Introduction

   On this page you will find "Hermannsburg Happenings" rotated out of the current news page for the current year. For articles from yesteryear, follow the links below. Where possible, links to photographs that were added to the appropriate photo galleries when the news was current have been preserved. Should a photograph link no longer work, please click on the Photo Gallery link in the main menu and try to find the photograph in one of the photo galleries listed. Click on the link at the top of the page to go directly to the news photo gallery.

Archives:   2011   2010   2009   2008   2007   2006   2005

"HERMANNSBURG HAPPENINGS 2006"

4 December 2006

   Awards Ceremony 2006 The senior awards ceremony at Hermannsburg was a very special occasion. Parents, learners and staff turned up to honour the senior achievers of the school. The guest speaker was Mr. Hans Beier, Honorary Consul of the Federal Republic of Germany, based in Durban. Mr. Beier’s wife, Veronica is an old scholar and it was a pleasure to have her presenting the achievers’ awards to them.
   Music certificates were awarded to the music learners and special music awards included a Scholarship for 2007, sponsored by the Old Scholars’ Association, which was awarded to Byron Bure. The Ulrich Prigge Trophy for excellent achievements in music was presented to Rosali Brüggemann. Rolf Rencken was awarded the Ruth Drögemöller Progress Prize.
   The AMESA Maths Challenge yielded some very pleasing results, with Karin Kassier and Rayne Younge being awarded Gold Certificates and 11 candidates received silver certificates. Three learners achieved excellent results in the University of Pretoria Mathematics Competition. They were Ralf Küsel (who achieved an excellent 80%), Maike Müller and Sören Königkrämer (who both scored 78%).
   The South African German Pedagogical Society awarded a certificate and a book to each of three Grade 11 pupils, who achieved excellent results in a German Language Competition. The recipients were: Nompumelelo Ngubo, Tanith Robertson and Barnabas Vroegop.
   Top achievers in Afrikaans in their respective Grades, Karin Kassier and Annelize Röhrs, were awarded books prizes.
   Top Achievers in German Mother Tongue were Melissa Filter and Stefanie Senke, who each received a book award.
   Colours were awarded for sports, chess, academics, club and cultural activities:

Grade 8

Dambisa Dube - Music Honours

Grade 9

Claire Hesom - Athletics colours; Hockey half colours

Ralf Küsel - Chess half colours

Byron Bure - Music Honours

Rosali Brüggemann - Music Honours

Nandipha Isaacs - Music Honours

Annelize Röhrs - Music Honours

Grade 10

Megan Daniels - Hockey half colours

Sören Königkrämer - Academic colours

Claudia Rommelspacher - Music Honours; Academic colours; Hockey colours; Swimming half colours; athletics half colours

Stefanie Senke - Honours in Enviro Studies; Academic colours; Athletics colours; Hockey half colours

Elizabeth Gaisford - Honours in Enviro Studies; Music Honours

Grade 11

Markus Janikula - Athletics half colours

Yul Malzahn - Academic half colours

Nompumelelo Ngubo - Academic half colours

Tanith Robertson - Academic half colours

Ingrid Sinn - Academic half colours

Danielle Schmidt - Academic Honours

Roxanne Stratenwerth - Athletics Honours; Swimming half colours; Hockey half colours

Loren Lilje - Honours in Enviro Studies

   Roxanne Stratenwerth was also awarded the Jackson Sports Personality of the Year award, receiving, in addition, a sport subject scholarship for her achievements.
   The Top Academic Achiever for 2006 in Grade 8 was Karin Kassier and in Grade 9 it was Ralf Küsel.
   Entrance Scholarships into the Hermannsburg High School for 2007 were awarded to Johann Köhne (Hermannsburg), Lenard Küsel (Richards Bay) and Raimo Prigge (Piet Retief).
   Special Subject Scholarships were awarded to top achievers in specific subjects. In Grade 10, Sören Königkrämer was awarded the Accounting Scholarship, the Erich Buhr Mathematics Scholarship and the Küsel Trust Physical Science Scholarship. Elizabeth Gaisford (Grade 10) was awarded a scholarship for her achievements in German as a foreign language and Claudia Rommelspacher (Grade10) received a scholarship for her Geography achievements.
   In Grade 11 Nompumelelo Ngubo was awarded a scholarship for her achievements in German C whilst Danielle Schmidt was awarded a scholarship for her achievements in Geography.
   The awards ceremony was interspersed with a pleasing variety of musical items, ranging from the brass band, piano, the senior choir, through to a recorder ensemble. The school’s Chapel Band accompanied the joint singing, which was enjoyed by all.
   The vice chairman of the school’s board of Trustees, Mr. Wolfgang Rommelspacher, congratulated all achievers and encouraged all those who did not receive awards at the prize giving to identify their talents and strive towards their own personal best achievement in their field of interest and talent.
   The guest speaker appealed to the multilingual aspect of Hermannsburg School, making it very clear how important it is to be able to speak more than one language, and especially a language which is spoken beyond our borders. Mr. Beier is an extremely successful businessman and from his amusing speech it was clear that he has travelled a great deal, coming into contact with people from all walks of life. Thus he was able to appeal to the pupils and give them sound advice as far as their academic career is concerned. Mr. Beier praised the high standard maintained at Hermannsburg and the relevance of the curriculum, including the language policy of the school.
   The closing devotion was conducted by the school chaplain, Burgert Brand, who sent all who were present away with a message of encouragement and a special blessing for the festive season.

