Durban Girls` College

The Lookout
2014 Issue 1
Durban Girls’ College
Disclaimer: The views expressed in ‘The Lookout’ are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily
represent those of the teachers and management of DGC.
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College Affairs:
Catching up with Siobhan VAN DER VYFER
BY KIARA REDDY
I recently caught up with
2014 Head Girl, Siobhan
Van Der Vyver, to meet
the girl behind the badge
and learn about her in a
nutshell.
Describe yourself in five
words:
Easy Going
Organized
Considerate
Inviting
Modest
THE
LOOKOUT
Last time you were very
scared?
Definitely Gr11 exams; I
was extremely nervous
as these marks would
count for my university
applications.
When was the last time
you were speechless?
When my name got
called when the prefects
were announced.
Most embarrassing moment?
What do you enjoy doing
on weekends?
In grade 3 everybody was
getting certificates at
school and my name was
last. After my name
was called and I got
my certificate, I
mattress surfed down
the stairs and landed
like a pancake!
I love hanging out with
friends and doing nothing school related. I also
enjoy surfing which I
started in grade 9. I prefer the outdoors to the
indoors.
Any strange phobias?
I'm scared of people
walking behind me on a
staircase, I would rather
let everybody go in front
of me!
What is your favourite
place in the world ?
In grade 10, my exchange student Hannah
and I were taking a road
trip around Cape Town
and we found this tiny,
hidden little beach with
white sand. It was absolutely amazing and we
just spent the day
chilling there.
What are your hopes for
2014?
I hope to excel in school
and have a well balanced
year, as well as to
achieve my best in all
aspects.
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MEET MRS BAILEY!
By Catherine hardy
2014 has ushered in new
challenges and new aspirations for us all. Some of
the new additions to our
school include the swimming pool, the Kauai tuck
shop and, last but definitely not least, a new Head of
the High School. We all
know our friends and most
of us know our teachers,
but here is the opportunity to get to know our new
Head of the High School a
little better…
Mrs Bailey started teaching in 1980 (roughly 34
years ago) after being influenced by her own
teachers in her Matric
year.
The all-green bodies
floating around here at
DGC haven’t been too
much of a change but have
rather brought back nostalgic memories of her
own school career as her
uniform was the same colour at Eshowe High School,
where Mrs Bailey was a
boarder.
Mrs Bailey was instantly
drawn to the fact that College is an all-girls school as
she believes this is more
beneficial in terms of enrichment through education.
I close with a special message from Mrs Bailey to the
Grade 8s:
During your first high school
year, it’s fundamental to be
honest with yourselves and
respect one another, not to
mention embrace all opportunities before you have too
much work. However, be
wary of over-committing to
something. Let’s continue to
enjoy 2014 every step of the
way.
Wise words indeed!
The wonderful world of music
By An Chi Chen
This year is going to be an
exciting year for the world of
music at DGC. The senior orchestra, senior choir and marimba band are getting bigger and are excited about
this new year. They are all
beginning to build up their
repertoire to have an unforgettable year in music.
In addition, the new a cappella group is also beginning
to take shape and should
make an appearance later
this year. Singers and instrumentalists of all ages can also look forward to the annu-
al school music competition
which will take place in the
third term.
For new musicians, experienced ones, and everything
in between there are now
theory classes being offered
every day after school for
free. So hop down to the music department to discover
the world of music even if
you do not sing or play an
instrument.
This term is particularly exciting for the senior choir and
senior orchestra as they are
going on their tour to Cape
Town in mid-March. Extra
rehearsals are slowly increasing but their hard work will
be paid off when they are
warmly welcomed by their
audiences in Cape Town.
In 2014 musicians, even nonmusicians, can look forward
to a year filled with joy,
laughter and most importantly: music.
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The year of legends:
BY sherese Moonsamy
Tiny pinafored bodies
entered Durban Girls’
College in 2002 with
nervous hands clenched
tightly in their parents’.
That event introduced
the first set of Grade R’s
to arrive at our school,
and the year legends
were made. 2014 is the
year those legends will
leave.
Although it’s highly unlikely that any of our
parents actually walked
us to class on the first
day this time around,
the meaning behind it is
one of finality. Armed
with white belts and
soon white jerseys,
many others have
joined our epic ranks
throughout the years. A
warm welcome to Eva
THE
LOOKOUT
Church – our final addition. Memories and
laughter have littered
the hallways from JP to
the High school and finally the courtyard and
common room. We
have seen various
changes occur in both
the school and ourselves but one fact remains the same though;
our days here are coming to a close.
In our midst are future
doctors, lawyers, designers and presidents.
Despite suffering with
ORT’s, the bond between us all has only
grown stronger and full
support has been
evident from day one.
