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BLUE THREAD Issue 24
fotograaf SEMICKA GROVES
fotograaf CAITLIN SCHOEMAN | ontwerper HANNA VAN ZYL
fotograaf CAITLIN SCHOEMAN | ontwerper HANNA VAN ZYL
Hello & Go
oodbyephotographer SEMICKA GROVES | designer JANDRÉ ERASMUS
photographer ESTA ENGELBRECHT | journalist MICHE GRIEGO & HANNA VAN ZYL | designer HANNA VAN ZYL
fotograaf SEMICKA GROVES | ontwerper JANDRÉ ERASMUS
TRADITION.
It is the last Saturday of the December holidays,and the early morning sun is gleaming in throughyour curtains, the birds are chirping, and yourmind is filled with happy plans for your last fewdays of rest before school starts.This is not the case for our 2022 Brakkies, as theyare walking through the gates of Parel Vallei HighSchool (the jungle) for the first time… just as youturn around for 30 more minutes of sleep. Water, check. Sunscreen, check. Jungle survivalkit, check. With big, excited eyes, crisp uniforms, theiroversized school bags and hand-crafted brakkies,the grade 8 class of 2022 entered the gates of thejungle, accompanied by their team of enthusiasticrangers on 15 January 2022. The next few dayswould reveal if they have what it takes to outlastand become Bulldogs. The orientation week included challenges likesingsongs, tie-dye, the infamous grade 8 danceand brakkie test, set up by our rangers who tookspecial pleasure in watching the brakkies sweat,trying to remember facts like who on earth“Wetwipe” or “Vaselinetjie” is, while beingdistracted by a rubber chicken and doing all ofthis with one hand in the air!They were kept on their toes, with strict rulesincluding always having their Brakkie withthem. An abandoned Brakkie meant singing theschool song by yourself, running around thefield, and doing the grade 8 dance in front ofeveryone (or at least attempting to do so!) A new school and a new tribe, but how did theBrakkies experience their jungle week?Unanimously, they were nervous and scared, yetexcited. COME ON INBRAKKIES!photographer BENRICO KROG | journalist UNATHI MANKALHA | designer CAITLIN SCHOEMAN
Their favourite part of the week was meetingtheir new teachers, making new friends, gettingto know their mentors, and just having loads offun. Our brakkies embraced the challenges likechamps and showed true TUNGU right from theonset. “I knew they were a special group from themoment I saw them. They were so excited andmotivated.” (Head ranger, Dean Bulfon) Let us not forget our rangers, the prefects- theywere the life, brains, and leaders of theorientation week. They worked hard and it feltlike a “rollercoaster” at times, but they enjoyedthe ride too. . Feeling the excitement, the gees, the enthusiasmof the brakkies and of course seeing thepriceless looks on their faces when they weregiven not so glamorous tasks to do. If they wereclose before this week, the jungle brought themeven closer as a prefect-family and taught themvaluable lessons in preparation for the yearahead.The week ended with the ringing of the bell andeager parents watching as the Brakkiesgraduated to Bulldogs, wearing their PV blazerwith pride.Brakkies, your rangers have spoken: You arenow Bulldogs and a part of the Blue Threadtribe. Keep those torches burning. Enjoy it andgood luck for the years ahead, they are the bestones yet!
