84 The Chronicle 2021 Art Exhibition and Photographic Competition Kearsney College was proud host of the Culture@Kearsney Art Exhibition and Photographic Competition in June. Although the Art Exhibition was held in different venue and was without the usual festivities of the launch of Culture@Kearsney, it was nonetheless a fantastic showcase of art in our province. We were impressed by hyper-realistic drawings that drew the viewers’ attention and beautifully detailed paintings that had a bold impact as you walked into the space. Intriguing digital work held the gaze of fascinated onlookers, and throughout the gallery the talent and skill showcased in all the submitted works were commendable. Many works demonstrated how much the young artists of today had reflected the world in which they live. These teenagers have internalised their experiences and conceptualised mature responses to the events of South Africa and the world at large. This strong socio-political awareness is a testament to the youth’s powerful voice. This exhibition provides a broader audience for these opinions through the medium of creative expression. The photographic component of Culture@Kearsney is a multi-category event that draws entries from both High Schools and Primary Schools. Photographs are the universal language of the era and photographers are our eyes to the world. Whether experienced or beginner, photographers inform and inspire and put the broader world into context. This competition, which encourages innovation and aims to elevate the talent of young photographers, drew a record number of entries. The young photographers captured and documented people, animals, events, and buildings, while visually portraying a range of emotions and passions. They recreated subjects at the click of a button and directed our eyes and hearts to the objects and sentiments we often miss in our busy everyday lives. Words@Kearsney Also emotionally stirring were the entries submitted to Words@Kearsney. As in 2020, the 2021 Words@ Kearsney took an electronic format as the COVID-19 pandemic thwarted our attempt to host a live spoken word art evening. Contributors questioned identity, sexuality, purpose, femininity and social conventions as they searched to craft responses to the theme ‘These Things Matter’. Poems were compellingly written and skilfully demonstrated the depth of emotion that teenagers feel. Short stories were entertaining and the narrative twists and turns were clever and unexpected. The Kearsney boys attempted shape poems that were creatively expressive and illustrated an excellent depth of poetic engagement and understanding of literary devices. Poetry requires a certain bravery and this was very evident in the submissions. We applaud all the young ladies and gentlemen who had the courage to pen their convictions so eloquently. On a personal note, I would like to sincerely thank Kearsney’s Head of Culture, Ite Machobane, for his positivity in a year that saw so much of the possibility for his role destroyed. I would also like to thank the cultural staff for passionately preparing for every event, even when the odds were that they would be cancelled. The boys suffered tremendously with the prohibition of events; however, the staff tried their best to provide creative outlets for the boys. I know this was not easy, but their efforts have not gone unnoticed and are greatly appreciated. Ms Andrea Fripp Director of Clubs and Culture Catholic Catechism / Confirmation There was a renewed enthusiasm for Catholic catechism and confirmation classes this year. The Grade 9 and 10 boys met most Monday afternoons to discuss the basic elements of faith with Mr Waldburger and Mr Edwards. Many topics were covered and questions answered, including salvation history, why we have confirmation, why we go to Mass, what happens to us after we die, and prayer. The Grade 11 boys attended Confirmation classes at St Dominic’s Catholic Church in Hillcrest this year. This was one of the largest groups in many years and they thoroughly enjoyed the process. A meaningful retreat on the theme of “How to live out your faith” was held in the Kearsney Chapel on Sunday 10 October. The following boys were confirmed at St Dominic’s by the Archbishop on Sunday 24 October: Ethan Hughes, Bandile Makhaye, Joshua Maskell, Luc Painting, Owen Payne, Hloni Penane, Neo Ramalitse and Ben van Herzeele. Mr Steven Edwards Teacher in Charge Chess Regular players: Bongumenzi Zungu, Jason de Gryse, Matthew Gourlay, Kyle Mackay, Ben Millar, Dylan Olivier, Matthew Smith, Dylan van Tonder and Jua van Wyk The chess season was plagued with constant disruptions DUE TO change in COVID restrictions. However, chess became an activity many boys enjoyed during this trying time. The growth in the sport is welcome, with Kearsney experiencing a strong intake of juniors into the Chess elective programme. Of the few inter-school games played during the year, we fell short against Werda, Hillcrest High School and Thomas More and beat Pinetown Girls’ High School. Congratulations to Pembroke for winning the interhouse competition, with standout performances from Ryan Smith and Jua van Wyk, who won the junior and senior competitions respectively. Mr Bradley Savage-Reid Teacher in Charge Culture@Kearsney The year began with anticipation and excitement that the full cultural calendar could be realised. Sadly, this was not to be, as we were forced to postpone and then cancel events due to COVID regulations. Staff and boys put in many hours of preparations in the hope that we could host our events, but we only managed a few. 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