Many of us have left
and some have come
back, but those girls
have placed an imprint
on our each of our lives
no matter how little we
knew them.
We barely have a year
before it’s time to move
on to different places,
but Durban Girls’ College and our friendships
must remain with us in
our hearts – sisters
through it all.
Shivs (our head girl for
those who are confused), we have faith in
you to lead us well into
our paths of greatness.
Let us all leave behind a
legacy of legends.
#theendhasarrived
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The Health and
Wellness Programme at DGC
By santhuri pillay
The new health and wellness
their best to ensure that eve-
definitely help girls with their
programme at College has
ryone reaches their maximum
academic performance as well
certainly set sail in a very
fitness level. The new Kauai
as to be more focused.
positive direction. Many of
tuckshop is definitely helping
the high school girls seem to
to develop the programme
be on board and enjoying
further as there is a wide vari-
the new activities available.
ety of healthy meals to choose
It is great to see that girls
from and girls have taken
don’t see the new require-
quite a liking to it.
of sport a week as a chore
and everyone wants to participate willingly.
The programme as a whole
has really encouraged girls
from different grades to interact with one another and is
Having been to the gym
bringing the high school to-
twice this week and partici-
gether in a very positive way.
pated in the aerobics session
Hopefully the buzz and excite-
I have noticed a significant
ment over the new program
increase in the attendance of
continues during the course of
the classes. The trainers at
the year and everyone main-
the gym are extremely help-
tains their involvement in
ful and are certainly trying
sporting activities. This will
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ment of doing 150 minutes
It will be interesting to see
how the programme unfolds
during the year, and hopefully
every girl in the high school
will get on board to support it;
not only to achieve the goals
of the programme but to reach
their personal goals and become more health-conscious
individuals.
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Lifestyle:
6
Getting ready for an interesting year
By FIONA WATT
2x19x53.If you don’t know
what that is, well, take a
closer look. That is the
prime factorisation of our
year – 2014.
http://www.google.co.za/imgres?
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every moment to its utmost
potential. Stay focused on
what you want to accomplish; do not go off on the
tangent of procrastination,
but rather train your brain to
We all want this year to be enjoy completing tasks. In
as productive and exciting doing so, you will create
as possible. Here are a few many more free moments
simple ways in which we
for having fun.
can maximise our chances
of achieving this goal in all Furthermore, do not stress!
aspects of our life.
It has been said that
"worrying is about as effecThe first thing to note is
tive as trying to solve an althat, in the same way that gebra equation by chewing
integers are defined by
gum," so why would you
their prime factors, 2014 in want to waste your precious
its entirety is only a prod- moments on such a pointless
uct of many small moendeavour? Taking a moments. The key is to utilise ment to calm down and find
a more effective method to
tackle your problems can
often help make them appear
less complex.
Lastly, you should also always
maintain an absolute-value
attitude. (That is to say, nonnegative at all times). With a
positive mindset, we humans
can achieve incredible feats
and so you should make every
effort to "find your happiness", as Mrs Rixon once put
it.
With these concepts in mind,
you will be set to prove that
2014 as a "perfect year" is
certainly not an asymptotic
notion.
Destination Unknown
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THE
LOOKOUT
When one sets a goal,
one's wildest imaginings
and current reality are
able to begin their peaceful collision. Yes - the first
five words were enough
to put you off reading further but I encourage you
to find comfort in the fact
that I am talking about no
ordinary goal.
So often I come across
people with very little
ambition, and often they
have no passion to be
persistent with. They go
through school because
they must and play some
sport because they
should, and this, it appears, years ago, people laughed at
my dream because it was
satisfies their existence
beyond their understanding
quite comfortably.
of reality. This month, my
But appearances are deceiv- solo EP pop record is being
ing and the truth lies in the released, along with my first
fact that everybody is look- music video as a recording
ing for more. Regardless of artist.
what some may say, we all
This by no means implies
have wild dreams locked
that all young people should
inside our heads but, perhaps because we are afraid aspire to be musicians, but it
does imply something else
of public scorn, our heads
which I feel very strongly
are where these dreams
about: whoever you may be,
remain.
your talents are known to
you and your ambitions are
When I was twelve, I
dreamed up the impossible your own. Make your goals
wild, make them impossible,
and moulded it into a perfectly executable plan. Two and don't be afraid to make
them heard.
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The People’s choice award
By naseeha momla
The 40th annual People’s
Choice awards were held
on January 8th in L.A and it
kicked off with a major kiss
between Ian Somerhalder
and Nina Dobrev. The pair
won “Best on-screen chemistry” for playing Damon
and Elena in “The Vampire
Diaries” and even shared a
kiss on stage after confirming their real-life breakup.