photographer GEOFFREY LERWICK | journalist STELLA SAVIDES | designer CAITLIN SCHOEMAN
Interskole is een van die grootste byeenkomste van die jaar. Drie skole kom bymekaar om die titelvan beste skool in die Helderbergkom te kry. Hoërskole Parel Vallei, Strand en Hottentots-Hollandkom jaarliks bymekaar om te uit te vind wie die beste is. Dit is 'n dag vol pret, gees, sport ensportmanskap. Diè jaar was geen uitsondering nie. Ongelukkig kon ons vir die afgelope twee jaarnie interskole hê nie as gevolg van die Covid-19 pandemie.Vanjaar se interskole was die eerste van sy soort, met al drie skole wat die geesbeker deel. Die dag het begin met die opening gedoen deur die drie skole se hoofleiers en skoolhoofde. Almalhet baie motiverende woorde gedeel, maar een hoof idee het uitgestaan: ons het saam gestaan deurdie covid tye en deur gedruk. Daarna, in 'n warrelwind van musiek, kleur en dansers begin die optog. Dit het begin met 'n sangervan elke skool terwyl die res van die optog op die veld oploop. Na dit het die verskillende groepedansers en vlagdraers die skare se asems gesteel met danspassies wat perfek gekoreografeer was eninteressante kostuums. Die “Big Finale” was drie mooi meisies in rokke met masiewe rompe wat oplere gestaan het met gekleurde rookbomme. Daar is baie videos en en foto’s geneem deur dieleerders en professionele fotograwe, as jy meer foto’s wil sien, besoek gerus die skool se Facebook-blad. Toe begin die hoof item van die dag; Die sport. Daar was nie 'n enkele oomblik wat elke deel van dieveld nie vol atlete was nie. Daar was hoogspringers wat oor latte vlieg verspringers wat vir rekordsspring, naelloop atlete wat hardloop asof daar baie meer as sewe duiwels agter hulle aan is. Dieatlete het almal hul beste gegee, en nuwe rekords is opgestel. Selfs in die middel van die dag toe ditop sy warmste was het die atlete uitstekend presteer. Die sportmanskap tussen atlete vanverskillende skole was ook iets besonders. Hulle het tot op die heel einde mekaar gehelp as iemandbeseer is en mekaar gemotiveer om hul beste te gee.Ongelukkig was die dag se gees nie eintlik iets besonders nie. Met die optog was daar baie geesgewees en elke keer wanneer die baan items se atlete hulle laaste honderd meter gehardloop hetwas daar wel baie mense in die skare wat gejuig en geskree het om hul atlete aan te moedig. Met die aflos resiese het al die kinders in die skare tekere gegaan om hul atlete aan te moedig omdie laaste 100 meter voluit te hardloop en te wen. Met die Massa aflos was die kinders veral hard,selfs vir die atlete wat aan die ander kant van die veld gehardloop het.Die dag het baie goed verloop vir Parel Vallei. Ons het met al die ouderdoms groepe gewen behalwedie onder 17 seuns s'n. Die algehele resultaat was Hoërskool Hottentots-Holland in derde plek,Hoërskool Strand in tweede en Parel Vallei in Eerste Plek. Geluk aan al die atlete wat deelgeneem enpresteer het. WE WILL SURVIVEphotographer JAYDA MATTHYS | journalist ANYA ROSENSTRAUCH | designer CAITLIN SCHOEMANInterskole 2022
fotograaf SEMICKA GROVES | ontwerper JANDRÉ ERASMUS
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"Dates"?
journalist STELLA SAVIDES | designer CAITLIN SCHOEMANDon’t you hate it when all of your friends are in relationships? Always talking aboutwhere they’re going on dates and how great it is? Sometimes, you feel left out of theconversation: always walking behind them. Do you sometimes wish you could go ondates, too? Well, there are two options here. Option 1: You crash one of their dates and third wheel(highly recommended) or Option 2: You go on a date. Now for most of us, option 2 wouldn’t work. Surely you need to be dating, or at leastclose to dating, to go on a date? Let’s think about what a date actually is though. By definition, a date is a social orromantic event or appointment. If you strip away everything else, in essence, datesusually consist of you going out, having some fun, getting to know each other better andspending time together. Focus on the last two points there. That’s how you build goodrelationships: you get to know each other and spend time together. Some of the best dates are when you are relaxed, having a good time and laughing.Whether that be at a movie or in a coffee shop - it’s a great way to bond and build aconnection. So why should this only be a romantic thing? Why not go on “dates” with your friends? As I said: dates are a great way to build relationships. That includes friendships. To buildstrong friendships, you need to talk and spend time together. It’s important to get toknow one another and become comfortable around each other. I’m not saying go onromantic dinners, but why not go for coffee? Now please don’t get me wrong - there is a difference between dates and “dates”. Frompersonal experience, only one has the potential to end in a kiss so don’t get too excited.Romantic dates are important and shouldn’t be treated with indifference. There areother elements to them and they have a different outcome. However, my point still stands: you don’t need to be in a relationship to go out withpeople. Take your friends out, spend time together, laugh. Life is too short to wait untilthe “perfect” time to do things. If you want to go watch that new movie, go. If you want togo out for coffee, go. Don’t miss out on things because you feel you don’t have anyone togo with. You don’t need to be in a relationship to go on “dates”.
