Aylin Olmez, Kyle Moyo, and Owenkosi Sigudla, Grade 10
UWCSA (Waterford)
UWC Day is the annual celebration of what the UWC movement stands for, its mission and values, central to which is the ‘celebration of diversity.’ Waterford Kamhlaba is one of the 18 colleges worldwide a part of this movement. In 1963, Waterford was one of the first schools in Southern Africa to welcome students irrespective of race, religion or socio-economic background. Waterford Kamhlaba joined the United World Colleges movement in 1981, having first been an associate member of UWC since 1978. In the spirit of ‘international and intercultural understanding’, UWC Day at Waterford Kamhlaba is a day where we gather as a community to appreciate the array of different nationalities and cultures that our students represent. It features a ‘Parade of Nations’, where students give the school a little taste of their home country, dressing in their traditional attires and greeting the rest of the school in their native languages while proudly toting their national flags. The rest of the day is packed with speeches, performances and dining on international cuisine from student-led food stalls.
UWC Day is an experience like no other, and an excellent opportunity for the students, parents, staff and broader Waterford family alike to truly witness the authenticity of what makes us unique, as individuals, as a community and as a UWC school. The whole event is a community service project, and it is organized by a student group named The Link Group, this group of students spend months in planning and organizing the event with the help of Mrs. Mills of course. Many teachers also participate in the planning of the event; at the end of the day, it becomes a community effort.
No one expected the global pandemic to be spread so fast in such little time, so it was a shock to all students when the school closed abruptly. At first, the idea of closing brought excitement, but it was until the buzz settled that we realized that this was going to change many things. For students in their final year, it was somewhat nerve-wracking because this left many questions that would need to be answered. School closing early meant that many extracurricular activities would come to an end. We would have to say goodbye to many of our friends, knowing that we were only going to be able to meet them over online classes.
However, one of the most devastating parts about closing early is realizing that we would be unable to celebrate UWC Day. We had already begun our preparations for the event. Many nations had started practising their traditional dances, drafting ideas of what would be served on the day, and getting their attires ready. We were truly on our way to UWC Day. UWC Day is one of the most important days on campus. Everyone loved the idea of being able to express their diversity and to convey the beauty being in a space where difference is not just accepted but celebrated. When UWC Day came around, we were already in our separate places, and social media was the only platform we could use to celebrate UWC Day. Although we were apart, in our different places around the globe in such trying times, the spirit of compassion, love and celebration of diversity would live on.
UWC Day is an experience like no other, and an excellent opportunity for the students, parents, staff and broader Waterford family alike to truly witness the authenticity of what makes us unique, as individuals, as a community and as a UWC school. The whole event is a community service project, and it is organized by a student group named The Link Group, this group of students spend months in planning and organizing the event with the help of Mrs. Mills of course. Many teachers also participate in the planning of the event; at the end of the day, it becomes a community effort.
No one expected the global pandemic to be spread so fast in such little time, so it was a shock to all students when the school closed abruptly. At first, the idea of closing brought excitement, but it was until the buzz settled that we realized that this was going to change many things. For students in their final year, it was somewhat nerve-wracking because this left many questions that would need to be answered. School closing early meant that many extracurricular activities would come to an end. We would have to say goodbye to many of our friends, knowing that we were only going to be able to meet them over online classes.
However, one of the most devastating parts about closing early is realizing that we would be unable to celebrate UWC Day. We had already begun our preparations for the event. Many nations had started practising their traditional dances, drafting ideas of what would be served on the day, and getting their attires ready. We were truly on our way to UWC Day. UWC Day is one of the most important days on campus. Everyone loved the idea of being able to express their diversity and to convey the beauty being in a space where difference is not just accepted but celebrated. When UWC Day came around, we were already in our separate places, and social media was the only platform we could use to celebrate UWC Day. Although we were apart, in our different places around the globe in such trying times, the spirit of compassion, love and celebration of diversity would live on.
www.unitedworldwide.co