The senior Inter-house Gala was held on the 29^th March 2017 and was enthusiastically supported by all the girls. They arrived with beaming smiles and heaps of enthusiasm, ready to swim and support their respective houses. However…
As the girls gathered at their meeting points, they decorated themselves in war paint and adorned their battle armour. They drew elaborate designs in green, yellow or blue on their skin, ready to intimidate their enemy. Their battle cries preceded them as each house entered the arena, proudly brandishing their house banners and flaunting their chosen designs. The energy reverberated from every corner as the battle began. This was no ordinary gala; this was war.
Elizabeth proudly began the dance-off while displaying their customized “lizzy” t-shirts. They were determined to strike fear into the heart of their enemy houses. Each dance move received appreciative calls from the audience, especially when Aarti Gajjar led the group with her mesmerizing traditional Indian dancing.
Elton followed suit in their tribal attire and face-paint designs, displaying both unity and confidence. They stayed true to their tribal theme and succeeded in creating a riveting impact on their audience.
Eleanor finished the trio of dances with their dance consisting of precise movements, yellow ribbons and yellow tutus. They executed each movement in unison and displayed great dedication and excitement. 
Elton’s tribal dance was declared the overall champion of the gala dances. A special thank you to the head of Elton house Jamie-Lee Daniels, head of Eleanor house Lelona Myira and head of Elizabeth house Sanelisiwe Jikeka. The matrics, under the guidance of their house leaders, practiced for many hours in preparation for their dances.
The teachers also felt the need to participate in the dances and decided to surprise the girls with a dance of their very own. Dr Boucher scared the girls by announcing that they all needed to be quiet due to behavioural problems which needed to be addressed. Everyone stared wildly around, looking for an explanation for the sudden serious tone. Little did they know that the “misbehaving girls” were in fact their own teachers, who proudly led in to the swimming pool area dressed in their summer outfits. They had their own summer themed dance to perform for their ecstatic audience. The teachers passionately executed their dance, choreographed by Mrs Gerber, and finished with a flourish as they jumped into the pool.
The girls maintained their enthusiasm and spirit throughout the warm day by singing, cheering and dancing to motivate their swimming comrades. The atmosphere was truly energizing and mirthful. However, Elizabeth rose above the rest to win Best Spirit.
The swimmers swam valiantly for their houses. Butterfly, breaststroke, freestyle, potato race and many more. A special mention must be made of Alyssa-Jane Maritz and her sister Keely Maritz, both from Elizabeth house, who swam most of the races and placed 1^st or 2^nd  the majority of the time. They contributed heavily to the points for their house and swam with precision and determination while constantly being cheered on by their house. It was an amazing sight to see the Elizabeth members walk the length of the pool next to their swimmers, cheering them on and encouraging them to earn the points for their house.
Many girls participated for the first time in this gala and the shear zealousness of the swimmers is simply indescribable. Everyone who swam tried their best and simply enjoyed the experience of swimming for their house, regardless of where they placed for the race.
The Matrics had an especially memorable race when they all took part in the biathlon. The Matrics marched around the field and held their house flags high, standing united as one Matric group comprised of their different houses. They finished their march and returned to complete the second half of the biathlon. They jumped into the pool, hands linked, and forged ahead in unison to ceremoniously complete their final gala. They were unified as they all reached the finish of the race and placed their entwined hands at the end of the pool as one body. It was their final race and they had all won and finished together.
At the end of the day Elizabeth was announced the overall winner of the gala, followed by Eleanor, and lastly, Elton. The houses cheered at their triumph and the day came to an end.
Thank you very much to all the teachers involved in making the gala such a memorable occasion for everyone involved and thank you to Mrs Peltason who was the announcer for the event. Thank you also to the Media girls who worked the whole day to take photos of the event and capture unforgettable memories and a thank you to Natalie Petzer and her team who worked with the sound equipment for the day.