday 26th June, the Maitisong stage trans-formed into a haven of

poetry, song, dance and music with the annual Verbal Emancipation show. Under the spell of haunting performances by students such as Zoe Nyamugama, the show’s principal organiser, One Pusumane, and Moitse Moatshe, the entranced audience was made to completely forget the bitter cold.Facilitated by MaP teacher Ms Mercy Erbynn, Verbal Emancipation is an annual production that celebrates artistic freedom at Maru-a-Pula. The theme this year was a ‘Brave New World’, inspired by the performers’ desires to look beyond leading typi-cally chaotic, adolescent lives, and instead delve into the issues that are bigger than them and their personal struggles. “We wanted to find the light at the end of the tunnel and discover the things that still make us human, even if we oftentimes don’t behave like we are,” performer Tawanda Mulalu says.Each performer was left to interpret the theme in their own way. Some expressed the idea of a ‘Brave New World’ on a literal level, choosing to talk about current societal issues such as xenophobia and racism. Others gave performances on a more personal note, expressing their feelings on universal struggles such as love, depression, rejection and self-acceptance.By the time the final applause rang out, every single audience member felt that they could easily relate to many of the performances. From MaP student Jithya Wijesinghe’s piece on feeling judged, to guest poet Ghost’s impassioned poem on global atroci-ties such as the Gaza crisis, every note, word, expression and move-ment onstage reached out to touch the heart.Finally, the soul of Verbal Emancipation and what makes it a resounding success every year, is simply the beauty of suddenly noticing the extraordinary talent of a student, who before may only have been an unknown person you passed by in the walkway. It is the

beauty in each performer’s ability to be fearless in their self-expression. Mulalu says: “The brilliance of Verbal Emancipation lies in the safe space it provides for young artists to gather and share pieces of themselves with each other and then the world. We encourage people to feel and to think and to enjoy doing so through the mirror of the stage.”

Vamika Sinha, L6L

from top : Safiya Moorad (4K);Ruby Njonde (4L);

Kemelo Moatshe (4L); Kgosi Molokommefrom top : Zoe Nyamugama (U6); Tiisetso Mathole; Tawanda Mulalu (L6M)