compassthe keeping you on the MaP

the compass4.14

end of term, term one

brought to you by theMaP journalists team of

Mr Hagger (editor)Amrit AmarSaira Desai

Weidong GouSimone Hadebe

Yolisa LetshweneRebekah Taylor

Ruth TedlaRoberto Vento

with thanks toNeal Tosefsky

Jack HardyVamika SinhaMallika Senthil

Mr Vernon

Writer Tyler Majaga visits MaP

On the 26th of February, Tyler Majaga, a young writer who’s just taken his first steps into the vast world of publication, paid a visit to MaP to promote his first book, “Teenage Problems”.

In his opinion, he finds other books written about teenagers and teenage life lacking detail in one of the most important aspects - relationships. Amongst other issues, he feels relationships play an important role because teenagers (especially those with one parent) enter relationships to find people to fill in the shoes of their missing parent - to fill a void deeply ingrained in them.

Mr Majaga, who’s overcome many hurdles from a young age, has written this book (which is the first instalment of seven) to give teenagers an insight into the problems faced by many their age in this country - problems ranging from family issues to social problems faced at school.

He writes about his own life in the third person, from being been brought up by a single mother, to living with his father’s second family under

thick tension, to becoming a writer against all odds. He feels being a writer gives him a sense of responsibility and a purpose. After a life of aimless wandering, rejecting and scorning any contact with his family, he made his fist commitment by writing a book. He admits “writing the book was more difficult than the idea of being a writer,” but everything has turned out right in the end. Most important of all, Mr Majaga advises us teenagers to follow our dreams, to have no doubts.

Currently he’s on a local tour, visiting both private and government schools to publicize his first novel. A copy of Mr Majaga’s book is available in the library.

~ Mallika Senthil

correctionIn the last issue, we

misspelled Mr Japheth Otiende’s name.

Please accept our sincerest apologies Mr

Otiende!

Tyler Majaga addressing MaP students at Maitisong

goodbyesThis term, we say

goodbye to the following members of staff, and wish them all the very

best for the future :Mr Sibanda

Ms HallMs Callender

Ms Pantos

congratulationsto MaP Journalists

member Amrit Amar, who was crowned Best Game Programmer in Africa for

the 2nd time just as the Compass was going to

print

“What’s YOUR excuse not to help out?” second form student Ruby Noble thundered at a recent Tuesday morning assembly. Ruby, along with the members of the Bundles of Brightness team, had just finished a presentation about their work over the past two terms, and they challenged the MaP community to help them provide enough food to see Malwelwe’s primary school students through the holiday break.

Maru-a-Pula students and teachers generously responded with more than P6000 in food and cash donations, allowing the Bundles of Brightness team - along with 45 additional MaP students - to travel the 150 km to Malwelwe on Saturday, 5 April. The group was welcomed with all protocol observed, and students were treated to a special performance by the Malwelwe standard five class. Having delivered a parcel containing new uniforms, school shoes, and bags on their last visit, Bundles of Brightness members were excited to see how sharp the Malwelwe students looked in their new gear. Upon hearing that the uniforms and shoes were inspiring the students to take more pride in their school, Bundles of Brightness members reported feeling the sense of power and inspiration that comes with knowing that the service work is having an impact.

After Chaba Makoti, speaking as the Maru-a-Pula representative, thanked the village for their welcome and encouraged the students to challenge themselves and take advantage of the partnership with MaP, it was time to deliver the food. Despite a seemingly endless queue of students, the food donations held out and every family went home loaded with beans, samp, and maize meal.

On the bus back to Gaborone, many of the Maru-a-Pula students

Bundles of Brightness Malwelwe Update

visiting the village for the first time reflected on the dire needs, but also the potential for change. “It was an eye-opening experience,” said Onalenna Sebetlela. “I didn’t know the extreme poverty that has struck our nation. I left inspired to come back and help and knowing that education is one of the most important tools in improving the lives of our people.”

~ Mr Vernon

the Bundles of Brightness team carry food donationswith Malwelwe schoolchildren

Malwelwe schoolchildren in the uniforms donated on the BoB team’s last trip

Maikano Babati, a resident of Old Naledi and former cleaner at P S Cleaning, was not poor, but that all changed in November 2011. She suffers from sugar diabetes and by 2011, the illness had eaten up her leg to the extent that it needed to be amputated.

The Bundles of Brightness team, with Ms Desai and Mr Vernon, went to visit Ms Babati and deliver a food parcel. The team was appalled by her living conditions as they watched her cry, her young grandchildren walking around unclothed, whilst she swatted away one of the many flies that swarmed around the house. She explained that since having her leg amputated and losing her job, her small house had caught

Visit to Maikano Babatifire, destroying everything she owned.

