The Weekly Peponi Post 28 October 2020

28 October 2020

http://www.peponischool.org

The Weekly Peponi School

Headmaster’s Assembly “God, who takes us as we are, without prejudice or judgement, enters our hearts and works with it.”

Last Friday, some members of the catholic church would have recognised and celebrated the Feast day of St. John Henry Newman.

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Beetroot With Fresh Mint Bean Salad with Tuna and Red Onion Page... 8

Children for Children Niah Shah (Lower VI) & Shay Shah (Upper VI) Page... 4

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28 October 2020

http://www.peponischool.org

Headmaster’s Assembly I want to start this assembly with the following quote, “God, who takes us as we are, without prejudice or judgement, enters our hearts and works with it.”

Last Friday, some members of the catholic church would have recognised and celebrated the Feast day of St. John Henry Newman. This is not the first time I have mentioned Newman in a school assembly as he is a figure in the History of the Anglican Church of England and of the Catholic Church and is somebody in whom I have particular reverence.

At home, I have a picture of Newman, hanging in my study. It was given to me at my confirmation service by my grandmother, who also had a particular liking for the teachings of Newman. The picture was presented in order to remind me of Newman’s teaching on conscience. And conscience, as an echo of the voice of God in the heart.

Newman was a student at Trinity College, Oxford in the early part of the Nineteenth century, and despite a real desire to do well, sadly panicked and produced a set of final examination papers that were less than impressive.

However, he persevered and was eventually admitted to become a fellow of Oriel College and became one of the leading people in what is now termed as the Oxford Movement.

Cardinal John Henry Newman

My true introduction to Newman though came through Elgar’s extraordinary rendering of Newman’s poem in The Dream of Gerontius. The poem, written in 1865, is the prayer of a dying man and the consequent responses of both angels and demons. The poem was written after Newman's conversion from Anglicanism to Roman Catholicism and it explores his new Catholic-held beliefs of the journey from death through Purgatory and then on to Paradise and eventually on to God. https://youtu.be/2FcpAOWN6d8 "Praise to the Holiest", from Part 2 of Elgar's The Dream of Gerontius. Halle Orchestra conducted by Mark Elder, July 2005.

In Elgar’s musical interpretation the orchestral build up to the Soul’s meeting with God and one of the most amazing and exhilarating chorus phrases, Praise to the Holiest, is amongst my favourite musical climaxes. When I was introduced to the music at senior school, I was asked to imagine what it meant to me – having already been given the poem and the meaning of Newman’s work – my imagination led me what life would be like beyond this one. I think it has since always shaped in my imagination what heaven must be like – not just the seat of God, his angels and his saints, but of a place of peace, reflection and perhaps rest. I think both Elgar’s music coupled with Newman’s poem say more to me about heaven more than any other piece of art.

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28 October 2020

"The Last Judgment" Michelangelo's "The Last Judgment" (1536-1541), in the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican.

Perhaps his most moving writings, such as the Dream of Gerontius and his letters to the Duke of Norfolk, were at the end of his life, as he described his journey with God. The Irish writer, James Joyce described Newman’s writings as some of the best in the English Canon. Newman suggests, God, who takes us as we are, without prejudice or judgement, enters our hearts and works with it. This he says, is the triumph of God’s Grace. What we need to do, is to allow him in to the depths of our heart and allow him to speak to us to support us on our journeys towards heaven, that we when we enter and reflect, we can be proud.

http://www.peponischool.org In life, whatever our faith, we are all on a journey and not one of our journey’s are the same.

However, according to almost all of our faiths, we end up in heaven. Newman’s journey, and particularly his journey of faith, was full of challenge. Newman started his journey in his believe of Christ as an evangelical – a nonconformist, a radical, a follower of Calvin but then changed and became a Catholic in 1845 where he went on to become a priest, a cardinal, and eventually, in 2019, he was canonized as a Saint. So, though Newman is revered and loved now as a Catholic saint, he suffered rejection and suspicion at the hands of both the church he left and one he joined. He would later describe how this period of conversion and trial had been critical to him learning to surrender his life to God.

Assumption of the Virgin In the "Assumption of the Virgin" (left), painted in 1530 in the cupola of the cathedral in Parma, Italy, the artist Correggio "introduced the idea of this sort of great stadium of heaven," said Townsend, "this idea that the saints, God, and the Virgin and your loved ones - are all in the clouds."

