The junior school, from the Grade 4s to the Grade 7s, was pulsating with preparation for the annual Stay Awake of 7th February. The theme was A Night in The Jungle #HAKUNAMATATA. The entire junior school met in the hall to watch The Lion King for a little inspiration to find their wild side.
On the night, the foyer was decorated with beautiful drop sheets, chalkboards with fantastic messages inspiring the girls to find their roar, and The Lion King characters marching towards the hall ready for a night of great fun.
The little adventurers arrived and, with some help from their parents, set up camp in the jungle. The ceremonial pop of the balloon marked the first hour and the beginning of the night. The first activity was for the girls to design their own jungles. They did this by creating posters. All the jungles were awesome, but the winning jungle was created by Group 10.
The next activity was much anticipated; not only by the girls but also by the staff and the parents who stayed behind in the gallery to bear witness to the girls’ remarkable talent. The group dances were the highlight of the evening. All the dances were outstanding and well-choreographed which made judging very difficult. Ultimately the honour of the Best Group Dance went to Group 7.
Then the girls were challenged to find and become the animal within. They created face masks from material they brought from home. We were treated to a great and creative variety of jungle animals; from silver lions to blue elephants. A winner was chosen in every class. Well done to Sibabalwe Madwara 4C, Gizelle Dennis 4R, Danielle Fritz 5C, Oko Mdlalo 5R, Ingilosi Rune 6C, Ayema Douw 6R, Jade Afrikaner 7C and Celine Dinie 7R.
The Midnight Feast had been on everyone’s mind before the night even began. When it finally came the girls gobbled up the snacks with great enthusiasm and chatter. However, once sated, the sand man, our enemy, started visiting a few of the girls. It was fortunate that soon after the feast we had our Jungle Jives, an impromptu dance party that got the blood moving and the heart pumping once again.
This was for the best because they needed to be alert for the next activity, the Treasure Hunt. The girls, torch in hand, braved the dark to track the animals. They not only found animals but also the police and the security guard on duty.
Afterwards the girls made bugs… to eat! They used biscuits, sweets and icing sugar to create some cool creepy crawlies, which they generously shared with the teachers.
In the Disco Inter Grade Dance Competition the girls went head to head to find the ultimate dancing queen in each grade. The junior school has some fantastic dance moves and did not make it easy for each other or the judges. Congratulations to the winners, Dante Muller, Saphindw'Abukwe Dondashu, Viwe Mali Leya Bosman and Liyanda Jack.
 
After some karaoke and a few dance-alongs, came the very competitive Stay Awake sport, Balloon Beat. Ophola Zilani in grade 4 dominated the grade 4s and the grade 5s and Buhlebenkosi Paais in grade 6 did the same to the grade 6s and the grade 7s, to claim their victories.
 
Finally, as the sky began to lighten, the girls went on an excursion to find the sun. On their way they also picked up some litter on the school grounds. Before coming back in for the last dance party and the pop of the last balloon, signalling the end of a wonderful night. It was the grade 7s last Stay Awake and they stayed behind to clean up to some great DJing by Miss Hattingh.
 
The Stay Awake was a success; filled happiness, dance and laughter. Even in the quiet moments, when the only sound was the lazy scratch of crayon across paper or the crisp snip of a scissor, joy hung in the air like the scent of an orange peel. Sweet and comforting. Thank you to all the staff and the learners for making it so. Thank you to Mrs Stear and Mrs Snyman for fostering this magical night.
 
The winning group, who collected the most money, was Group 14. The individuals that collected the most money were 1st Kee-Lyn Armoed, 2nd Chandre Klue and 3rd Keira-Lee Armoed. Congratulations, girls.