Peponi Post - June 2021 Edition

Trinity Term - June 2021

The BFG by Katy(Year 9)

From the Headmaster

Our First SMART Day

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Inter House Junior Debate Competition page... 15

Trinity Term - June 2021

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From the Headmaster In the introduction to a video based on the Lower VI community project made during the last week of term, I spoke about the need for schools such as Peponi School to be involved in our wider community. Fortunately, as a school, we have established a very good reputation for the money raised, the work done, and possibly the most important ideal for our gained reputation, is the attitude and values developed within our children. During this year of Covid there is no doubt that many people have suffered and throughout the world we have witnessed a radical change in the way that we think and the way in which we operate. Vast numbers of people have suffered medically, emotionally and fiscally.

Whilst we were in Gilgil and working in two primary schools and in an orphanage, our pupils and members of the Common Room contributed to three communities whose outlook could not be more different than our own.

It was Barak Obama who recognised the importance of community and the position of an individual in that community. On a play of words of the opening line of the declaration of independence Obama said, “We, the People, recognise that we have responsibilities as well as rights; that our destinies are bound together; that a freedom which only asks what's in it for me, a freedom without a commitment to others, a freedom without love or charity or duty or patriotism, is unworthy of our founding ideals”.

As I said in the video, Peponi is an established and well-resourced school that enjoys an environment and facilities that are an envy to the vast majority of educational institutions here in Kenya and throughout East Africa. If we are to live true to our mission statement then we must ensure that our pupils develop their awareness of the conditions of their contemporaries less fortunate than themselves. Our foundation principles state that it is our ambition for our pupils to recognize their place in an integrated national community and be aware of the importance of their contribution to the success of everybody.

This year a vast number of the Lower VI spent some time working in the Gilgil community, at schools and in orphanages. They helped to rebuild desks, paint some classrooms, worked in the kitchens preparing food to provide lunches for pupils, and some moved to the other side of the desk and became involved in teaching. In such a short space of time we cannot proclaim to make a huge impact on the lives of those we worked with but we did plant seeds in the minds of our pupils to perhaps make more longer-term changes as they grow into adults. The impact should be considerable and all those in the school can be proud of the love and charity and the commitment to those in need that was demonstrated not just by the pupils on the trip, but also the Common Room members who accompanied the children and by the very generous donations provided by our parents.

They provided not only food but essential items such as clothing, tools, books and paint. Peponi is a community and one that desires to be a part of, and not separate from, the wider Kenyan community.

Peponi School has always encouraged our pupils to think broadly and consider a commitment to others as an integral part of their world. It is clear that our Peponi community is aware of the plight of many in our country who are far less fortunate than ourselves and that a vast number of people don’t have access to the very basics that sustain an education comparable to our own.

Mark Durston Headmaster

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From the Modern Foreign Languages Faculty "If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own language, that goes to his heart."

Nelson Mandela The members of the MFL Faculty were very pleased with the IGCSE examinations results that came out in August 2020. Indeed, out of twenty-two candidates for French, six achieved an A* grade and nine an A grade. Moreover, 86.26% of our learners of French equalled or exceeded their predicted grades which denotes very accurate predictions made by the MFL teachers and, on the whole, very good pupils’ performances.

CIE IGCSE French - Grades

A*

A

Pupils

6

9

27.24

40.86

Grade %

The same remarks apply to Spanish. Out of thirteen pupils, four achieved an A* grade and three an A grade which was quite impressive.

Indeed, 92.28% of our learners of Spanish equalled or exceeded their predicted grades. It is a clear indication of the hard work that was put into the preparation of the candidates.

CIE IGCSE Spanish - Grades

A*

A

Pupils

4

3

30.76

23.07

Grade %

The results were also very pleasing in German.

Out of three pupils, one achieved an A* grade and one an A grade. The three pupils equalled or exceeded their predicted grades.

CIE IGCSE German - Grades

A*

A

Pupils

1

1

33.33

33.33

Grade %

Following the conclusions of the examinations analysis in August 2019, we had considered it a priority to move from CIE O’ Level Swahili to Edexcel GCSE Swahili to try and raise the standards in the subject. We were therefore hoping for a noticeable improvement. As the table below shows, it was definitely a good move.

