Our Grade 7 Farewell

Today was a very special day at our school: The Grade 7 Farewell. To give you a little background information, a Grade 7 farewell is a graduation of sorts before kids head to secondary school for grade 8. Parents, teachers, and grade 7 kids gather to celebrate all the accomplishments and memories made over the last 7 years at primary school. Poems, dances, and speeches are shared. And no South African event is complete without a big meal of fried chicken, beef, pap, rice, butternut, beetroot and a million other delicious sides.

I just wanted to share a few highlights from the day, let’s make it 7 to honour our grade 7 grads, as a way to give you a glimpse into my school life...celebration style.

1. Poetry

School events, such as the farewell, give kids a chance to share their talents on stage. Today we had several passionately performed poems. Below is the video of three girls (Grade 6 and 7) reciting the poem Africa My Pride (a frequent, yet always moving, pick among the kids).

2. Warm Fuzzies

These 68 kids were the first class I taught for a full straight year here in SA. I only saw them for a couple hours each week for creative arts, but I was still able to connect with them, make memories, and watch them grow. I had the honour of giving one of the speeches at the event today. I was overflowing with pride and gratitude as I looked out at the amazing young men and women they have become.

A snippet from my speech: Nelson Mandela once said, “The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” You will fall in life. This world can be cruel and painful. But just as we have been discussing in Creative Arts, do not let mistakes, fears, or obstacles stop you from reaching greatness. Rather, take that pain and make something beautiful from it. So please, never lose your playful imagination. You will need it. After all, no one was ever remembered in history for doing something that had already been done. Think for yourselves. Do something original and always show up with your best self each day. It doesn’t matter what awful thing you did yesterday, or what amazing thing you’ll do tomorrow. You have an opportunity to decide who you will be today and how you can use the pain and joy of the past to create a better tomorrow. With a little laughter and a lot of hard work, you each have the unique potential to change our world in a way that no one else can. So get out there. Show up. And do it.

3. Pictures Pictures Pictures

What’s that you say? The event can’t start because the power is out? No problem! We will just take selfies for 2 hours and LOVE IT! But seriously. We did. And aren’t they just beautiful?! Check out those dope matching shirts.

4. Gumboot Performance

Gumboot dancing is one of my favourite things in South Africa. It started in the mines and was used as a type of communication under the Apartheid regime. It was also later used as a form of protest against the oppressive government. Today, it is a dance rich in history and a mesmerising form of entertainment across South Africa. Here is a short clip of the gumboot dance some of our learners performed today. I heard them practicing this almost everyday after school the past few weeks! So cool to see it all come together.

5. The Food

Not only does the food taste incredible, but it is prepared and served with a whole lot of hard work topped with love. Teachers and parents arrived early at school today to chop, mix, and cook to feed the hundreds of people at the event. It’s amazing to see everyone come together, find their role in the chaos, and end up with absolute deliciousness. I wish I would’ve taken pictures of the huge iron pots of pap on the fire. It takes some serious strength to stir that stuff! Anyway, the food never disappoints and I loved getting to be a part of the serving team. Today, I got rice duty!

6. Awards

We do not always have our award ceremony on the same day as the farewell, but this year we combined them. We only did the top prestigious awards and saved the rest for a school day next week. This picture is of the overall top performing learner at our school. He is in first grade!! The excitement and support during awards is electric. The room is full of parents ululating, dancing, and taking photos of their child as they receive their award. The best part is, everyone joins in for the celebration, even when it’s not their child, or even when it’s a child they have never met. It’s incredible support. That’s how amazing community can be.

7. The People

Obviously, all these things have to do with people, and people are really what make events like this so special. Well I was enjoying the festivities, I couldn’t help but think about how much I will miss days like this when I leave South Africa. It’s truly a beautiful image of joy, celebration, togetherness, and love. I always like to think that God’s kingdom is a dancing kingdom, and today was a kingdom come kind of day.