What is more disturbing is the way she is treated by her neighbours. They cause her great problems by locking the only toilet, so that she has to resort to begging them to use it. They also refuse to give her any water.

The team soon learnt that she has a plot of land and a house in Thamaga, and that she wishes to live there, but the plot has no toilet or pit latrine and that she can’t afford to build one. They then made Ms Babati a promise : to build her a pit latrine and help her relocate to her plot in Thamaga. They intend to fundraise and ask other services to help build the

left - Maikano Babati; right - her meagre possessions outside her home

actual pit latrine.

Upon hearing this, Ms Babati smiled and seemed relieved when one of the team members announced in Setswana that “we will be back”.

During Bundles of Brightness’ many trips to visit disabled and impoverished people in Botswana, everyone had begun to think they had “seen it all”, but visiting Ms Babati made them realise that there would always be a person that lived in such terrible conditions, and that humbled them again. They also realised that there was always going to be something, be it small or large, that they could do to help that person live, rather than simply survive.

~ Saira Desai

What makes us laugh? Why do we laugh so abundantly sometimes, that we are then reduced to tears?

These were the immensely thought-provoking questions a group of Form Five and Six students tackled in the 2014 SACEE English Olympiad, held on March 4th. This year’s theme was ‘Life’s a Laugh?’ which required us to explore the rich nature of comedy and how it is crafted through pouring words on to a page. Armed with two Shakespeare extracts and two modern South African plays, we pondered, deliberated and discussed the ingredients used to cook up clever humour that never fails to evoke a chuckle.

Finally, on an afternoon rife with temperamental Botswana weather,ink flowed profusely for three long hours as we conjured up essays and constructed responses that tested our ability to write with sparkle, as well as our familiarity with comic devices employed in literature.

Although we walked out with exhausted minds (and throbbing hands), it is undeniable that we gained a real understanding of the force that is comedy. The most important thing we learned was that comedy and tragedy go hand in hand. It explains why we can often laugh our way out of the blues and how when comedy is stripped back, we frequently find pain.

~ Vamika Sinha

English Olympiad

Over the past few weeks, five Form Five MaP students (Anjaney Mahajan, Bruno Smet, Karabo Sekgororoane, Tawanda Mulalu and me) have been participating in the First Annual David Magang Interschool Quiz Competition, hosted by the Phakalane Estate Group. It is a competition for secondary school students who are interested in General Knowledge. It was a challenging competition, with seven secondary schools participating, but in the end, MAP emerged triumphant, winning first place overall!

There were three rounds, with two schools eliminated at each step of the journey. There was a wide range of questions asked, with topics from World Geography to Ancient History to the Cosmos, and even Local Botswana News. Each school was asked a question, and given 30 seconds to answer. Failure to do so allowed other teams to answer and grab vital points to increase their rankings in the competition. MaP topped all rounds.

MAP wins the Interschool Quiz Competition!

There were many challenging questions we had to face, such as “What famous French landmark has a connection with a German city” or “Which African leader has a green book on African unity”, and even “What is the collective noun for a group of rhinos?”

Karabo Sekgororoane, a member of the team, said, “I think the reason we won is because our team has a diverse range of minds.

Each one of us specializes in different topics.”

It was a nail-biting final round, with MaP and Naledi having close point differences, but in the end, MaP bagged the quiz trophy and the prize money of P3000. Naledi Senior Secondary and Gaborone Senior Secondary came 2nd and 3rd overall respectively.

~ Amrit Amar

On Saturday 22nd March, Maitisong was packed with students and parents watching the Interhouse Plays, which were the final round in this year’s intense Interhouse competition. The theme of the plays, which was the same as the previous year, was issues that face the youth of Botswana and how they overcome them.

Many of the plays dealt with controversial issues such as rape, peer pressure, substance abuse, AIDS, death and sexual relationships. The night went smoothly, with performances from dance crews, a poet and local comedian Bambino. Students came out in droves to support their houses. Reigning champions M House won best overall performance for the second year in a row.

There were high expectations for M house and they did not disappoint their fans. Notable actresses were Varsha Ravi of L House and Chazha Seboni of M, who both tied for best actress. Ayanda Mavuma won best actor for K House.

“It was very stressful because people did not cooperate and there were quite a few arguments”, says M House director, Kutlo Senne. “I was pleased with our performance, even though we rewrote our script on Thursday.”

“I do feel that we could have done better but we performed something that was presentable, to say the least,” says Kutlo. “I hope next year we can strive for bigger and better things.”

Houses were not assisted by any of the Drama teachers so students had to use their own resources. Students were in charge of lighting and all the technical aspects on the plays.

~ Simone Hadebe

Interhouse Drama Competition

On Friday the 14th of March, 3L had a geography trip around the school gardens with the school botanist, Rre Menyatso, who told us about the different species of plants and the categories they fall under.