Indeed, out of ten candidates, two achieved a grade 8 (A* grade), one achieved a grade 7 (A grade), two achieved a grade 6 (B+ grade), one achieved a grade 5 (B grade) and four achieved a grade 4 (grade C). Although there was room for improvement, the results were quite encouraging.

Edexcel GCSE Swahili - Grades

8 (A*)

7 6 5 (A) (B+) (B)

4 (C)

Pupils

2

1

2

1

4

Grade %

20

10

20

10

40

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Trinity Term - June 2021

At A-Level, Crystal Ndolo needs to be congratulated for her A* grade in U6 German.

In the hope that the next academic year starting from September 2021 will be a reasonably ‘normal’ year, we are looking forward to the next Modern Foreign Languages Poetry competition that normally takes place in late November every year. Peponi School has had several winners in the past five years in French, German and Swahili among our whole community of pupils (from Shell to U6 pupils). Needless to point out that we are eager to participate and hopefully be as successful as we have been in the past!

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The Mandarin Chinese club will hopefully be back on track from Michaelmas 2021. It will be a good opportunity for our pupils to be exposed to this fascinating tonal language that they may well find incredibly useful in a few years’ time when they start applying for jobs. Although Mandarin Chinese is not offered as an official subject at Peponi School, the opportunity to take HSK Mandarin examinations at the Confucius Centre located inside Kenyatta University is genuinely invaluable.

Similarly, the members of the Modern Foreign Languages will encourage the pupils to show interest in the DELF/DALF French examinations and the DELE Spanish examinations. Those qualifications are acknowledged internationally and range from A1 (Lower Beginner), A2 (Upper Beginner), B1 (Lower Intermediate), B2 (Upper Intermediate), C1 (Advanced) and C2 (Expert).

Yohann Henry Head of MFL Faculty

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Trinity Term - June 2021

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Our First SMART Day On Monday 14th June 2021 we were delighted to welcome Peponi House Year 7 pupils to our inaugural SMART Day.

SCIENCE

MATHS

ART

RECREATION

TEAM BUILDING

Despite an early start from P1, pupils arrived with smiles to match the bright orange T shirts. With temperatures taken and a quick welcome hot chocolate, the 50 pupils were raring to go. From decorating pots to the hair-raising Van de Graaff generator; from sequencing and series spotting to spotting chameleons – it was a morning packed with a rich variety of P2 experience.

Soft ball and a tour round the boarding House showed the impressive range of sports and facilities on offer and a tantalising glimpse of the Sedge House upgrade.

Chef Sylvester and his team ensured no one went hungry with their usual fine selection of cakes and fruit at break and a choice of beef fillet, poached fish or salads at lunch. Energy levels were duly topped up!

We were also thrilled to welcome P1 parents to a Headmaster’s reception. Whether new to P2 or familiar to our gorgeous campus, all were delighted to be meeting socially (outside and COVID compliant). Delicious bitings and drinks complemented the relaxed and welcome occasion.

Following lunch, a visit to Northlands for fun on the Mountain bikes and Assault course proved most popular and rounded off a memorable day.

Properly exhausted by a long and active day, pupils left playing with their fidget spinner gift.

Ruth Cook Marketing

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Trinity Term - June 2021

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Fitness with Grace Mugoh Relentless: “Unceasingly intense” A word that can be used to describe the times that we are living in. A word that can also be used to describe the school year that’s coming an end.

Yes these are tough times. Yes the situation seems to be relentless, but as the saying goes, Tough times don’t last, tough people do. We can finally smile and say we see the light at the end of the tunnel.

This season hasn’t come without a cost, stuff we will be dealing with for quite some time before normalcy takes over. The pandemic protocol has left the sports world malnourished. We cannot train as we used to.

There are no more fixtures to look forward to.

This makes training very difficult, as there is nothing to, sort of, train towards. No medal to eye. Regardless, we as Peponi community have risen up to the occasion and against all odds kept a reasonable activity program in place throughout the pandemic school year. Now we looking forward to a long holiday and praying for a busy, normal new school year.

“It’s not the will to win that matters, everyone has that. It’s the will to prepare to win that matters.”

