Three bubbly and excited Grade 7 pupils will go to America later this year as part of a learnership programme.
Jahdene November, Azrah Ismail and Imaan Fortuin from Floreat Primary School leave for Orlando, Florida, for two months at the end of July and hope to build lifelong connections and friendships.
The girls were part of a selection group of 20 pupils who averaged above 70 percent and had to write essays motivating why they wanted to be part of the experience and they came out tops.
Azrah, a Western Province athlete who has hopes of becoming an athletics star, said the exposure to sports in the USA might help her one day achieve her dreams.
“In my essay I wrote about my family and coming from a poverty stricken community. Coming from Lavender Hill I have big athletic dreams and many of the great runners in this world have been trained in America so I would really like to be able to do that and become better in my sport.”
Jahdene, who is an English boffin, said she wants to experience new things in life and learn the American culture and curriculum. “Life is very different there and they do things differently to South Africa and I would love to take some of the positive things I learn there and implement it when I come back. I’m so excited because it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity.”
Imaan, who loves mathematics, is looking forward to learning more about the subject, to implementing new ways of learning and not experience load shedding for two months. The girls are also excited to visit Disney World on their tour.
Principal Noel Isaacs works closely with Trinity Preparatory, the school where the girls will be spending the two months, and said the programme is a wonderful opportunity.
“It’s their first time travelling out of Cape Town and the continent and their first time on an aeroplane. They will be exposed to a new education system and totally contrasting cultural and social space so there will be a lot to adapt and learn and hopefully this will open up more opportunities for them in the future.”
The school and parents have been hard at work raising funds for the girls’ travelling and spending money and will be hosting a karaoke disco on Friday June 2 at the school hall from 7pm to midnight. Tickets cost R80 and corkage and a cooler box fee of R50 can be paid at the door and takeaways will be sold on the night. Tickets are available and the school. Anyone willing to donate towards the trip can contact the school directly on 021 701 2303.