Prayers Enter our hearts Lord, and let the depths of your heart speak to the deepest place in ours, that your words may lead us on into your eternal light.

"The Apotheosis of St Ignatius" Heaven as a place of splendor in "The Apotheosis of St. Ignatius" by Giovanni Battista Gaulli (a.k.a. Baciccio), c. 1685, in the National Gallery of Ancient Art in Rome.

Lord, I thank you for all you've done for me. I just pray that you would change me, oh God. Please guide my heart, and help me to grow into the person you want me to be. Rather than me following my own ways, please purify my heart and make me more like you. Please guide my path and help me take steps that will guide me toward your plan for my life and not my own whims. Amen.

Mark Durston Headmaster

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28 October 2020

http://www.peponischool.org

Children for Children Niah Shah (Lower VI) & Shay Shah (Upper VI) Every year, as July comes round, millions of children face our Kenyan winter without the warmth and comfort of a simple blanket. Deciding that we wanted to do something about this sparked motivation in the Sukuma Twende Juniour Team. For the first time ever, the Juniour members of the group came together to create a new project titled: Children for Children.

As a result of the unprecedented circumstances that Covid-19 has brought to our lives, we launched the project on Friday 26th June 2020. We created a platform that allowed people to be active during quarantine as well as helping children who live in poverty. These children cannot afford to protect themselves from the terrible illnesses that sweep in with the winter; so we wanted to support them in whatever way we could.

The Sukuma Twende Trust decided to use social media as our primary platform to campaign for this charitable cause, by initiating a thread where one would endeavour to push their boundaries. Upon completion, they would donate their desired amount of money which would go towards blankets, with a pair costing 500 Kenya Shillings. After accomplishing the self-set challenge, one could tag friends to join them in the magical journey of spreading warmth to the less fortunate children of Kenya.

When asked, ‘why blankets?’ We answered that it was sufficient to provide warmth and protection to the adolescents for a long period of time. Additionally, the blankets were considered a unique and sustainable idea as they could be used around the household for multiple use. The project had an initial target of 2000 blankets which numerically translated to 500,000 Kenyan Shillings. However, we were pleased to close our campaign with a staggering amount of 7000 blankets which is equivalent to nearly 2 million Kenyan Shillings.

The challenges presented by participants were entertaining, eccentric, and innovative, and included activities such as teaching a dog how to jump through a hoop, juggling with four balls and learning how to fix a puncture!

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the P2 pupils that participated in the Children for Children project.

The Sukuma Twende Junior members, including Niah Shah, Shay Shah and Reeyan Shah

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28 October 2020

http://www.peponischool.org

Who were the Blankets donated to?

We donated the 7000 blankets to over 20 charities who then distributed the blankets on the ground to poverty-stricken communities. The charities we donated to include: Mathare Youth Sports Association, Charity Connect vetted by i-Afrika and Rebirth of a Queen.

It was truly heart-warming to see the soft smiles on the children’s faces, whose families have already been faced with financial hardships due to Covid-19, when receiving the blankets.

You can visit our Instagram page @sukuma.twende.trust to see some of the challenges our participants shared and gain greater insight into the other projects we have been involved in.

Niah Shah handing over the blankets to a member of MYSA

Shay Shah handing over blankets to members of Homeless of Nairobi Organisation

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28 October 2020

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The Outsider By: Abhay Mohan The living room was dark, and quiet Before I even came in I knew something was wrong. The TV was dead it was deadly silent, no hum of the generator or even the fridge.

There also a weird sweetish smell in the air.

“DAD!!!”

Now I could see a figure slumped next to the couch and even in the dark, I could tell it was him. He was so familiar and yet so alien at the same time. His features were the same and yet he looked so different. Maybe it was because everything about him was drooping and still, usually he was up and about and was energetic at all times. He always had a warm look when he looked at me and there was an electric glint in his eye. All these traits, I realised were traits that only someone who was alive could have.

I crumpled to the floor and crawled over towards him, now my hands were covered in blood and so were my knees. As I got closer I saw his white shirt turned crimson by the blood that was oozing out of a gunshot wound in his chest. I reached for his face to close his eyes but my had was shaking so hard that as I closed his eyes, I smeared blood all over his face. I fell away and retched.