Paul “Bear”Bryant" We need to pick up our trainers and prepare for the all so busy Michaelmas calendar. We all know how crazy it gets. Athletics, cricket, tennis, swimming, squash. Fixture after fixture.

Tournament after tournament. Let us prepare well, so that we do not get caught off guard. As we break for the holidays, let us brace ourselves for what’s ahead.

Now the tricky bit is training at home. Keeping a consistent, disciplined workout regime, away from the school structure, can be a challenge.

Here are some tips to help us stay fit and active during the long holiday

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Trinity Term - June 2021

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• Set realistic workable goals, progress tracker and reward system. Thanks to advancements in technology, including fitness trackers and calorie counters, keeping track of your progress is easier than ever. Setting goals and challenges, along with a reward system, will hold you accountable and ensure your fitness success. I can also make you a personalized program for the holiday.

• Make a timetable. Let’s be honest, the holiday season is low key. All you want to do is kick back and relax. Just like your school timetable, plan ahead and schedule time to work out during the week.

• Be creative. Take every opportunity you get to keep fit and active. Take the stairs instead of using the elevator. Outdoor exercises can be fun. Go for a bike ride, a run with your dog. Go for a trek of you reside or are visiting a scenic area.

• Any exercise is better than none. If you cannot find time for a proper gym workout or swimming session, schedule a short workout session that will fit your time. Don’t skip exercising all together. A quick 15min HIIT session is better than no exercise.

• Get a training buddy. One of the best ways to keep you motivated especially during winter or the holidays is to get a workout buddy. Make sure your buddy has similar goals and is willing to push you and vise versa during those tough days. Come up with a schedule together and try your best to stick to it.

• Keep your diet in check. How you fuel your body will play a big part on how it will perform.

Try keep you diet as clean as possible. Drink plenty of water and avoid alcohol. Before heading out to a party eat clean at home so you will not have room for unhealthy foods.

Heres a sample at home workout schedule for the week, created for U1V Palvi Shah.

Cardio + ABS Cardio 100 - 10 Reps

Upper Body

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Exercise

Sets

Reps

Inch worms Wall angels

3 3

10 20

Knee Push Ups Lying Dumbell press

3 3

Inclined Chair Pushups Front + Side raises Supermans Dumbell Military press

100

Jump rope

90

Jumping Jacks

80

Ski Jumps

15 20

70

Mummy Kicks

60

Torso Twists

3 3

15 20

50

Squat jumps

40

High Knees

3 3

20 20

30

Mountain climbers

20

Burpees

10

Push Ups

Trinity Term - June 2021

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You can do 3 sets of these HIIT style with a 2 mins break within sets ABS

Legs

Exercise

Sets

Reps

Exercise

Sets

Reps

Sit ups

3

20

15

3

Bicycle crunch

3

20

Leg raises

3

20

Weighted Squats (Use a gallon of water or an old tyre if you don’t have weights)

Double crunch

3

15

Lunges

20 (each leg)

3

Plank Up and down

3

1min

Walking side squats

20 (each side)

3

Side plank

3

30secs (each side)

Hip thrusts

20

3

Bounce squats

20

3

10 10

Trinity Term - June 2021

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Sports Peponi sports afternoons are a showcase for the many sports on offer each term when the fields and courts come alive with pupils participating in hockey, football, basketball, cricket, gym, squash, swimming and tennis. In addition to the usual sports offered during Games afternoons, pupils were also introduced to various activities on the Northlands Ranch such as cycling, the obstacle course and orienteering.

Due to the COVID-19 restrictions, sports have been on offer in limited capacity with some even being delivered virtually. However, the enthusiasm from our pupils was still at an all-time high and we were able to complete some of the Inter-House sports competitions for the major sports.

Sports revolves around the drama of competition and with inter-school competitions still not permitted, Peponi Sport had tailored various challenges and inter-house matches to meet the protocol requirements as well as still maintain the fierce competition of House sport. Competitors were tasked with completing challenges and skills within times or point limits. For some, this proved very difficult, and the added pressure of timings certainly provided some nail biting moments.

