internet access in all our classrooms. This has proved invaluable for research for project work. Art is another very popular subject and our young artists have excelled in local art competitions. The boarding facilities at our school make OIS a very popular choice for students from Orapa Diamond Mine, which is 300 kilometers east of Maun, and those whose parents manage safari camps and live in remote corners of the Okavango Delta. Such is the demand that our hostels are fully booked until 2009! We desperately need more school accommodation. Our most pressing need is for two additional buildings, to house laboratories and an environmental center, as well additional classrooms. With growth come challenges! We have the opportunity to impact daily on the lives of the future leaders of this great nation. The building will cost $300K each.
Our school offers a wide range of co-curricular activities apart from our sports program, which include chess, debate, drama, creative club, philately, Scripture Union and environmental education. Situated on the threshold of the Okavango Delta, our students are encouraged to take an active part in conservation issues and environmental education is an important part of our programme. Every year we commemorate World Environment Day hosting activities for students from various other schools in Maun. The theme this year was “Global warming, a hot topic” and a workshop was convened in collaboration with the University of Botswana’s Harry Oppenheimer Research Centre. 11