7 November 2006

   AMESA MathsA very pleasing result of the Amesa Maths Challenge: Karin Kassier, a Grade 8 pupil at Hermannsburg, is among the top 25 Grade 8 candidates in KZN this year. This qualifies Karin for the final round of the contest and we look forward to the results.
   Cross-countryThe interhouse cross-country competition was a great success. The youngest girl to take part in the high school competition was Alexia Zarchariou, who came 5^th overall in the girls’ section and 2^nd in the junior section.
   The junior girls’ champion was Rosali Brüggemann and the Boys’ champion was Wandile Nyoka. The senior girls’ champion was Roxanne Stratenwerth. The senior boys’ champion was Daniel Müller-Nedebock.
   The juniors took part on a voluntary basis and some exciting results could be recorded. George Wohlters was the Primary School champion and Tobias von Seydlitz, who is only nine years old, was second in the Primary School section, and fourth overall! Mfanelo Majola was the youngest runner at eight years old. He was placed 6^th in the junior school section and 11^th overall. Congratulations to all the runners. Nyala’s team was in third place, with Kudu in second place and Eland the winners of the Interhouse cross-country contest.
   Chess The chess club has also had its Interhouse contest and the results were, after a tightly fought contest: Eland were the winners, with Kudu and Nyala tied at second place.
   Cricket The junior boys played cricket against a very strong Wembley College team, who romped home to a convincing victory over the hosts, Hermannsburg. Hermannsburg’s top scorer was George Wohlters.
   A mixed junior cricket team played against a New Hanover mixed team at the weekend, they all had a wonderful time and Hermannsburg's boys were delighted with their performance. Once again, George Wohlters was the top scorer, retiring on 44 runs. Johann Koehne and Luyanda Fandeleki each took two runs. The Hermannsburg boys would like to thank New Hanover for the enjoyable morning.
   Riding School The Riding School participated in an exciting event in Muldersdrift, Gauteng last week. Riding instructor, Jill Hesom and two of the Riding School members went to the National Appaloosa Championships. Jill Hesom participated, riding Glenbar Clinton, in two sections, the Western Ridden Appaloosa Horse and the English Ridden Appaloosa Horse. In the Western Horse, Glenbar Clinton won the best Trail Horse and was second in the Pleasure horse. Glenbar then went on to win the best champion Western Horse on Show.
   Glenbar and Jill Hesom then went on to participate in the English Riding Classes, winning all four classes! These were: Tack and Turnout, Working Riding Horse, Working Hunter Horse and Show Riding Horse. This meant that Glenbar was the Champion English Appaloosa on Show.
   The main accolade, however, was the Reserve Supreme Champion on Show.
   Shaun Williams and Claire Hesom, who accompanied their teacher, Jill Hesom, had a wonderful time and found the whole experience an inspiration and there was certainly a lot to be learned. The Hermannsburg Riding School has had a successful year and is looking forward to new pupils joining the club next year.

30 October 2006

   KZN Youth ChoirA very intense but uplifting and encouraging KZN Youth Choir Camp was held in Kloof this weekend, which was attended by the six members from Hermannsburg. They are highly motivated, looking forward to being part of the exciting activities of the choir, which will include a trip overseas in July next year, during which performances in Russia will be part of the itinerary. The next training camp for the choir will be held at Hermannsburg in January 2007.
   Old Scholars On Friday evening an Old Scholars’ get-together was arranged at the St. Martini Church hall in Cape Town. A pleasing number of old scholars attended the get-together including many students, who are currently studying at UCT and Stellenbosch. Hermannsburg’s retired headmaster, Rolf Rohwer, was there and many other old scholars who are now living in the greater Cape Town area. A Powerpoint presentation was at the core of the evening’s entertainment, which was a summary of the school’s Jubilee Year Celebrations. The visuals were well received and entertaining and led to many interesting stories, mostly starting with "do you remember when…" A wonderful mix of old and young past pupils made the evening a very successful and worthwhile exercise and a sincere vote of thanks goes to all who supported the evening.

23 October 2006

   Cricket Hermannsburg’s cricketers took to the pitches this weekend and thoroughly enjoyed their matches against Greytown High School. The seniors played in Hermannsburg. Hermannsburg scored 66 runs and the strong Greytown side scored 168 runs. Daniel Müller-Nedebock took five wickets and Barnabas Vroegop three. Hermannsburg’s top scorers were Stuart Turton, Stefan Louw and Loren Lilje.
   The juniors played at Greytown High School and had a nail-biting finish to their match, with Hermannsburg scoring 107 runs and Greytown just topping it with 110 runs! Rayne Younge was the top scorer for Hermannsburg.
   Athletics Hermannsburg’s athletes, Stefanie Senke, Claire Hesom and Roxanne Stratenwerth have been selected for the invitation team, which will participate at the Menlo Park meeting in Pretoria in February 2007.
   Sunday School The Sunday School team at Hermannsburg organised a most enjoyable outing for the children. The excitement started with a bus trip to Elandskraal, near Dundee and the weekend was filled with happy and entertaining activities. They swam in the Buffalo River, climbed mountains, learned songs, drew pictures and got involved in preparing and cooking their own food. Elandsheim is a beautiful venue for this kind of activity, surrounded by acacias and beautiful grasslands, the accommodation is comfortable and the children have the freedom of heaps of space.
   Grade 12 The Grade 12’s are gearing up for the home straight. Next week is study week and after that the four weeks of writing examinations will commence. All at Hermannsburg would like to take this opportunity to wish all Grade 12’s at all the schools in the area the very best of luck for their final examinations. May they all approach their exams with a calm and well-prepared mind set.

16 October 2006

   Nature Club Field Trip The Junior Nature Club visited Camp Shebaniah near Mid-Illovo at the weekend and had a fun and action-filled weekend. The activities included archery, orienteering, amazing race, swimming in the dam, eco-trail, plaster casts of animal foot prints and the pupils were delighted to be able to see a beautiful specimen of the tree of the year in full bloom, the wild pomegranate. The evenings were spent also participating in fun activities, including stalk the lantern and indoor volley ball.
   Confirmation Camp The confirmation camp took place last week and the confirmation candidates and Pastor Brand spent a very constructive time, learning, discussing and getting to know each other even better. The confirmation at Hermannsburg will be held on the 12^th November and this camp serves as final intense preparation for the confirmation, which is a very special mile stone in the young Christians’ lives.
   KZN Youth Choir The music department was delighted to hear that six Hermannsburg choristers have been accepted for the KZN Youth Choir for 2007: Nandipha Issacs, Byron Bure, Lizzie Gaisford, Annelize Röhrs, Rosali Brüggemann and Claudia Rommelspacher. We wish them well as they will be attending their first training camp at the weekend.