Well done to all pupils who managed to participate in sport and exercise during the year, it has not been easy for anyone and congratulations must go to those who still secured points for their Diploma, Charter and Testament awards, despite the restrictions and challenges.

Inter House Football Competition Year Group

SHELL

Challenge

ChalaPoits

MagadiPoints

1st Challenge

13

21

2nd Challenge

30

45

3rd Challenge

25

25

4th Challenge

15

20

Total

83

111

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Trinity Term - June 2021

Year Group

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Challenge

UPPER 5th

Chala Points

Magadi Points

1st Challenge

2

5

2nd Challenge

9

3

3rd Challenge

14

4

4th Challenge

44

32

Total

69

44

Rounders Year Group SHELL LOWER 5th UPPER 5th LOWER 6th UPPER 6th

House

Throwing

Fielding

Batting

Won

Elementaita

15

7

8

2

Jipe

6

8

4

1

Elementaita

11

1

4

1

Jipe

10

2

5.5

2

Elementaita

12

6

6

1

Jipe

9

10

12

2

Elementaita

9

5

6

2

12

4

5

1

Elementaita

9

6

5

2

Jipe

12

5

4

1

Jipe

Juniors

Seniors

Jipe 3 Points

Jipe 4 Points

Elementaita 3 Points

Elementaita 5 Points

Winner; Elementaita 45 Points to Jipe’s 30.5

Winner; Elementaita

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Trinity Term - June 2021

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Inter House Cricket 2020

The 2020 Inter House cricket this year was different from the normal T20 matches that have happened over the years due to the current pandemic we are facing.

The boys were tested on their basic cricket skills to give them the top points needed for the houses. The first skill was on fielding. They were given a minute to try and hit stumps that were put out for them. One stamp had 10 points, 2 stamps had 5 points and 3 stamps had 2 points.

It was interesting to see the different type of tactics that they would come up with for all age groups.

Juniors

They moved on to the second task which was a bowling competition. The boys were tasked with making sure they bowl to the stamp and try to hit the wicket in one over. Some very exceptional and consistent bowling from some of the boys.

The final task was the batting, where each boy was given an over to face thanks to our newly acquired bowling machine. They really enjoyed facing the bowling machine and a few lovely cricket shots were seen over the week.

The overall tally was as follows

Seniors Chala

Magadi

Chala

Magadi

Fielding

19

17

Fielding

35

6

Bowling

4

0

Bowling

10

6

Batting

57

33

Batting

45

40

TOTAL

80

40

TOTAL

90

52

Well done Chala for winning both Junior and Senior categories

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Trinity Term - June 2021

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Girls Basketball Inter House Competition Three different tasks namely Lay-up, Relay racing and hot shot action were set out and each house needed to nominate participants in their house from each year group to tackle each challenge, with strict rules that a participant could only be involved in one challenge and they couldn’t share a basketball.

The tasks were time based.

In the junior category Jipe won the competition with 60 points against Elementaita who managed 52 points.

Jipe further cemented their dominance in the senior basketball with 103 points while Elementaita managed 60 points.

Participation was key and just to highlight over 32 girls were actively involved in the actual competition which is the highest number of participants we have seen for Interhouse basketball.

Marc-Antony Eysele Director of Sport

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Trinity Term - June 2021

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Inter House Junior Debate Competition On Monday, 7th June, we held the first round of the inter house junior debate. The debate started on a high note with the debaters daring to upstage each other in every possible way. All the juniors were debating for the first time on Peponi stage as last year’s debates failed to take place due to the COVID pandemic.

After deliberations by the four heads of houses, the two motions that sailed through were: This house believes that robots will increase the quality of life.

And This house believes that torture is never justified no matter what the situation is.

Magadi did a superb job of educating us on how robots will increase the quality of life and despite Jipe’s powerful counter arguments, Magadi represented by Joshua D’Souza, Dev and Sahiir Dewany emerged victorious. Equally impressive was team Jipe made up of Tara Vora, Kario and Fatma Jeilan.

The second motion debated by Chala and Elementaita was equally stimulating with the Elementaita team communicating their thoughts articulately and passionately. The team comprising of Pasha Haria, Netania and Maansi Ruparel stole the show through powerful use of facts as well as debating rhetoric. At the end of the afternoon Elementaita humbled Chala.