We saw and discussed all different kinds of plants, from just plain grass to plants like the cactus or the baobab tree. The gardens were filled with colour and different plants reaching towards you. Their branches twisted and turned just as our journey did around the gardens. The different types of cactus were my favourite bits as some looked like traditional cacti but some had branch-like spiky leaves that grew out from the ground. Rre Menyatso showed us how they and the baobab tree store water to help them last through the dry season. He showed us how lily pads detach from their roots and reattach them, and how the sap of an injured tree tastes nice as gum.

You can tell Mr Menyatso takes incredibly good care of the garden, as all of the plants were green and brought the garden to life. All of us are sure we can use all the information he gave us in future tests and assessments.

~ Jack Hardy

Geography Tour of MaP

Owen Jobson, in Form Four, has designed the poster for this year’s play, Spider-Man and the Voodoo Master. The request came as a surprise to him when he was asked by Mr. Ndlovu.

When working on the poster, Owen says there was no outside inspiration that especially stood out. He said his main focus was to ensure that the “gist of the poster was ‘thriller’”, and that “the overall representation is scary, creepy and mysterious.”

To prepare for his final piece, he says that it mostly involved a lot of drawing. For him, it was a good experience as art is also something he really enjoys. There are also times when he can be preoccupied for hours at a time on a concept.

Considering his background and that he is already constantly surrounded by art, some may say that it is not entirely surprising that Owen would delve right into it, but he adds, “I also have my own experiences and my own discoveries.”

Alongside schoolwork, Owen also manages his time playing basketball in the Maru-a-Pula team as a hobby. A balanced lifestyle is very important to him. It is essential that he is always organised with his homework and his planning, which is how he manages to always keep himself productive.

~ Weidong Gou

Bahumi Mogwe-Jansen in 5K is quite the powerhouse around campus. She manages to juggle ballet and violin whilst being part of the all-female singing group, the Nteta Sisters. She was also a member of the PPC National Youth Choir of Botswana.

Bahumi has been doing ballet for thirteen years. Like most young girls, she loved donning the pink tutus and ballet shoes. “I wanted to be like those girls in the music boxes,” she says.

She has been playing the violin for eight years and she is on Grade 6.

Bahumi believes that being a part of the Nteta Sisters has brought many opportunities for her. She loves being in a group but she considers it as more of a hobby than a future career. She has been a part of two musicals, including a version of Oliver Twist that was performed at The King’s Concert.

Last year, Bahumi embarked on an exchange trip to China and performed in a ballet show, Swan Lake. With several local performances, a strong presence in school services and a stint in the PPC National Youth Choir, Bahumi is really our own rising star. It looks like dynamite really does come in small packages!

~ Simone Hadebe

Cheng Lu in 5L plays both the piano and the guzheng, a traditional Chinese instrument. She has performed multiple times in the Chinese festivals taking place here in Botswana. Cheng has finished Grade 8 for the piano and Grade 10 for the guzheng.

She started the guzheng at the age of five. She says, “At first, I loved it, but there was a stage where I hated it.” It became very boring for her at Grade 4 or 5, but it really picked up at Grade 7.

During the exam time for the guzheng, she used to practise over eight hours each day. When Cheng moved to Botswana in 2008, there were gaps where she had no teacher to guide her. For the examinations, she had to teach herself, which was very exciting, “because with a teacher, all you had to do was listen. It required no thinking. Without one, it is very different. It’s especially fun to discover the many new ways of getting the specific notes and styles.”

She describes the music of the guzheng as “part of my life.” For university, Cheng plans to take either piano or accounting, but would also like to bring with her the guzheng by teaching children. To anyone planning to take the guzheng, all she has to say is, “practise, practise, practise.”

~ Weidong Gou

Navigators : the Stars on MaP’s Horizon

Goodbye Mr Sibanda, Hello USA

Before coming to teach marimbas at Maru-a-Pula School, Mr Sibanda taught at St. Stithians College, in Johannesburg, South Africa. Mr Sibanda can play marimba, guitar, piano, mbira and African drums; the majority of the instruments that Mr Sibanda can play are African instruments, because, as Mr Sibanda said, “African instruments are my passion.”

Mr Sibanda added that the Marimba Band should have 12 people maximum, and that they have to practice for two hours, three times a week, in

order for the Marimba Band to be ready to perform during its tour.

During its tour, the Marimba Band will go to the United States of America to perform in places such as Seattle, Portland, Oregon and California. The Marimba Band will go to the USA on the 13th of April, and will come back on the 2nd of May.

When Mr Sibanda was asked if he had a dream place where he wanted the Marimba Band to perform, he replied, “Argentina, at the Iguaçu

en Concerto Music Festival, because there are lots of children, from around the world, with different cultural backgrounds and traditions.”