9 October 2006

   Grade 10 Germany Trip The Grade10 class has returned from Germany after an exciting and very successful tour. While with their host families, learners were exposed to a variety of programmes and excursions determined by their individual families. Some had the opportunity to explore the southern part of Germany - the partner school is situated in the south in a city called Reutlingen - while others were taken as far as Berlin, Austria and Italy.
   When the German schools re-opened after their summer holidays, the Hermannsburg learners, together with their peers from the partner school, participated in a variety of day trips including climbing up the highest steeple of the world in the Ulmer Münster (the Cathedral in Ulm), visiting the famous new art gallery and the new Daimler-Chrysler museum in Stuttgart, enjoying a short stint on the Oktoberfest and being taken around the Bavaria Film Studios in Munich, and taking part in a quiz-rally through the streets of the university town of Tübingen. Some of the Hermannsburg learners were even treated to a soccer match between Bayern Münich and Alemania Aachen in the ultra-modern Allianz Arena, which also hosted the opening match of this year’s FIFA World Cup.
   The Hermannsburg learners managed to attract a sizeable crowd of interested German learners, parents and friends of the exchange programme for their informative evening presentation, which consisted of a humorous depiction of the history of the South African Hermannsburg. Whereas this exchange program with its three-week visit to Germany on the one hand provided a healthy mix of culture, history, fun and interactive learning, on the other hand it fostered cross-cultural, and indeed global, friendships and relationships that will hopefully still last for a long while on both continents. The excitement of the Grade 10 class at the moment inspires the Grade 9 class, who have started their own preparations in all earnest for next year’s exchange programme to Germany.
   Golf Day The Sponsored Hermannsburg St. Cathryn’s Golf Day went off extremely successfully. Strong winds made the players’ progress a little slow in the morning, but the afternoon field had perfect weather and the best scores mostly came from the afternoon golfers. Players, sponsors and supporters had a wonderful day, with the beautiful setting at St. Cathryn’s and the happy atmosphere; everybody had a good time. A great big thank you goes to all sponsors, who so generously supported the golf day. The prizes were very worthwhile and plentiful. A "hundred club" was held on the day, with the draw taking place in the evening. Dougie Reeder and Erich Vorwerk generously donated their winnings back to the school. This was a very generous gesture and gratefully accepted by the school. The prize-giving, evening meal and closing function were enjoyed by all who stayed. The golf day was well organised and the hosts, Piet and Cathy Nel of St. Cathryn’s and members of the Hermannsburg School family were complimented on the success of the day.
   Road Race The sports department participated in the Greytown to Muden road race. Hermannsburg entered four teams and the teams did extremely well. One of the Hermannsburg teams was placed second. All Hermannsburg runners so enjoyed the event that they can’t wait to participate in the next road race of this nature. Some participants even ran further than required, just because they so enjoyed it and wanted to see how far they could go. Many thanks go to the organisers of the race for a most enjoyable event.

2 October 2006

   Chess Club The chess club at Hermannsburg entered the Pietermaritzburg and Districts Chess Association’s activities again this year.
   During the first term, six members participated in the Individual Challenge competition, which was played over four weeks. Four of the members entered the B league in the Midlands Chess League, which was played over a period of seven weeks during the second term, while three members decided to test their skills in the Midlands Championships during the third term.
   At the prize giving ceremony, which took place in Pietermaritzburg at the end of the third term, the following results were announced: In the Individual Challenge, Ralf Küsel was placed second in the A League while receiving a bronze medal for the third place in the Midlands Challenge. Ralf is in Grade 9 this year and he was competing, amongst others, against matrics from all over the Midlands region. In the Midlands Chess League, the Hermannsburg team was able to walk away as winners. Congratulations to Ralf Küsel, Julienne Puttkammer, Sören Königkrämer and Wandile Nyoka on their success. Ralf and Wandile are in Grade 9 and Julienne and Sören are in Grade 10 - an outstanding achievement!
   ELM Conference During the holidays, Hermannsburg School hosted the annual conference of the Evangelical Lutheran Mission Society, which was held over five days. The Grade 9 class and their parents catered for the group of around 120 people, kick-starting their fund raising efforts for their Grade 10 trip to Germany next year.
   Colin Penn The last Saturday of the holidays saw the local congregation hosting Colin Penn in the local hall, entertaining the local community in fine style. The meal was delicious, the company was great and the entertainment of an outstanding standard. All who were there enjoyed the evening and were delighted that we were able to attract entertainers of this calibre to our area. Thanks go to all those who organised the evening and all who supported the evening.
   Golf Day Our annual Golf Day will take place at St. Cathryn’s on Saturday, 7 October 2006. For meal tickets please contact Carola at the Office on 033 4450601.

25 September 2006

   Primary School Concert A wonderful celebration of our school, and the Primary School talents in particular, was enjoyed by a capacity crowd on Thursday, 21 September. Congratulations go to all the participants, but most particularly to Mrs Royden-Turner, who wrote and directed the concert.

15 September 2006

   Hockey The Primary school’s hockey team played against Wartburg and were proud of their 6-0 victory. The same hockey team also played against New Hanover and were happy to be able to hold the strong team from New Hanover to a 1-0 victory for Hermannsburg.
   Tennis The Primary School boys played tennis against Wembley and just lost 17-19 in a closely contested match.
   Athletics The pre-school and Foundation Phase participated in an athletics day at Wembley College. The emphasis was on fun and participation and the children certainly did have fun. A big thank you goes to to Wembley College for arranging such an enjoyable event.
   A senior boys’ and girls’ team participated in the Top 8 Athletics Meeting at King’s Park. Roxanne Stratenwerth broke the 400m record and Karen Köhne broke the Javelin record in her age group. Roxanne also achieved a second place in the 200m.
   Three senior athletes have been selected for the prestigious Grey College Athletics event to be held in Bloemfontein. Claire Hesom will participate in the High Jump and Relay events, Stefanie Senke will take part on the Shotput event and Roxanne Stratenwerth will be participating in the 400m and relay events. This is a superb achievement as these athletes have been selected from the whole of KZN, not only from the Midlands.
   The Umvoti Athletics event took place in perfect weather at Hermannsburg at the weekend. Three records were broken and one equalled. Katherine Lindsey from Wykeham was the Victrix Ludorum and Richard Mhlongo from New Hanover was the Victor Ludorum. New Hanover was the overall winner of the competition and Wembley College were placed second place. Hermannsburg were awarded the handicap trophy, based on the best pro rata result.
   Excursions The Primary School visited the KwaSizabantu Mission where the learners were enthralled by all the activities at the Mission. They were shown around the tunnels where vegetables are grown, the dairy, weaving looms, the pasta-making machine and the bakery (where they received delicious doughnuts). The Aquelle water-bottling plant was an eye-opener for the learners, where they were amazed at the high level of mechanisation. The warm and friendly reception at KwaSizabantu was much appreciated.
   Lekkerjol On Friday evening a large crowd of spectators enjoyed the antics of the Hermannsburg Community on stage. The cast, made up of teachers, parents and pupils, depicted the history of the school in mime, songs and theatrical performances. Much laughter and a tasty meal made for a very pleasant evening. The Hermannsburg community would like to thank the Greytown Community for all the support.
   Coming up soon … Hermannsburg’s primary School is staging a variety concert next week and would like to extend a warm invitation to all who would like to attend. Celebration Time is a very special mix of musical, theatrical and generally light-hearted performances to tickle the heart and the mind! Do come and join us on Thursday evening, supper and tickets can be ordered through the Bursar’s Office at Hermannsburg.