However, Chala boys represented by Aarav Patel, Bono and Ryan Gontier have promised to regroup and come back stronger than ever.

Well done to the houses and the debaters, we do look forward to sparks flying in the final round to be held on 28th of June. Finally a big thank you to the judges; Ms Olembo and Mr. Strain for their expertise and words of wisdom. Asanteni Sana.

Lillian Ayatta Head of Faculty

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Trinity Term - June 2021

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The BFG by Katy(Year 9) This year, the Year 9’s performed the BFG. Each member of our year group had a different role, whether it was playing a character, creating the set, making outfits or marketing the play. We had a limited amount of time to pull this off as we were in online school for a bit, but we all worked hard and it defiantly paid off! The most interesting part for me was being involved in the production side of things. In the past, I hadn’t seen much of what others do to construct our plays, but being involved in that really showed me how much effort and time goes into it. As I had a part to play in both production and performance, I think it would be interesting to look at what both sides of the year did.

Production

Performance

For production, we were divided into three groups.

These were marketing, set/props and hair/makeup.

Those in marketing were in charge of getting word out about the play. They made posters and took videos and pictures of other year 9’s. These videos and pictures were then made into a mini movie which was shown just before the performance on Friday the 18th by Ilyaseen and Simarveer. The second group of set/props were split up again to work on different scenes. We made English props like sign posts and telephone boxes to create an English feel when Sophie travelled to England, colourful lanterns and dreamcatchers for when Sophie is shown the BFG’s job of catching dreams and rocks for Giant country.

This was presented by Ruby and Saloni on Friday.

Lastly, the hair/makeup group were in charge of costumes. They created the appearances of the roles.

My personal favourite costume feature were the giant heads. The work from this group was shown by Rianna and Josh on Friday.

The second section of Year 9’s did the performance.

We used promenade theatre in this performance which basically means that we moved to different places for different scenes and the audience moved with us.

Because of our limited rehearsal time, we cut the play down to four scenes. Each scene was in a different place in our school, but they were all close to each other so the audience didn’t get too tired! For each scene, the members of the cast got a new role. We had four different Sophies, four different BFGs and a few other characters such as the queen, the giants and dreamers. We also used an open costume changing technique introduced by the German dramatist Bertolt Brecht. This meant that the audience saw us put our different outfits on over our black base outfit.

Method

All in all, the play was a lot of fun to put together and was a very educational experience

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Trinity Term - June 2021

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End of Year Concert Finally! After an 18 month hiatus, we had our first physical concert in the School Hall. Although depleted of year groups with only the Shell and Lower 5th at our disposal, we were still able to put on a delightful and entertaining concert for pupils and staff. The School Orchestra, despite only having had a few rehearsals this term, performed Pure Gold, Dixieland Blues & Molten Rock.

As everyone can clearly see and hear, we have a number of very talented Shell pupils. We heard Aarav Patel (Saxophone) performing And Everything is Still by Andy Scott, Saiyana Pandya (Voice), Saloni Rane (Guitar) & Pasha Haria (Drums) combining to bring us Happier by Olivia Rodrigo and Ruchi Raja (Violin) excelling in the 1st movement of J.S. Bach’s violin concerto in A minor.

Throughout this term, the Shell pupils have been working on a Popular song project a.k.a. the ‘Battle of the Bands’. The winners from each teaching group were: Shell A = Pasha Haria, Saiyana Pandya, Reeyan Shah & Aarav Patel Shell B = Julian Smith, Bono Mujuni, Hritik Choudhery & Aaryan Khimasia Shell C = Heema Shah, Ruby Wakaba, Evita Biribonwa & Carla Rusagara Congratulations to all of them. I’m delighted that the winners from Shell A agreed to perform their mash-up of Talking to the Moon by Bruno Mars & Déjà vu by Olivia Rodrigo.

Over previous years, we have been accustomed to hearing a staff item, often the Staff Choir.

This time, Mr Laight (Voice & Guitar) and Mr Henry (Bass guitar) performed one of Mr Laight’s own songs, Rays of Light from his band Toxic Plasters.