Somerhalder also took
home the award for “Best
sci-fi actor” while his cast
mate ,Joseph Morgan aka
Klaus, took home the award
for “Actor in a new T.V series”.
Michelle Gellar, Jennifer Hudson, and Drew Barrymore
made the best-dressed list as
well.
Nina Dobrev ultimately won
best dressed at the PCAs- she
totally sparkled in a sequin
Jenny Packham dress which
extended past her knee, featured long sleeves and had a
high neckline. Jessica Alba
showed up in a white ensemble designed by Jason Wu.
The star of “Glee”, Naya Rivera, stunned us in a Michael
Kors dress which left jaws
dropping. Amongst the best
dressed list was also the new
star of the hit T.V show
“Reign”, which took home the
award for “New T.V show”.
Adelaide Kane wore a dress
designed by none other than
Rhea Costa and the little
green clutch went perfectly
with it. Many other stars such
as Sandra Bullock, Sarah
To our surprise, the worst dressed at the People’s Choice
Awards was none other than
“Project Runway’s” Heidi Klum
who wore a dress by Giorgio
Armani. Her look was reported
as “tacky and unfashionable”.
This is not the first time that
Heidi Klum has been named
worst-dressed at an awards
show, and according to E! this
specific dress “looked much
cheaper than its bespoke price
tag”. Coming in second on the
worst-dressed list was Britney
Spears and third place went to
Anna Faris.
7
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Sketch me?
By Rebecca Plumbley
Above: A digital
painting of Jen
Hudson by artist
Pete Mitchell.
Right: clockwise:
Inspiration for
and ink drawing
by Nicole Gammie, ink drawings
by Jen Hudson,
and Jade Aucamp
and the DGC hash
tag.
THE
LOOKOUT
2013 was known by
some as the year of
the ‘selfie’. Our
Facebook, Instagram and even
Twitter feeds were
flooded by photos
of people posing
and pouting. In
light of this it
seems appropriate
that 2013 would be
the year that Jordan Melnick would
transform a local
portraiture project
in Miami into
Sktchy – an app
that connects artists
from across the world
through the infamous
‘selfie’.
The way that Sktchy
works is fairly simple:
You choose an image
from the hundreds uploaded by fellow users;
draw, paint, collage or
Photoshop your chosen
subject and finally upload your finished piece.
Once uploaded, users
are able to comment on
and “wow” one another’s portraits.
Mrs. Martin has encouraged our art girls to start
using Sktchy, and has
even
created our own DGC
hash tag. Girls from
grade 9 through to 12
have got stuck into using
the app and have already
connected with other
artists from across the
world. The art girls are
picking up new techniques, improving their
drawing skills and some
have even had their own
portraits drawn.
Sktchy can be downloaded for iPhone or iPad on
the App Store.
See more DGC art by
searching for #dgc.
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Riddle Me that:
From Naseeha momla
Riddle: I am the beginning of the
end, the end of every place. I am
the beginning of eternity, the end
of time and space.
What am I?
*The answer will be in the next edition of
“the Lookout”
Current Affairs:
China Jails Prominent Rights Activist
By Sana Salduker
Chinese legal scholar and prominent human rights activist Xu
Zhiyong has been sentenced to
four years in prison for
“gathering a crowd to disturb
order in a public place”.
Zhiyong is the founder of the
“New Citizens’ Movement”, a
loosely organised grassroots
civil rights movement that advocates for equal rights in education, anti-corruption and
wealth disclosure for government officials.
waged a 10 month campaign
against the movement, a hypocritical move as Zhiyong’s calls
to expose corruption coincide
with President Xi Jinping’s
much proclaimed anticorruption clampdown.
Zhiyong’s case is China’s most
high-profile legal case against a
protestor since 2009 when Nobel Peace Prize laureate Lui
Xiaobo was jailed for 11 years
after helping to organise a petition to overthrow one-party
rule.
The Chinese government has
According to
Amnesty International the
jailing is
“shameful”
and a
“travesty” and
he should be
released im-
mediately. During Zhiyong’s trial, the court rejected 68 witnesses willing to give evidence
for the defence and banned diplomats and foreign reporters
from attending.
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In the words of Rosanne Rife,
Amnesty International’s East
Asia Research Director, “This is a
shameful but sadly predictable
verdict. The Chinese authorities
have once again opted for the
rule of fear over the rule of
law.”
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Elections 2014- what happens next?