06 September 2006

   Tennis The U13 boys boys’ tennis team played against Wartburg and the Hermannsburg boys won 21-15. The girls participated in the Pietermaritzburg Friendly tennis league and played against Voortrekker, winning 55-26.
   Athletics A number of Hermannsburg athletes took part in the Menlo Park trials held at Howick at the weekend. Claire Hesom was first in her high jump event, Stefanie Senke had first place in shot put and in her javelin event she was placed second. Roxanne Strathenwert put in an outstanding performance in the 400m race, coming first in a new record time. In addition to that, Roxanne also came second in the 100m and 200m events and in her long jump event.
   The Junior Umvoti Athletics meeting will be held at Hermannsburg on Saturday. Spectators are welcome. This is always an exciting meeting and a lot of spectator fun. Delicious eats will be on sale all day.
   Hockey The junior hockey players played in a tournament at the weekend.
   Lekkerjol The Lekkerjol evening, to raise funds for the library, will be held at the Hermannsburg Congregation Hall on Friday night. Some tickets are still available and bookings can be made through the school or at Greytown Bookshop.

1 September 2006

   Hockey The U13 hockey team played against Wembley College, losing 2-4. The senior girls played in the girls’ friendly league and narrowly lost to St. Anne’s, who won 19-17. The U13 boys played tennis against a St. Charles team and lost 12-24.
   Athletics Hermannsburg hosted the Quadrangular athletics meeting, in which Greytown High School, Wembley College, Wartburg and Hermannsburg took part. Results were as follows:

• Girls’ U14 trophy: Lisa Smith of Wartburg
• Boys’ U14 trophy: Ross Marshall of Wartburg
• Girls’ U16 trophy: Claire Hesom of Hermannsburg
• Boys’ U16 trophy: Thuthu Mthethwa of Wembley College
• Girls’ U19 trophy: Roxanne Stratenwerth of Hermannsburg
• Boys’ U19 trophy: Markus Janikula of Hermannsburg.
• Winning Girls’ team: Hermannsburg
• Winning Boys’ team: Wartburg
• Winning school: Wartburg

The overall performance of individuals was outstanding and a whopping 18 records were broken, no less than seven of which were broken by Hermannsburg athletes!
   At the weekend the Hermannsburg senior athletes travelled to Howick to compete in the annual co-ed meeting hosted by Howick. Hermannsburg’s performances were very pleasing, with a number of first and second places. The overall winners were Treverton, followed by Howick, Wartburg in third place and Hermannsburg in fourth place out of six schools competing.
   Lekkerjol The rehearsals for the Lekkerjol evening are going well and the hilarious theatrical portrayal of the school’s history, starring some popular local talent, is bound to be an absolute hit. Do book early to avoid disappointment. Tickets can be obtained from the school or from Greytown Bookshop.
   Remember: There are still some tickets for the 100/150 club available! (Re: E-mail HMB 150 not out!)

24 August 2006

   Science Expo Hermannsburg learners have been very successful in the annual Science Expo in recent years. This year, Graded 11 learner Danielle Schmidt entered her project, entitled "The Ramsgate Piper as a new species and the importance of the Mvutshini Valley", in the Zoology category. She went into a great deal of detail in her project, proving that the Ramsgate Piper is a separate sub-species of butterfly and defending the butterfly and its habitat from the destruction of developers in the area.
   The judges at the Expo were impressed by the meticulous research and it came as no surprise that she was awarded the following:

• Best project in the category Zoology
• Gold Medal
• Best Senior Project on show

This is a tremendous achievement, as schools from all over KZN were represented and over 1200 projects were on show. Danielle felt it had been a wonderfully enriching experience, seeing other projects, chatting to judges and getting to know like-minded learners from other schools.
   Grade 12 The Grade 12 class at Hermannsburg is getting into the end of year and exam final activities now. During the past weeks the German Language Diploma requirements have been receiving attention; both the written and the oral component have been examined. It is important for our learners to have this behind them by the time the IEB exams and the trial exams start. The German Language Diploma is a separate examination, which is evaluated overseas in Germany, and allows learners who have a suitable subject package and pass at a specific level to enter European tertiary education institutions, without an entrance examination. All Grade 12 learners at Hermannsburg have an opportunity to write the German Language Diploma.
   Lekkerjol Staff and parents are rehearsing for the staging of the school’s history in "comedy play" form, which will be presented at the school’s Lekkerjol Evening on 8 September. Bookings can be made by contacting the school secretary 033-4450601 ext.11