Finally, to the Lower 5th, where Collin Muriungi sang Your Power by Billie Eilish, Rani Sumaria performed Rainy Day on the drums and Maansi Ruparel (Voice) rounded off the concert with a powerful performance of I dreamed a dream from Les Misérables.

We very much look forward to next year where we hope that normal service can resume!

James Laight Head of Faculty

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Trinity Term - June 2021

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Lower VI Community Service 2021 "One of the most important things you can do on this earth is to let people know they are not alone."

Shannon L. Alder Over the Trinity Term, Lower 6th pupils organised a community service trip with the help of Mr. Kimani, Mr. Eric and the Community Service Committee. The committee collected donations which ranged from money to food to tools to stationery and much more. This trip was then brought to reality on the 28th of June when we departed from Peponi School to Gilgil, Nakuru.

All the donations we collected and money we raised through mufty days were put to good use as they were donated to a children’s home called Saidia and three schools ; Kikopey, Kahuho and Bondeni.

We were given a tour of the children’s home and had a very interesting conversation on how the children’s lives are and how they got there and what happens after they turn 18. It’s was disheartening to note that some of the kids would come in when they were as young as five months old after being collected from sewer lines and being abandoned at police stations or hospitals. Apart from all this the best part was knowing that there are people who care and love these children.

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During our stay we were able to give the children break and cook lunch for them. We also painted most of the classes as well as fixed desks, doors and iron sheets. As part of the program, we were able to distribute uniforms as well as other donations such as blankets, stationery, soap, sanitary pads, margarine and more.

As a breather we visited a cultural village and went on a hike to a hot-spring in Nakuru. We were also able to see flamingoes on the shores of Lake Elementaita.

The greatest lesson we all took from this trip is to stop complaining about how unfair the world can be but instead try to fix the problems the world presents to us.

We would like to thank our parents and companies for supporting us through this whole process. This trip would not have been a reality without your support.

The greatest lesson we all took from this trip is to stop complaining about how unfair the world can be but instead try to fix the problems the world presents to us.

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Recipe from Chef Silvester

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Samosas Makes about 20

1 garlic glove, crushed

1 packet 25cm/10in square spring roll

2.5 ml/ ½ tsp chilli powder

wrappers, thawed if frozen

1 large potato, about 225g/ 8oz, cooked

30 ml/2 tbsp plain (all-purpose) flour

until just tender and finely diced

mixed to a paste with water

50g/ 2oz/ ½ cup frozen peas, thawed

Vegetable oil, for deep frying coriander

5 – 10ml/ 1 tsp garam masala

(cilantro) leaves, to garnish

15ml/ 1tbsp chopped fresh coriander (leaves and stems)

For the filling

Squeeze of lemon juice salt

25g/ 1oz/ 2tbsp ghee or unsalted butter 1 small onion, finely chopped 1 cm/ ½ in piece fresh root ginger, peeled and chopped

Ingredients

(Preparation: 8 minutes; cooking: 12 minutes) Heat the ghee or butter in a large frying pan and fry the onion, ginger and garlic for 5 minutes until the onion has softened but not browned. Add the chilli powder and cook for 1 minute, then stir in the potato, cauliflower and peas. Sprinkle with garam masala and set a side to cool. Stir in the chopped coriander, lemon juice and salt.

Cut the spring roll wrappers into three strips (or two for larger samosas). Brush the edges with a little of the flour paste. Place a small spoonful of filling about 2cm/ ¾ in in from the edge of one strip. Fold one corner over the filling to make a triangle and continue this folding until the entire strip has been used and a triangular pastry has been formed. Seal any open edges with more flour and water paste.

Heat the oil for deep frying to 1900C / 3750F and fry the samosas, a few at a time, until golden and crisp. Drain well on kitchen paper and serve hot garnished with coriander leaves.

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Trinity Term - June 2021

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Peponi School on Social Media The Official Peponi School Social Media Accounts

Facebook www.facebook.com/peponischool Twitter www.twitter.com/peponi_school Instagram www.instagram.com/peponi_school

Youtube https://bit.ly/2YUrnl8

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Peponi School P.O. Box 236, Ruiru 00232 +(254) 020 354 6456 +(254) 0733 615 193; +(254) 0722 287 248