Magazine 2018

I, like most teenagers, go through stages in my room. Clean and messy, clean and messy. It was during one of these transitions from messy to clean that I came upon my graduation medal from Christopher Robin Pre-Primary. It was in that moment that it really struck me just how close the Matrics of 2018 and I are to graduating from high school, twelve years later. I have been at Parklands my entire schooling period and for that, I am so grateful. I remember the Pre-Primary for the cottage pie and the jelly with pieces of fruit floating in it. I still have no idea how they managed to do that! I remember it for that incredible jungle gym shaped like a boat and the smell of Play-Doh. And the taste of it. I really hope I wasn’t the only one who mistook the Play-Doh for the cookie dough. I remember it for the nap times when I would pretend to be asleep when Janie or one of my teachers walked past me. I never appreciated those nap times back then. I think if anyone needs a nap time, it’s the Matrics and not the Pre-Primary kids. Primary school was a time of spending time with many friends as well as licenses. Not car licenses, that only comes much later. I’m talking about cursive writing and pen licenses. It became evident even back then how competitive and hard working our grade was when trying to get those licenses. Preparatory school was a blur of developing an interest in science, language and maths. Yes, I was a full blown nerd. I also developed a love for sports and being outdoors, although the only ball sport I successfully played was hockey. This was truly driven home when playing “catch” at break. We didn’t have a ball, so decided to use a naartjie, but discovered it broke apart and became squishy too quickly. We then moved on to apples, which I successfully caught… but with my face. Needless to say, I spent the rest of the day with a swollen lip. My luck with actual tennis balls has not improved since then. Coming to high school was nerve-wracking. Thankfully, I had my older brother to show me around. Once we arrived on our first day, he promptly left me and went off to find his own friends. The new grade sevens and I were luckily all herded to the Rec Room for the orientation because we desperately needed to navigate this school. How does one summarise the last six years of their life into a few sentences? I discovered running, horse riding, public speaking and how to successfully roast someone without ruining friendships, i.e. debating. If anyone witnessed the science week debates, you’ll know what I mean. The last six years have been difficult, rewarding, full of laughter and fun and learning. They have taught me so many things I will carry with me into the future. There are many people I need to thank for supporting me and helping me grow into the person you see before you today. Firstly, thank you Mrs Roth for the outstanding school you have created. Thank you Mrs Steyn for always being positive and bringing sweet treats to our Exec meetings. Thank you Mrs Vosloo and Mrs Strauss for reminding us of deadlines and keeping us going in the right direction. Thank you Mr King for looking after us through our Matric exams and Mr Taylor for keeping our school looking so beautiful and locking up so late after our MVS rehearsals. Thank you to the IT staff who make sure assemblies, events and MacBooks run smoothly, often behind the scenes without anyone realising the effort put in. Thank you to Janie and the cleaning staff, some I have known since Pre-Primary, who have done more for us than just keep our school clean. One of the ladies stopped me the other day and thanked me for always greeting her, but really, it is her I must thank for always greeting me back and making getting to school early in the mornings slightly easier. Thank you to the reception ladies whom I visited almost every week, if not every day, who always had a smile on their faces and brightened my day. There are so many teachers I wish I could personally thank, but suffice it to say that you have all influenced and enriched my life throughout my school career. To the prefects of 2018, you were an excellent team and I could not be prouder of you all. To my Executive team: Thank you Frank for helping to control the grade WhatsApp group. We all know that isn’t easy. Simeon, thank you for always being the calm one in a busy situation. You have this incredible ability to greet everyone and have handshakes readily available for everyone. Nina, I would not have survived without you. To my friends, thank you for the memories. To my running squad, you are the funniest bunch of people I know. To my family, you have taught me to tie my shoelaces, roll my r’s in Afrikaans and to tell my left from my right. You have always supported and taught me life lessons I will carry with me forever. To the Matric class of 2018. Whenever I hear Sweet Caroline, I think of you. You are an amazing and diverse group of people. I can honestly not think of one person who does not have an unique and incredible talent, whether it is academic, technological, artistic, acting, make-up, surfing or otherwise. I can not wait for our reunions to see what changes you have made to this world, as I know you will. There is so much you have already accomplished and for that you should be incredibly proud, as I am proud of you all. Good luck for our final hurdle before we are unleashed into the world. All these years of sitting in classrooms, let’s make it count. I am proud of having attended this school for so many years; proud of my grade and all they have worked for. There has never been a group quite like you and I don’t think there ever will be. Well done to you all. May your blood run blue for years to come. - Tara Pohl VALEDICTORY 198. 21st Edition