11 August 2006

   Enviro-quiz The senior enviro club’s quiz team travelled to Pietermaritzburg on the evening of Friday, 4 August to compete in the WESSA interschool national finals of the enviro-quiz. Their nerves were on edge, as they knew that they were up against some tough competition. However, the well-prepared team showed once again that they were worthy of their victory. The Hermannsburg team led the field right from the start, although they were given a very good run for their money, especially by the strong St. Charles team. In total, eight teams competed for the beautiful WESSA-Mondi Trophy, which has now gone home with the Hermannsburg team for the tenth time.
   This was a significant, and most appropriate, victory for the Hermannsburg team as the school celebrates its 150^th Jubilee year. The National contest is in its 13^th year. When it was all over, the team was able to relax and enjoy looking at their beautiful prizes: books on topics of nature - just up their street! Sincere thanks go to the organisers and the sponsors for a most enjoyable and well-organised contest.
   Matric Dance For the matrics at Hermannsburg, this weekend’s highlight was, without a doubt, the glittering matric dance. On Saturday 5 August, the Grade 12 class spent a night at the Oscars: their Matric Dance (the theme was "Hollywood").
   The Grade 11 class pulled out all the stops to ensure that an enjoyable and memorable evening was had by all. After walking along the red carpet, The matrics took a walk down the Hollywood walk of fame (adjusted, of course, for them). The Grade 11 girls performed a cabaret dance after which everyone tucked into a delicious 3-course dinner.
   After the Grade 11 class opened the dance floor with a waltz, the matrics and their parents were invited to join in for a ’parents and offspring’ dance. The Matric Class of 2006 rose to the occasion and looked spectacular (and very grown up), and the Grade 11 class proved to be excellent hosts and hostesses. All involved are to be congratulated on a very successful event.
   Speech & Drama Festival The annual speech & Drama Festival was held on Friday, 4 August, All learners from Grade 1 to 12 were invited to present various forms of speech and drama items. This year, 46 items were presented to the adjudicator, Mrs. Ann Walmsley of Pietermaritzburg. Altogether, 28 A+ ratings were achieved. The learners were well prepared and they enjoyed the experience. This year the Grade 9 class presented a choral verse for adjudication and achieved an excellent A+ reciting a poem called "The Cowboy from Wormbad!"
   Tennis The U16 boys played against a very strong Maritzburg College team and, although they lost, they enjoyed the games and the camaraderie.
   The junior boys’ tennis team also travelled to Pietermaritzburg, where they met and played against Howick boys. The conditions were not favourable, with strong winds playing against both teams! DSH lost to the strong Howick boys.
   Eight U16 girls played tennis against teams from St. John’s at Hermannsburg. The girls played until late into the afternoon, enjoying the games and having a lot of fun. Hermannsburg’s girls lost to St. John’s, 64-45.
   Hockey A mixed team of boys and girls played in a hockey tournament at the weekend. They enjoyed the tournament and came home with a mixed bag of results, having played three matches, won one, lost one and drawn one.
   Lekkerjol The popular annual Lekkerjol evening will be held on the evening of Friday, 8 September. This is a fun evening, with a mixture of entertainment. This time, we will have you in stitches as popular local stage personalities will re-enact the early missionary-settler days at Hermannsburg. Kevin Cockburn, Axel Zunckel, Abbi Surendorff and many other stars will appear and the audience will not be disappointed. Watch the press for details!

4 August 2006

   Rotary Leadership Course During the July holidays Priscilla Steele and Yul Malzahn, both in Grade 11, attended a Rotary leadership course in Pietermaritzburg. They came back inspired by the many motivational speakers they had listened to, having thoroughly enjoyed the week getting to know other Grade 11’s from all over the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands. The variety of activities had them sitting on the edge of their seats throughout the week. The harmonious way in which the learners from many different backgrounds interacted with one another left a very positive impression on Yul and Priscilla. This is a wonderful opportunity for young people and all at Hermannsburg are grateful to the Rotarians of Pietermaritzburg, who made this possible.
   Mathematics & Science Olympiads During the year a number of Olympiads are written by Hermannsburg learners. The third round of the Maths Olympiad will be held soon. Ralph Küsel, currently in Grade 9, is one of the top 100 achievers in the country in the junior section, so he will be going through to the third session to write another round of the challenging Olympiad. Congratulations to Ralph on his excellent achievement.
   Lisa Wessels, currently in Grade 12, wrote the science olympiad earlier this year and was invited to attend a science festival during the July holidays as one of the top 100 entrants in 2006. Unfortunately the invitation was extended at short notice, and Lisa elected to stick with her original plans, joining the Nature Club in Mozambique during July.
   Tennis The U16 girls played against the Girls’ High 6^th team and drew 18 games each. The girls had a lovely time and enjoyed the equally matched challenge.
   The junior boys played against New Hanover and the Hermannsburg boys did well to hold the strong New Hanover players to a 16-20 loss. The boys enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere during the games.
   Hockey The touring girls from Downe House in Thatcham, Berkshire (UK) stayed at Hermannsburg for two nights and enjoyed the country setting of the school, saying that it reminded them of home, as their school is also out in the country. The visitors enjoyed interacting with the Hermannsburg learners, who in turn enjoyed the company of the visitors. The hockey match was played on the astroturf in Pietermaritzburg. Hermannsburg fielded a strong first team and the 1-0 victory for Hermannsburg came as a fitting close to a very successful season for the girls first team. Karen Köhne scored the goal.
   The junior boys played hockey in a tournament hosted by Treverton at the weekend. For many of the players it was the first time they had played on the astroturf. They did extremely well, winning two and drawing three of their matches. This is an excellent start to the season for the boys.
   Open Day Hermannsburg’s pre-primary school and the primary school have joined forces once again to host an open day for the two schools. All interested parents and learners are welcome to spend the morning at Hermannsburg on Wednesday, 9 August. Being a public holiday this should be an ideal day to take the family out to Hermannsburg and enjoy a relaxing cup of tea, whilst listening to informative talks, slide shows and experiencing lessons together with your child. Anybody wanting further information on the programme is welcome to contact the school 033-4450601 ext. 11.

