'GOOD LUCK' AND 'WELL DONE'

# SMED 11

During the past weekend I spent a significant number of hours screaming and shouting at the Grandwest Grand Arena, whilst attending the Backstage Pass High School Jam. The numerous tweets posted and facebook entries allude to the fact that I was a proud mom and staunch supporter of both Settlers and Pinelands High School.

The competition brief was that 10 pre-selected school had to provide musical entertainment for 20 minutes on stage. The Grand Arena was rocking to the vide of orchestras, choirs and the two master of ceremonies had the audience in the palm of their hands. The finals on Sunday consisted of Settlers, Pinelands and Milnerton High School with Milnerton High School walking away with the winning trophy and a grand prize of R30 000.00


Aside the high quality performances, what stood out for me most about the two-day competition, was the spirit and vibe as the audience egged on their respective schools. It sounded more as if we were attending a sporting event with vuvuzelas, banners, flags and all manner of ‘noise makers’ used to bring out the loudest cheers.


The spirit of Settlers High learners became the talking point of the competition and they walked away with the Spirit Award worth R20 000. All participating schools were met by strong vocals of ‘Good Luck’ prior to the on-stage performance and ‘Well done’ at the end of each performance.

I must admit that it has been five years since I last attended school sports days and/or musical events. The cheering brought back memories of yonder years and I could still vividly remember the team spirit exibited at the annual contact with Fairmont High School. As a proud ex-parent of Setters High School, I fully agree that on Saturday and Sunday their learners lived up to the 2011 motto ‘Exercising Excellence’ - not only on stage, but also relating to crowd participation. Four words 'Good Luck' and 'Well Done' speak volumes about the values and ethos instilled in learners.

Congratulations to the principal, Mr Smuts and the team of excellent music students – thank you for bringing musical and crowd participative excellence to the Grand Arena.

I remain a Proudly ex-Settlers High School parent.

PS: A follow-up blog will be posted relating to Pinelands High School