When Mr Sibanda was asked about his expectations from the students, he replied, “My expectations from the students are to be good in discipline, to show their love for music and instruments, to enjoy what they are doing, and share their joy and happiness through their performances.”

And finally, when Mr Sibanda was also asked what lessons the students learn by being part of the Marimba Band, and going on tour to the USA, he replied, “The students learn a lot of things, such as cooperation, working together, and playing in a group. Plus, music gives joy to the students, as well as letting their tension out. And finally, music opens up opportunities for the students, because, for example, good musicians are also good mathematicians.”

~ Roberto Vento

local children enjoy the rehearsal from across the street

Mr Sibanda and the marimba band rehearse outside on April 4th

Konka 2014

“I was so excited, I even forgot to say goodbye to my mum. She wasn’t too happy about that.”

~ Anonymous

“My favourite activity was kayaking. The little yellow boats only fit two people, and over fifty students were fighting to get in! Many fell into the river in the process.”

~ Yue Tong, 1K

“The best activity was the obstacle course. I found it funny when I watched others swing from a rope, fall into a pit of mud, and then come out looking like pigs!”

~ Nkwebi, 1M

“Time passed fast, and the thing I hated most, arrived - OBSTACLE COURSE!!! Running with those thingy majigies in front of you. Crawling in muddy water. Swinging on a rope and landing with your butt on the mud. Worst of all : the mud was making my beautiful bright yellow T-shirt brown. With a free present of tangled hair.”

~ Wendy, 1M

“Our first activity was zip-lining. It was awesome, but scary. The rope that had held my behind left it very sore.”

~ Unasimba, 1J

“I can remember zip-lining in the rain. It was if I had fallen into the pool and I had no towel so I had to dry myself by zip-lining.”

~ Sebaga, 1K

Spider-Man and the Voodoo MasterIn this year’s school production, there are many unique characters, and behind these characters are the actors that portray them. Don’t be fooled by the title - this is not an ordinary Spider-Man story. Spider-Man still has crazy fight scenes and girl to rescue, but in Africa. The story begins when Peter Parker’s uncle passes away and Peter decides he needs time to heal and get away, so he packs his bags and heads to Africa. He hopes for peace and quiet, but something completely different comes his way, and so it all begins.

Since it’s in Africa, what better villain than a Voodoo Master, which is played by Lefika Otisitswe? He is very excited about the end result. “The play is out of this world,” he says. Most of the actors said the best part of this whole experience was working with each other and getting to grow artistically together.

‘Keletso’ is the African ‘Mary Jane’. The two actresses working together for this role were Mimi Mbaakanyi and Isabella Ketshabathupa. They both fit Mr Ndlovu’s vision for this character.

Spider-Man was played by not one, but two people, Bruno Smet and Yash Shah. They were really excited for everyone to see the stunts and action that is also a big aspect of this play.

Osenotse Mabote and Thapelo Mogotsi played a new character called Thabo, a “young and ambitious guy who works as an MC and a game ranger. He has big dreams and doesn’t want to work there for long.” He befriends Peter Parker, and at one point he becomes the hero.

Another complex role is Asian Persuasion, played by Nancy Liu. She is the ultimate antagonist in this play. “I personally love my role,” says Nancy, “because she’s a very rounded character. She could be very cool and calm at one minute, but she’s also very eccentric and character. She’s just a very interesting character!”

This play is filled with action, humour, romance and suspense.

~ Ruth Tedla,photos by Neal Tosefsky

MaP’s Term One Medal-Winning Sports Teams

ISSSA Athletics Team

U15 ISSA Cricket Team

AISJ Tournament Swimming Team AISJ Tournament U19 Basketball Team

Shibobo League Gallery

Swimming : ISSSA Swimming Gala at Westwood - MaP finishes 2nd out of eight schools

AISJ tournament (MaP, American International Schools of Johannesburg, Cape Town, Maputo, Kinshasa, and Lincoln School Ghana) - MaP finishes 4th

Athletics : ISSSA Tournament - MaP finishes 3rd

Cricket : MaP U15 team wins annual ISSA Mafikeng tournamentISSSA U16 Tournament - MaP finishes 2nd

Football : Boys U19 - MaP 1-1 Legae Boys - ISSA Mafikeng U19 Tournament - MaP reaches semi-finalBoys - ISSA Mafikeng U16 Tournament - MaP reaches semi-final

Girls - ISSA Mafikeng U19 Tournament - MaP finishes 2ndGirls - MaP 4-1 Legae

Basketball : AISJ U19 Tournament - MaP reaches finalAISJ U16 Tournament - MaP reaches semi-final

Term One Sports Results

In the Shibobo League 2014 final, B-dub Squuaad 2.0 played out a goalless draw with United FC. Team B-dub won the ensuing penalty shootout.

~ editor