25 July 2006

   Nature Club Field Trip to Mozambique During the July holidays Hermannsburg’s Senior Nature Club embarked upon another one of its epic trips. This time the destination was Mozambique.
   The group, consisting of 18 members of the Nature Club, two ex-members (past learners), the Greves from Hermannsburg, the Gaisfords and the Upfolds (with their Rotary exchange student from Germany) both from Eshowe, made its way through Swaziland, via Maputo, to Casa Lisa, 50 km north of Maputo. There the group set up camp. On Monday, 3 July, once everybody was settled, the group paid a visit to the ferry crossing the Komati at Marracuene.
   On Tuesday morning they left Maputo harbour by ferry for a 5-day visit to Inhaca Island, where the group was accommodated at the Biological Research Station of the Eduardo Mondlane University of Maputo. Fortunately, the strong winds that had been blowing the previous day had abated and the crossing was relatively smooth.
   The next couple of days were spent studying the extensive mudflats at low tide and the very interesting mangrove swamps with black, white, red and Indian mangroves growing in them. It was also interesting to observe some of the over 6 000 inhabitants of the island fishing, using their dhows, with gill nets or collecting crabs and other edible sea creatures. The group took a boat trip to the southern-most tip of the island, where a very beautiful coral reef allowed the nature enthusiasts to marvel at the beauty and the dangers of coral reefs. Unfortunately, the temperatures were exceptionally low, and it was not possible to spend more than a few minutes in the water at a time. Among other interesting sightings were stone fish and a fire-fish.
   During their stay, four groups were tasked to do an in-depth study of the algae, crustaceans, echinoderms and molluscs of the island. The report-backs on the last evening were very interesting and a lot was learned from the various groups. The visit to the museum at the centre proved to be very worthwhile and educational.
   Unfortunately, as expected, time flew and it was back to the mainland, back to Casa Lisa. A visit to the Maputo market on Monday was another highlight. The totally different atmosphere of Maputo and the old Portuguese architecture of the buildings fascinated a good many of the group. On Tuesday the brilliant white sand of the beach at Bilene lagoon, 150 km north of Casa Lisa, proved to be an ideal place to catch a little bit of a mid-winter tan.
   A great experience for some was to actually become (or come extremely close to being) a millionaire. Working in 100 000’s was a good mental arithmetic exercise. Part of the excitement of visiting a foreign country is always coming to grips with the currency of that country.
   The last evening was spent in the Casa Lisa Restaurant with a delicious sit-down dinner followed by watching the semi-final of the soccer world cup between Italy and Germany. A good spirit prevailed between the supporters of Germany and Italy to end off a memorable tour of 11 days.
   It was a wonderfully exciting and educational trip and a very big thank you goes to all who made it possible.

24 June 2006

   Grade 11 Work Experience Hermannsburg’s Grade 11 class left school a week earlier than the rest of the learners to embark on their week’s work experience. Once again the class came up with an interesting variety of jobs which they would like to "try out" for a week - ranging from veterinary surgery to accounting and farming. The learners will be back at Hermannsburg for the start of the third term.
   Rotary Leadership Course Also in the Grade 11 class, two learners have been selected to attend the Rotary Leadership Course to be held in Pietermaritzburg during the July holidays. Yul Malzahn and Priscilla Steele will be joining a number of other learners, mainly from Pietermaritzburg schools, to learn all about being leaders, to listen to motivational speakers and to engage in workshops to discuss topics pertaining to young people in leadership roles.
   Senior Nature Club Field Trip The senior nature club will be spending a week in Mozambique. The group will be spending some time inland, but will also be going over onto Inhaca Island for a few days. They are really excited about the trip and have done a lot of research into the areas which they will be seeing, including the marine life, which they expect to see when on the island.
   First Aid Course The Grade 10 class did a two-day first aid course at the school, which forms part of their life orientation course in Grade 10. The learners enjoyed the challenge of the course and were eager to learn all there was to be learned from course facilitator, Sister Judy Cotterill. The learners will receive a certificate for the course and it forms part of a series of mini-courses which they do in Grade 10.
   Toyota RAV-4 Launch The Hermannsburg community was very excited to host a pit stop for a group of motoring journalists and Toyota sales staff promoting the new Toyota RAV-4 series. The splendid cavalcade stopped at the museum and enjoyed homemade tea and eats, provided by the community, whilst the beautiful vehicles were ooohed and aaahed over!
   World Cup fever A number of "big screen evenings" have been held at Hermannsburg, for everybody to get together and jointly enjoy some of the exciting world cup soccer matches.
   Hockey Hermannsburg’s first team hockey girls will be playing hockey against a touring team from England in the first week after the holidays.
   Bazaar The Hermannsburg Lutheran Congregation will be having their popular annual Bazaar on 29 July in the Congregation Hall, starting with lunch at 12:00 and ending with sundowners. All are welcome!
   July holiday All at Hermannsburg will enjoy a well-earned holiday and we all wish all the schools in the area a restful holiday, safe travels and blessed family time together.

19 June 2006

   Hockey The boys’ 1^st hockey team played against Linpark, clinching a 3-1 victory against a strong Linpark side. Steven James scored two goals and Stuart Turton scored one. The team has had a good season and this was a fitting way to end a successful season.
   Rugby The senior rugby boys played a good game against Greytown. It was a most exciting game and an appropriate way to end the season. After the end of play each school had scored one try each making the score 5-5. They then played an extra five minutes each way and there was still no extra score. The boys were really tired, but the referee suggested a 5 each conversion play-off. Hermannsburg managed to convert their first 3 conversions while Greytown was not quite so lucky and were unable to convert. Thank you to Mr. Bondesio for refereeing and for the sporting way in which he encouraged the boys to play on until a decision could be made.
   CINDI Project A group of Junior School learners visited the Umvoti Drop-in Centre this week. The learners are involved in the CINDI (Children IN DIstress) project at school. This term’s theme was shoes and socks and the group went to the Umvoti Centre to drop off their collected shoes and socks for the children at the centre. The Hermannsburg learners were greeted by the childen at the centre and Joan Dutton, who is a pillar of strength in the whole project, was able to inform the children about the work done at the centre. It was a shocking eye-opener for the children to hear the figure of 40% mentioned - this is the estimated percentage of orphaned children in the Umvoti area. Probably even more shocking is the estimated 70% of all people in the Umvoti area who are HIV positive. CINDI is an ongoing project and the Junior School learners at Hermannsburg are very grateful to be given this opportunity to help those less fortunate than themselves.
   Enviro-quiz The annual Hermannsburg inter-house Enviro-quiz was held last week. The learners were put through their paces by senior Biology teacher, Jürgen Greve, who posed some tough questions. The teams battled it out and the trophy was closely contested. The final results were as follows: Nyala’s B-team was in third place, Kudu’s A-team in second place and the winners were the Nyala A-team. It was a good forerunner for the WESSA Mondi finals, which will be held in August, giving the team-members a good idea where the gaps still need to be filled.