By Noor Mezghan
great a leadership as we
Year brought with it
saw when Madiba liberat-
These coming elections
much anticipation. We
ed us and guided us
have an impact on our
have a new school year
through our first years of
lives, the youth of South
and new journeys to
being a free, multi-racial
Africa, as they determine
look forward to but most
country, unrestricted from
where she will be in the
important is the journey
the shackles of racial prej-
future, and thus deter-
in store for South Africa
udices and racist agendas.
mines where we will be as
well. Our entire lives can
with the return of
It is time that we, the peo-
be affected by the person
ple of South Africa, decide
that we vote into leader-
Since the end of the
to take the fate of our
ship and so it is crucial
Apartheid regime, South
country into our own
that we consider our op-
Africa has seen several
hands. Those of us old
tions with care and
people occupying the
enough to vote must real-
choose carefully.
Presidential seat. For me,
ize that it is crucial that we
the most important ques-
add our own voice to
tion is whether or not we
those of the past. We
will be able to see as
must unite together to
election season.
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choose the best leader
that this beautiful country
deserves.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT_rights_by_country_or_territory#Africa
THE
LOOKOUT
It is just a matter of time
before The People choose
and we find out who it is
that will decide the future
of this country and all
who live in it. Let’s hope
we make the right choice.
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The start of the New
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Africa: Homo-friendly or Homophobic?
By Priyanka Roopnarain
geria. Uganda’s anti-gay bill,
which was passed at the end of
2013, states it is: “An Act to
prohibit any form of sexual relations between persons of the
same sex; prohibit the promotion or recognition of such relations and to provide for other
related matters.” Penalties
range from extradition, to prison sentences of 14 years. In the
northern states of Nigeria,
where Shari’a law has been
adopted (due to a mainly Muslim following), punishment is
death by stoning. In the southern Nigerian states, which do
not fall under Shari’a law and
have a large Christian following,
the penalty is imprisonment of
14 years. Legislation to criminalize same-sex marriages is
currently pending in Nigeria.
The future of sexual politics
seems terrifying as the attitudes towards homosexuality
that support the laws in these
countries are violent and dangerous, with violence against
lesbian, gay, bisexual, and
transgender (LGBT) people a
frequent occurrence. 97% of
Nigerian residents believe that
being a homosexual is not an
acceptable way to live in society. Rallies are being held in
New York to demonstrate
against the anti-gay laws in
Africa, while famous figures
such as Richard Branson, who
recently attacked Uganda following the passing of their Anti
-gay bill and harsh treatment of
homosexuals, have joined their
voices to the protest. Branson
has stated he will not do business with Uganda and has
urged others to follow his
example.
There is no question that freedom of expression and international human rights are being
violated but the real question is
this: does a government have
the right to decide whom its
citizens can love?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT_rights_by_country_or_territory#Africa
http://mg.co.za/cartoon/zapiro_1659
Although widely accepted by
the Ancient Greeks, homosexuality became ‘unacceptable’
and attracted widespread criticism until fairly recent times.
Nowadays, homosexuality is
openly practiced in most parts
of Europe and North America
as it is more acceptable in
western culture but in Africa
and parts of Asia, anti-gay laws
labelling this type of sexual
orientation as illegal are common. 38 of the 83 countries in
the world which have laws
criminalizing any homosexual
behaviour or activity are in Africa. These laws violate international human rights, with
African countries rejecting the
increase in lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT)
rights. South Africa is the only
African country where samesex marriages are legal and
homosexual behaviour is not
criminalized, with laws against
any discrimination of homosexuality. Two countries that
have recently passed strict anti
-gay laws are Uganda and Ni-
http://aidsaccountability.org/?p=9764
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Awareness:
12
Caught on Camera
BY Olivia Taylor
Recently, in the Knysna
ear-notch patterns are
Forest, there has been a not visible, for identifisighting of one of the
cation purposes”,
mystery elephants. This
SANParks representa-
elusive elephant was
tive Nandi Mgwadlam-
snapped by a Camera
ba said.
Trap that was collecting
research data for leop-
The myth of the Knysna
ard populations along
Elephants has caused a
the Garden Route.
lot of controversy as
they have not been
”The footage includes
physically seen since
photographs of an ele-
the turn of the century.
phant whose tusks,
These events have in-
trunk and legs are visi-
spired many books in-
ble but unfortunately
cluding Kringer in die
the forehead shape as
Bos by Dalene Matthee.
well as sex organs and
THE
LOOKOUT
This is such an exciting
event as the elephants
were thought to be extinct. Not only one, but
other individuals have
been identified.
SANParks have moved
away from using photographic techniques for
determining population
and gender statistics
and have now focused
on non-invasive hormone studies using elephant dung. These
studies have identified
that there are possibly
some bulls and at least
five cows and calves
hiding within the 121
000 hectares of forest.
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Creative:
http://www.npr.org/2012/08/02/156980469/marfa-texas-an-unlikely-art-oasis-in-adesert-town
BY Georgina Wilkes
13
Courtesy of Naseeha momla
SPOT THE DIFFERENCE