How could this happen?

I wiped the blood away and went back to dad. I touched his face and felt so hollow when his cheek felt as cold as a stone. My only family was dead and it felt like my heart had been ripped right out of my chest and then had been stabbed multiple times with a fork.

Reality started to set in. where was I to go? There was no one like dad he was irreplaceable.

Everywhere I went I was going to be an outsider. dad was my home, and now he was gone.

I just sat next to him and slid his head into my lap.

My tears soaked my cheeks and dripped onto the lifeless shell that used to be my father.

It was kind of sad how I didn’t have anyone else to go to. It was because there was no one I had a relationship with that was anywhere near the one I had with dad. That’s I just say there sobbing when a man burst into the room. He carried a rifle with a silencer on it. That was why I had never heard the gunshot.

I froze and slowly looked up, terrified.

The man had nothing too special about him, but you could tell that he had killed someone before.

There was something in his eyes that gave him away, it was as if something inside him had died and there was nothing left.

He pointed the gun at me and I stared it down. I mean, what’s there in living if there’s no one in the world that you care about?

He hesitated for just a second. And then there was a flash.

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28 October 2020

http://www.peponischool.org

At last..!

It has been an absolute pleasure to begin our phased return to Peponi School today and welcome boarding pupils from Yr 9 (Shell) and Yr 12 (Lower VIth). All COVID-19 measures are fully in place thereby firmly adhering to Government guidance. Whether the boys and girls are returning to their House, their Housemistress or Housemaster and the comfort of their rooms, or whether it is their first venture across the threshold as they transition to senior school, the Peponi community begins to strengthen once again and the smiling faces say it all.

Other year groups will be similarly welcomed over the course of this week ensuring that the classrooms, the sports pitches and the Houses will once again be alive with the enthusiasms and energies of our pupils. Where personal circumstances dictate, a minority of pupils have elected to remain remote for this second half of term - and we look forward to welcoming them back to the Peponi family in the new year.

Karl Cook

Director of Boarding and Extra-Curricular

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28 October 2020

http://www.peponischool.org

Recipe from Chef Silvester Beetroot With Fresh Mint For adding a splash of colour to a cold spread, this ruby red salad is hard to beat. The simple mint and balsamic dressing really brings out the earthly flavour of beetroot.

Ingredients (Serves Four) 4-6 raw beetroot (beets) 5-10ml/1-2 tbsp balsamic vinegar Juice of ½ lemon 30ml/2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil 1 bunch fresh mint, leaves stripped and thinly sliced salt

Method Trim off the tops of the leafy stalks down to about 2.5cm/1in of the beetroot. Wash the beetroot but do not peel. Cook in boiling water for 1-2 hours, depending on the size: small ones will be tender after about 1 hour. Drain the beetroot, then cool and peel. Slice or cut into even dice with a sharp knife.

Put the cooked beetroot in a bowl. Add the sugar, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, olive oil and a pinch of salt and toss together to combine.

Add half the thinly sliced fresh mint to the salad and toss lightly until well combined. Place the salad in the refrigerator and chill for about 1 hour. Serve garnished with the remaining thinly sliced mint leaves.

Chef Silvester

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WILD PEPONI

Grey woodpecker (Dendropicos goertae) The African grey woodpecker is a species of bird in the woodpecker family Picidae. Is a widespread and frequently common resident breeder in much of Sub-Saharan and equatorial Africa. It is a species associated with forest and bush which nests in a tree hole, often in an oil palm, laying two to four eggs.

Photo credits: Mr. Robin Backhouse

Photo taken at Peponi School

28 October 2020

http://www.peponischool.org

Jokes and Quotes from the Music Department

Did you know?

Most toilets flush in Eb The world’s smallest instrument is a NANOHARP – and is about the size of a red blood cell There are over 1,600 versions of ‘Yesterday’ by Paul McCartney & John Lennon.

The fear of performing (aka stage fright) is known as TOPOPHOBIA

James Laight

Director of Music

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28 October 2020

http://www.peponischool.org

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

Peponi School PO Box 236, Ruiru 00232 +(254) 020 354 6456 +(254) 0733 615 139; +(254) 0722 287 248