9 June 2006

   Hockey The girls’ 1^st team played as a well-knit team and managed a 2-0 victory over their Wartburg opponents. The 2^nd team played against the Wartburg 2^nd team but, despite many opportunities in the circle, the match ended in a goal-less draw. The U16 team played against Wartburg’s U16 team and, in a well-matched tussle, also ended with a 0-0 draw. Hermannsburg’s U14 team lost 0-6 to Wartburg.
   In a friendly match against Domino Servitas, Hermannsburg fielded a combined age group team. It was a most enjoyable match, with Hermannsburg winning 2-1.
   At the weekend, the girls’ 1^st team played Kokstad in a cross-pool play-off for the B league. A fast game ended in a 1-0 victory for Hermannsburg (goal by Karen Köhne). Hermannsburg now plays against Haythorn for 1^st and 2^nd place in the B league.
   Hermannsburg’s Portia Karlsen has been selected to play goalie for the Midlands U13B team. The U13 Provincial Hockey Festival will take place at Kearsney College during the school holidays.
   The boys’ hockey teams also played against Wartburg. The 1^st team won 2-0. The combined U14/15/16 team played against a strong Wartburg team and 1-3.
   The boys’ 1^st team continued on their positive wave and played against Maritzburg Christian School, winning 2-1. The combined U14/15/16 team won 3-0 against MCS.
   Hermannsburg Primary School played a friendly match against Wembley. Hermannsburg fielded a mixed team of boys and girls and the players enjoyed the opportunity to play in a mixed team. Thank you to Wembley for organising the match.
   Mpumalanga Tour The Grade 7 class travelled to Mpumalanga last week, together with the Grade 7 class from Wartburg. All had a wonderful time and once again it was an excellent learning experience. The preparations for the trip and the research done beforehand on all the places to be visited goes a long way to make this an extremely meaningful "out of the classroom" teaching tool.

2 June 2006

   Rugby In a friendly rugby match against Greytown, Hermannsburg led 12-7 at half-time. However, Greytown’s experience counted in the second half, leaving the final score at 27-19 to Greytown.
   Hockey The girls’ 1^st team showed a strong defence, allowing few opportunities to the opposition, to hold Haythorne to a 1-0 lead at full time. Against Greytown High, the team won 2-0.
   The girls’ 2^nd team also won 2-0 against Greytown, with the U16 team playing brilliantly as a team to win the match 6-0. The U14 team also won, the final score being 2-0.
   Two of the junior girls were invited to play in the Midlands Trials Finals, but were unable to attend due to their prior commitment to the Grade 7 Mpumalanga tour.
   In the boys’ hockey, the 1^st team won 4-2 against Wembley College (goals by Colin Frenzel, Stuart Turton, Stefan Louw and Steven James). Against the Howick High 2^nd team, the Hermannsburg team emerged the victors with a score of 3-1.
   A mixed team consisting of U14, U15 and U16 players lost 0-2 to Wembley College, and 6-2 to a strong Howick High side.
   Luyanda Fandaleki was invited to play in the U12 hockey trials, the outcome of which is not yet known.
   Junior Nature Club The Junior nature Club had a wonderful outing last weekend. They stayed at the North Coast Cane Cutters’ Resort, exploring the shoreline, beach and forest and visiting the crocodile. The private beach attached to the Cane Cutters’ Resort offered an uninterrupted opportunity to do rock pool studies and to enjoy the shoreline and all its interesting aspects, with the help of teachers who were able to explain it all to the group. The group also visited a swamp forest, where they were able to see a swamp fig. The beach lent itself to dam building and various other interesting activities.

15 May 2006

   Hockey Midweek against Wembley College, the girls’ 2^nd team lost 1-3, while the girls’ U16 team won 2-1 (goals by Maike Müller and Tanith Robertson). Against Ixopo at the weekend, the girls’ 1^st team won 3-0. The girls’ 2^nd team lost 0-3 to Ixopo. The girls’ U14 team played Haythorn in an 8-a-side match, winning 8-2 (goals by Sibu Dumakude). Against Ixopo the girls’ U14 team lost 0-1. The girls’ U16 team beat the Ixopo team 2-0 (goals by Megan Daniels).
   Rugby Hermannsburg hosted a 7-a-side tournament between Alex, Estcourt, Hermannsburg and Weston on 10 May. Results were as follows:

• Alex Team 1 lost to Weston (7-17) and Estcourt (12-21)
• Alex Team 2 lost to Estcourt (0-45) and Weston (0-45) but won against Hermannsburg (29-7)
• Estcourt won against Alex 1, Alex 2 and Hermannsburg (48-0), but lost to Weston (17-19)
• Hermannsburg lost to Alex 2, Estcourt and Weston
• Weston won against Alex 1, Alex 2, Estcourt and Hermannsburg

   The spectators, players and coaches enjoyed the pace of the 7-a-side matches, the organisation and the venue.

Click to open photo gallery

8 May 2006

   Hockey The boys’ 1^st team played Domino Servitas during the week and won 5-0 (Loren Lilje - 2, Mitchell Surendorff, Steven James and Colin Frenzel). At the same time the boys’ U15 team won 1-0 (Klaus von Fintel). Against Maritzburg College, the 1^st team played their 4^ths and drew 2-2 (Stefan Louw and Stuart Turton). The 2^nd and U15 teams also played against Maritzburg College, but did not beat the opposition this time.
   The Primary School girls attended zonal trials at New Hanover in a round robin style tournament.

1 May 2006

   150^th Jubilee Schulfest The big event has just concluded. For more details of what went on, and for photographs, CLICK HERE NOW!
   Rugby 15-man rugby is back! Hermannsburg played a match against the touring team from Kolbe Catholic College (Australia) during the week. Hermannsburg’s young team played well, but went down 7-35 in the end (HMB try by Colin Frenzel).

Click to open photo gallery

24 April 2006

   Hockey The Hermannsburg hockey teams went into full swing with matches at the weekend. The Juniors played in a tournament at Wembley College. First-time players will, no doubt, improve with practice.
   The senior teams played in Pietermaritzburg. The boys’ teams played against Carter High. The 1^st team lost 0-2 to a very strong Carter side. Both the 2^nd team and the U14 team lost their games closely, the latter losing 1-2 to Carter.
   The girls teams played against St. Patrick’s. The 1^st team won 3-0, the U16 team 1-0 and the U14 team 2-0.

