Interskole 2023/Paarl Girls' High

A last hurrah for Interschools 2023! By Abigail Combrinck, Phia Heydenreich and Annemay Schade. With these parting words the writers and Editorial team of the Paarl Girls' High Interschools '23 Blog leave you. It was an absolute pleasure to report on the daily events, to get excited about games to come and reflect on the deeper meaning of Interschools for us. We thank our writers Isabella Groenewald, Chane van Zyl, Mira van Niekerk, Luca Yelverton, Hanah Malan, Karla Joubert and Mrs. Swart for making the blog possible this year. Please visit us again if you just want to relive a moment! Foto: EJ Lang When the high school gathered in front of the main building on Monday morning, all of our hearts were heavy. The feeling of anti-climax after such an exciting week is one of the worst feelings. Despite your tired body and burning throat, you wish you could relive the hustle and bustle of Interschool week. In the Interschools week, something new happens every day and every hour: and...

  Matriek momente: Uit die lens van 'n toeskouer deur Chane van Zyl Foto: EJ Lang Gim se hekke wemel van voete wat in en uit beweeg. Dis 'n gonsende bynes van opwinding en verwagting wat in die lug hang. Die groot dag het uiteindelik aangebreek. Dit is INTERSKOLE! Met 'n hart vol liefde en nostalgie neem ek die geleentheid waar om die dag te deel met my geliefde vriendinne. Ons loop saam langs die veld, die herinneringe van ons avonture en oomblikke van vreugde en verdriet deelend. Ons praat oor ons drome en hoop vir die toekoms, terwyl ons weet dat hierdie oomblikke ons altyd sal verbind, selfs al skei ons paaie eendag. Die geur van vars grasperk vul die lug, en ek kan nie anders as om die oomblik te koester nie. Ek neem 'n oomblik om om my te kyk en al die gelukkige gesigte te sien. Ons meisies het ons verskillende belange en talente, maar vandag is ons almal een - een skool, een gemeenskap, een familie. Die wedstryde vorder, en ek voel die adrenalien in my are pomp. ...

‘n Buitengewone Spanbou: Hande vat met Samaritan's Feet Deur Annemay Schade Interskole is daardie tyd van die jaar waar elke leerder se fokus op skooltrots gerig is en hul visie na die buitewêreld begrens is. Al wat jy lééf is jou skool, geesvang en die in dril van spelpatrone. Dit kom nooit eers in jou gedagtes dat jy jouself in lugbel bevind wat só ver verwyder is van ander se realiteit nie.  Die tweede hokkiespan van HMS het egter, en ek dink dit is ‘n eerste, ons spanbousessie gebruik om uit te reik na ander. Ons het hande gevat met Samaritan’s Feet.  Ons het eerder as klets en pizza eet, ons brose menslikheid ontdek deur, deur ons interskole wedstryd en liefde vir die sport, liefde aan ander te bewys. Ons is na die Ikamva Foundation in Mbekweni waar ons as deel van die Samaritan’s Feet Projek en Goals fo Life ‘n klein verskilletjie probeer maak het in die lewens van kinders wat in hierdie wintermaande nie die voorreg het om warm sokkies en skoene aan hul voete te dra nie....

  Dik vibe  by Isabella Groenewald During Big Brag, a new teacher at our school, Ms Fouché, was put on the spot and asked to describe Interschools. Her answer summed up Interschools in two words and left the crowd cheering: Dik vibe. The first layer of the Interschools vibe takes place amongst school learners. You paint people’s faces you’ve barely held a conversation with. You borrow hair ties and ribbons from random people so one of the unofficial, underpaid Girls’ High stylists can braid your hair. You cheer unfamiliar names next to the sports field, regardless of if you know them or not, because they are part of your school. The dik Interschools vibe creates a form of nationalist pride in your school and reinforces the existing sisterhood we have in Girls’ High.  The second layer of Interschools vibe is the town of Paarl. During Interschools week, you have to colour coordinate your outfits to the school you support. You decorate your house in the school's colours, and...

Ode to our Matrics of '23 - The Final Countdown   by Hannah Malan As the Matrics are approaching the final countdown of their high school years, they are grabbing the bull by the horns by taking every opportunity that comes their way. A group of friends created a netball team on the first of August to play Interschools on the fourth of August. Most of the team had not played netball since primary school and joined the team for the fun of it. They asked one of their friends, who unfortunately cannot play netball anymore, to coach their last-minute team. Zemke Lombard coached one practice before the team was ready to play. The team played with enthusiasm and passion a week after they were formed. They achieved a surprisingly near loss against the Paarl Gymnasium u.19D team. There are many Matrics who partook in both netball and hockey this year to experience the full Interschools feeling for the last time. The countdown on their final year of high school keeps ticking yet they are fi...

  The Girls’ High Bomb By Hannah Malan Foto: EJ Lang We took the pressure and we threw it away when we celebrated our teams and upcoming Interschools win at our annual Big Brag and Prefect hall. The teams were shown off at the Big Brag so we know which faces are taking the big win this year along with a song of their choosing to relax the nerves building for the upcoming events. The Boys In Blue showed their support for our teams, wishing us luck with the upcoming games and congratulating us on the games already played. Sportsman’s Warehouse, the main sponsor of Interschools, further lifted spirits by giving out “freebies” bringing life in the early morning. Supporters sent videos to Girls’ High to show their support and let the girls know who has their back in the upcoming games. The event brought laughter along with tears to the speeches from the first teams’ captains. Excitement for Fridays’ events was seen on many faces along with a bittersweet feeling for the matrics having th...

