Chess Society

"There are more adventures on a chessboard than on all the seas of the world." — Pierre Mac Orlan

About the Chess Society

Practice times are usually decided upon during a general meeting at the beginning of the year. Inter-schools’ matches take place on Mondays between 15:00 and 17:00 during the first, second and sometimes third terms. During the first term players may participate in the Midlands Individual Challenge. A commitment to play for the full duration of the tournament is required. During the second term our teams participate in the Pietermaritzburg and Districts Inter-Schools Chess League.

Debating

"Debating is a valuable activity that offers learners an opportunity to develop their research, listening and critical thinking skills."

Thinking critically about issues.

GHS has a well supported and active debating society which participates in the Pietermaritzburg league. The school enters Grade 8, junior (Grades 9 and 10) and senior (Grades 11 and 12) teams in the league. League debates take place in the first and second terms. Training and guidance is given to debaters to ensure that they are properly prepared for each debate.

Topics for debate include local, national and international concerns. Debating is a valuable activity that offers learners an opportunity to develop their research, listening and critical thinking skills. Debating encourages the girls to become aware of what is going on around them, and to think critically about a variety of social, political economic and environmental issues.

GHS entered six teams into the Pietermaritzburg Leagues at the beginning of 2011. After 5 rounds, 4 of those teams ranked in the top eight in their leagues and qualified for the quarterfinals.

In the grade 8 league GHS2 debated very well to beat The Wykeham Collegiate to reach the semi-finals. Kajal Sewrathan was the Best Speaker.

Both GHS Junior teams reached the Quarterfinals. GHS1 and GHS2 beat Alex teams to go through to the semi-finals. Priyanka Ramgoolam was named Best Speaker for GHS1.

The Senior first team are ranked first in their league having won all five debates. The first team beat Carter in the Quarterfinals and Nicola Rule was the Best Speaker.

The semi-finals for all three leagues will be on the 27th July, next term.

Nicola Rule, Erica Prince, Priyanka Ramgoolam, Adila Hassan, Kelly Russell, Thandeka Khoza and Kajal Sewrathan have been invited to participate in the Provincial Tournament where selection for the Provincial Teams will take place.

18 July 2011
Five girls attended the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Debating Championships during the holidays. All five girls debated extremely well. Priyanka Ramgoolam was selected as a reserve for the open squad and Kajal Sewrathan was selected as a member of the junior squad.

Enviro-Care

"We normally have one or two outings during the year. Places of interest include: Butterflies for Africa, African Bird of Prey Centre, the Botanical Gardens and Tala Game Reserve."

Learn more about your environment

The Enviro-Care society is a small but active society which meets every week at tea-time on a Wednesday. We have informative talks, videos, and play games in order to learn more about our environment. In 2010 we visited uShaka Marine World and “Free Me”, an organization which cares for and rehabilitates injured wild animals.

Two teams prepared for and entered the  annual WESSA Enviro Quiz for schools and the GHS A Team did very well to be placed third. We hosted the Quiz in 2011. The society has sponsored many worthwhile causes. In 2011 we raised funds for “Free Me”.

Girls for God

"Through a caring atmosphere and much fun, girls are encouraged to grow in their relationship with God. They are equipped to bring others to a greater knowledge of Christ."

Taking Christ into the Classroom

‘Girls for God’ is a big, vibrant society which holds a few meetings each week - the main meeting being on a Friday at lunch break. Through a caring atmosphere and much fun, girls are encouraged to grow in their relationship with God. They are equipped to bring others to a greater knowledge of Christ. The society also ensures that work is done in the community.

Hindu Students Society (HSS)

The Hindu Students' Society is a relatively new society.

 This page will be updated soon.

Green Elly

"This society is a community of writers – a group of learners who love to write or who enjoy expressing their views on a variety of topics."

A community of writers

The “Green Elly” is the learners’ magazine – one in which all articles, poetry and artwork is created by the learners themselves. The topics range from feature articles to motivational writing, from current affairs to school activities, and from reviews, jokes and gossip to emotively written poetry.

The girls meet once a week, during which time they discuss, write and edit their work under the guidance of the teachers in charge. And whilst these teachers are in charge of editing the final product, the committee is in charge of laying out all articles on the computer in a manner that is creatively artistic and reader-friendly.

The final product is then published and distributed to the school community. There are three publications of the “Green Elly” during the course of the year, and interest in this society is growing all the time.

The result of this combined effort is a magazine that is becoming increasingly diverse in its range of topics and increasingly professional in its layout, whilst simultaneously reflecting the views and interests of the learners themselves.

Interact

“We can do no great things. Only small things with great love.” Mother Theresa

Interact Society

Interact is very much intertwined in the fabric of GHS. It is a Society that unifies learners from all cultural, racial and social groups to aid those who are less fortunate. Through various projects, the members become empathetic and understanding.

The Society has regular contact with other Interact groups at several schools in Pietermaritzburg. A regular event on the Interact calendar is ‘Cars in the Park’ where members assist at the entrances and help man various stalls.

Close to Girls’ High is Marian Villa Home where the elderly residents receive regular visits and small gifts from Interact. The Society has been acknowledged by Rotary for their collection of toiletries for the women’s Rape Clinic at Grey’s Hospital.

The Society’s main objective is to promote camaraderie amongst the learners; bring sunshine into the lives of others and lastly show appreciation, through our small acts of kindness, to those who constitute our close-knit GHS family.

Music

"Our thriving Music Department and Music School offers girls a range of musical opportunities"

Offering a range of musical opportunities

GHS Wind Band

The GHS Wind Band consists of approximately 35 members, comprising flutes, clarinets, saxophones, trumpets, trombones, euphonium, tuba and a percussion section. The Wind Band performs at school functions as well as in the broader community. In 2011 they performed at the Pietermaritzburg Botanical Gardens function “Music in the Gardens”, the Lutheran Church in Hayfields and went on tour to the KZN North Coast. The Band has regular practices during the week and they thoroughly enjoy every minute of it as they consider themselves one big family.  

Music as a Subject

At GHS we offer a variety of instruments. The learners are given the option of doing music as a subject instead of art and drama. In this music program learners are taught during school time. Once the learner has enough knowledge about their particular instrument they are able to join the GHS Wind Band.

The Music Workshop

 If learners choose to do art and drama as a subject instead of music and would still like to learn an instrument, they have the opportunity to take private lessons after school. The instruments on offer for private lessons include drums, guitar, piano, violin, saxophone and voice training. These lessons are also available to the members of the wider community.

(Updated on 4 may 2012 by Michaela O'Connor and Jenilee Mosdell)

Gospel Choir

The Gospel Choir is an active group that participates in school functions like Speech Day; and publicly if so requested. They also take part in inter-school competitions.

We work together as a group to make the Choir a musical force to be reckoned with. Our music really heals the broken soul.

GHS Choir

This choir has a membership of 60 learners. The aim is to develop first class choral singing through the medium of contemporary and classical music. The choir always performs at Speech Days. At the SASMT Eisteddfod in 2007, the choir earned the highest mark ever awarded in any category.

Chamber choir

This is a small choir of about twenty members. They focus on dense, more complex choral texture created by three and four-part singing. They perform at Speech Days, corporate functions, weddings and funerals.