03 April 2006

   Horse Show The Hermannsburg riding school hosted a show and workshop during the first weekend of the holidays. The event was well-attended and was enjoyed by all who participated.
   Mondi WESSA Enviro Quiz Hermannsburg fielded two teams for the event, held at Greytown High School. A unique three-way tie was finally broken after no less than two "sudden death" rounds between the three top teams! In the end, Hermannsburg A managed to edge ahead of second-placed Wembley A, with Hermannsburg B in third place. The national finals will be held in August at the University of KwaZulu Natal’s Pietermaritzburg campus. Hermannsburg A will represent Umvoti at the finals.
   CINDI The Primary School learners have been involved with Children in Distress (CINDI), and recently handed over pencil bags and stationery they made and collected at the Umvoti AIDS Centre.

27 March 2006

   Steve Hamilton evening A number of learners attended the Steve Hamilton evening at Wartburg. They were impressed by his message, and the open and honest manner in which he addresses his audience to bring across his anti-drug message.
   Rugby & Hockey Clinic Hermannsburg boys and girls attended the Greytown Sports Foundation clinics held at Greytown High School. This pre-season focus on the winter sports is most beneficial.
   Open Days The open days were very successful, with a large number of learners from all over the province, and beyond, attending. It is most encouraging to see this evidence that there is an increasing interest in what Hermannsburg has to offer.

13 March 2006

   11^th Sport Olympiad of the German Schools in Southern Africa Hermannsburg played host to the four other schools (from Cape Town, Windhoek, Johannesburg and Pretoria) this year. A well-rehearsed opening ceremony, with the traditional march-past behind the headmasters on horseback was followed by a mass display by the learners and support staff, welcoming speeches by the headmaster, school speakers, Chairman of the Board of Trustees and the German Cultural Attaché. This was followed by an ice-breaker run by the Grade 9 class. For the Hermannsburg results and further information, follow THIS LINK.

27 February 2006

   Senior Nature Club The nature club members spent the weekend at the Tugela Game Ranch near Colenso. Sean Bosse, owner and HMB old scholar, hosted the group of 25 learners. The opportunity was utilised for an Interhouse nature quiz, with Nyala emerging as the winners. On the Saturday, a 6-hour hike to the Tugela River yielded sightings of many birds, trees and other natural phenomena. Sunday saw the group strolling through bushveld and excitement at a rare sighting of a grey phalarope.
   Grade 8 Bonding Weekend The Grade 8 class took the opportunity to get to know each other better at Elandskraal. They tested their creativity, perseverance and leadership skills.

13 February 2006

   Midmar Mile Fifteen Hermannsburg swimmers took part in the 2006 Midmar Mile, all but one having previous experience in this event.
   PAM Interhouse Gala Despite inclement weather, the school and parents braved the elements to participate in this year’s Interhouse gala. In the end, Möwe House took the honours from Albatross and Pinguin. Matthias Rommelspacher broke three of his own records in convincing style, the only athlete to break records this year.

U14 Champions

Zoë Trassl

Matthias Rommelspacher

Junior Victrix / Victor Ludorum

Natascha Puttkammer

Rayne Younge

Senior Victrix / Victor Ludorum

Claudia Rommelspacher

Shaun Williams

10 February 2006

   Midlands Swimming Trials Matthias Rommelspacher was selected for and attended the KZN swimming trials last weekend.
   Tennis The Boys’ Open B Team won 39 - 27 against Maritzburg College in a B League match. The Boys’ Open C Team won 40 - 31 against Alex High in a C League match. In the Winnie Louw League, the Girls Team won 27 - 18. In the Friendly League, they won 13 - 12.
   Menlo Park Trials Three Hermannsburg athletes participated in Gauteng. Claire Hesom won the U15 High Jump, jumping 1,5 m. Claudia Rommelspacher and Karen Köhne also fared well in their events.
   aQuellé Hermannsburg Mudman Over 300 individuals entering the events swelled the ranks at the 7^th annual Mudman multisport event, held on Saturday. The standard of the competition has risen every year, with more and more top athletes choosing to participate. Notably, Terrence Parkin, Olympic 200m silver medallist, took part in the full distance event this year. Roan Exelby, Anton Storm, Rebecca and Jean-Paul van der Linde were other noteworthy competitors, to mention but a few. For more information, including the full results listing and photographs, Click here.

27 January 2006

   The school year has started on a very positive note. Enrolment in 2006 is up by more than 10% from 2005, with the excellent 2005 matriculation results confirming the quality of education offered at our school.
   New staff Three new staff members have added a fresh dimension to the staff complement and have settled into their various spheres of responsibility. Heidi Newby-Rose is in charge of the senior and junior libraries and will be teaching music in the afternoons. Nadja Pardun is a student teacher, assisting in the Kindergarten and Grade R classes. Anne Royden-Turner is working as relief matron in the Senior Girls’ Boarding Establishment.
   National German Essay Competition Congratulations go to Tanith Robertson, Nompumelelo Ngubo and Barnabas Vroegop for their achievements. In 2005, 86 Grade 10 learners from all over South Africa entered the competition, third-language German speakers all. Tanith was awarded 11^th place, Nompumelelo was placed 5^th and Barnabas Vroegop achieved 2^nd place! Based on the results of this competition, learners are offered the opportunity of a trip to Germany during 2006. We await the outcome of the decision-making process in this regard.
   Grade 10 Field Trip At the weekend the Grade 10 class went on a field trip to St. Cathryn’s, where preparations for the German exchange programme could be facilitated by their class teacher and accompanying adults. A lot of work has to be done to prepare for this programme.
   Prefects’ Camp The prefects had their weekend away with their counsellors this last weekend. A tough weekend with lots of hard work, planning, personal development and an in-depth look at their roles as leaders, more than filled the weekend. Ross Robertson, a past head boy of the school, held a very meaningful workshop with the group. Industrial psychologist, Leon Grové, added his professional guidelines to the topic of leadership. The prefect body of 2006 faces a challenging year, with the theme of the 150^th Jubilee celebration impacting on all the functions and events. The headmaster and staff are confident that the prefect body and the Grade 12 class will be able to successfully fulfil their tasks as learner leaders.
   Forthcoming Attractions The next two big events on the calendar are the Hermannsburg aQuellé MUDMAN on Saturday, 4 February 2006 followed by a Bierfest on the Saturday evening, after the MUDMAN.