Híér gaan die lekkerrrr!   Foto: EJ Lang Gees loop dik hier in Girls’ High. Ons weet die kinders voel dit in hulle voet, in hul heupe en in hul lywe. Hulle wil net dans-dans van opgewondenheid vir vanmiddag se groot stryd. Wat hulle nie weet nie is dat die opwinding saam met die spanning deur die onderwysers en terreinpersoneel se are klop. Die onderwysers het vanoggend saamgekom vir ‘n interskole ontbyt waar strategieë en stressvlakke bespreek is. Die een onderwyser het selfs vir my die data gewys van haar slimhorlosie wat haar stresvlakke gister gemeet het - GEVAARLIK! Interskole is vir ‘n gesondheidsrisiko vir die pedagoë, maar dan is dit ook ‘n tyd van geesvang en opgewonde raak oor iets groter as hulself.Ons het nog so gesit en praat vanoggend toe die koshuispersoneel met ‘n gesing en dans deur die deur van die personeelkamer bars. Die boodskap was duidelik, los jou stres, leef vir die oomblik, speel jou hart uit en geniet dit, want dit kom net eenmaal ‘n jaar - ampers soos Ke...

  Sports days, Netball and chips-on-a-stick Today was the Netball Interschools. It was quite a festive atmosphere at the Cheve fields, and in the words of my daughter, “They had a delightful spread of refreshments.” This is after all very important in the enjoyment of any sports day. I know parents believe that their children should be more bothered with winning or losing, but they are not. Yes, they walk off the field crying and upset about being out-played and out-smarted, but the mere mention of chip-on-a-stick cheers them up. Because the smell of salt and vinegar and oil is what makes sports days fun! Oh! Yes, for anyone more interested in results than memories, we will have to admit that for Girls’ High, there have been more successful days on the court than today. No, and losing does not have to define you. It should inspire you. We will have to commend the determination and single-mindedness with which the Paarl Gim girls played. Many of the matches were competitive games ev...

Old Girls: Ons noem HMS ons tuiste!  deur  Phia Heydenreich Met ‘n groot geleentheid soos Interskole, kan oud-leerlinge net nie wegbly nie! Geklee in skulp-patroon serpies, ou skoolbaadjies of matriektruie, daag studente die Paarl se koue uit in vasberadenheid om hul alma maters te ondersteun. Hulle stroom in massas van Stellenbosch en Kaapstad, desperaat om onpersoonlike lesings-lokale te ontvlug en terug te keer na die gelukkige, beskermde atmosfeer van hul hoërskool. Vanaand, op HMS se astro en netbalbane, het Old Girls bymekaar gekom en die ‘Girls High Magic’ vir die soveelste maal uitgeleef. Gimnasium het die onder-24 afdeling by beide hokkie en netbal gewen, maar die Old Boys van dieselfde ouderdomsgroep het die beker gevat! Old Girls bo-25 het by die netbal ook uitgeblink en HMS trots gemaak. Ons wag in spanning om te sien of ou HJS rugbyspelers hul spiere kan los skud en gereed is om Gim s’n aan te vat, Woensdagaand.  Kate Rolfe (klas van 2021) se oë het geskitter...

  Comments from the coach's bench: Jackie Scheepers Foto: EJ Lang -  I will go to war with this team -  Last year's U 13A hockey match was an epic match. Paarl Gim had a team to die for and Girls’ High had no choice but to defend most of the game. Today I was standing next to the field trying to sort my bags and belongings out when suddenly I was drawn into the U. 13A hockey match. Girls’ High was on the attack, in fact, we struck at goal in the first five minutes. “Hello,” I told myself, “what is happening here?” This is a match! You could see it in the body language of players and their resilience. In the distance, the coach, Jackie Scheeper, was marching up and down with her whiteboard in hand. I wondered what she was thinking and how she felt. I cornered her over Whatsapp to comment on her feelings regarding the match, because I felt the game could have gone either way. Her response was such: “Wow! It was an incredibly competitive game and it could have gone either wa...

  Die Laerskool Groot Brag gaan oor Groot Geesvang! ‘ n Mens weet dit is interskole as die dak van die skoolsaal lig soos die Laerskool op die Maandag van interskole week sing: Mango-mango, die Gimmies doen die tango. Die Laerskool interskole het met luister afgeskop. Die saal was feestelik opgemaak in wit, blou en jade. Die dogters het trots gesit met hulle hare mooi gevleg en ‘n nautilus tatoo op die linkerwang. Elke span en leerder kry haar beurt om vorentoe te tree en aan almal te wys dat sy reg is vir die groot dag en die groot wedstryd. Alles hang van die regte opstapliedjie af. ‘n Span moet ‘n goeie opstapliedjie hê. Die opstapliedjie bind hulle saam as ‘n span. As hulle aanvanklik opstaan is elke spanlid nog in haar eie wêreld, maar die musiek gryp hulle aan om in gelid met die nodige “right stuff” houding by die gangetjie af te stap. Natuurlik vermurwe elke mamma se hart as sy kyk na haar ou doggie wat voor op die verhoog staan. Die kapteine, skaars ‘n paar bakstene groot,...

  Girls’ High! Get outta your mind! Isabella Groenewald Geesweek started off like the Girls’ High, get outta your mind hype song, soft and quiet, on photo day with poster making.  The second time going through the song, the anticipation for the chaos and fun waiting in the last verse increases. Similarly, the second day of geesweek had an indescribable buzz going through our school halls (as well as Abi with her speaker) with the Anything, but a schoolbag day. People were pointing and bursting with laughter at fish nets or 50-litre cooler boxes.  The third time singing Girls’ High, get outta your mind , the tempo speeds up, and everyone starts getting hyped. Entire face paint and glitter containers were used on Wednesday’s greenlight for face decorations. Juffrou Bosch had her first chance back on the netball court since matric in the high spirits of the teachers’ netball match! The fourth time singing, you have to restrain yourself from shouting the words fully and to ...