What is Marine Sciences?It is a wide field of work, in which many different specialtieshave a goal in understanding the ocean and its inhabitants.It is dealt into four main sections (strands), namelyOceanography, Marine Biology, Ecosystems, and Humansand the Ocean. Each of these strands also have sub-disciplines. Oceanography is the study of the physical, chemical, andbiological features of the ocean. Therefore, it is divided intothe following sub-disciplines: geological oceanography,physical oceanography, chemical oceanography, and lastlymarine meteorology. Marine Biology is the scientific study of the biology ofmarine life and other organisms in the sea. It studies theirhabitat, and the way they survive in the ocean.Ecology is the study of organisms and how they interactwith the environment. It studies the relationship betweenliving things and their habitat. Humans and the Ocean is about all the interaction betweenthem. It’s about how we as humans use the ocean, whetherit be for travel, food, recreation or the harvesting ofrenewable and non-renewable resources. It teaches aboutthe importance of learning how the ocean organismsinteract and live, as to ensure we are not interfering with orruining them. It shows the impact we have on the ocean,such as climate change, or ocean acidification.. marinesciencesmarine
IIn order to study Marine Sciences at a tertiary level,you must take Math and Physical sciences as subjectsin high school up to matriculation level. And for a BScdegree at a South African university, you have to takecourses in math, physics and chemistry.Taking Marine Science as an extra subject online istruly an advantage for university, as it helps close thegap between high school learning and universitycourses, and it can greatly help with getting into agood university. It is very interesting and a greatlearning experience. You get to meet so many peoplewith the same interests around all of South Africa, andI would greatly recommend looking into doing MarineSciences as a subject. However, you must take into consideration that it is alot more work to handle, since it is online, and therearen't many one-on-one interactions. But either way,the teachers are great, and they do as much as theyare able to.All in all, I am very grateful I have the opportunity tobe taught this subject. If you are interested in taking this subject as well,contact education@aquariumfoundation.org.za marinesciencessciences journalist SASKIA ELS | designer CAITLIN SCHOEMAN
formula 101Do you have friends that can’t stop talking about fast cars going around in circles? Want to know whatthe hype is about, but have no idea where to start? This guide is for you. There is no better time to startthan now, but in this case, now really IS the best time. We are stepping into a new era of Formula OneRacing. It’s a big year for Formula 1, with the new regulations especially created to bring about closerracing. And, after testing in Bahrain before the start of the season and an extremely exciting openingrace, it really does look as though we could be treated to yet another stellar fight for the driver’s andconstructor’s world championships this year. But not all has changed - many familiar faces and teamsare still here. drivers, teams and their cars...The 2022 grid consists of 10 teams each with 2 drivers. The teams compete for the World ConstructorsChampionship Title (WCC), awarded to the team who score the most points throughout the season,collected by both drivers. However, teammates are competing against each other and the rest of thegrid for the highly sought-after World Drivers Championship Title (WDC). This year there is only onerookie driver, Zhou Guanyu, and two recurring drivers, Kevin Magnussen and Alex Albon, the rest ofthe grid is the same as in 2021, with some drivers switching teams.Mercedes AMG (8 WCC)Sir Lewis Hamilton (#44) - British (7 WDC)George Russel (#63) - BritishRed Bull Racing (4 WCC)Max Verstappen (#33) - Dutch (1 WDC)Sergio ‘Checo’ Perez (#11) - MexicanScuderia Ferrari (16 WCC)Carlos Sainz Jnr. (#55) - SpanishCharles Leclerc (#16) - MonegasqueMcLaren (8 WCC)Daniel Ricciardo (#3) - AustralianLando Norris (#4) - BritishAlpine (2 WCC)Fernando Alonso (#14) - Spanish (2 WDC)Esteban Ocon (#31) - French Alpha Tauri Pierre Gasly (#10) - FrenchYuki Tsunoda (#22) - Japanese Aston MartinSebastian Vettel (#5) - German (4 WDC)Lance Stroll (#18) - Canadian Williams (9 WCC)Nicholas Latifi (#6) - CanadianAlex Albon (#23) - Thai Alfa RomeoValterri Bottas (#77) - FinnishZhou Guanyu (#24) - Chinese HaasKevin Magnussen (#20) - DanishMick Schumacher (#47) - German
circuits: what do the circles actually look like?Firstly, they are NOT circles (unless you have the frame of reference similar to a toddler in HappyDays). While the season will, once again, kick off with a race in Bahrain, all has changed after that. Asit stands, the 2022 calendar takes in 22 races, after the Russian Grand Prix was cancelled following thecountry’s invasion of Ukraine. Among those 22 races are four iconic events that return to the scheduleafter being struck from the calendar for the past two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. All racesand venues are subject to change, but as it currently stands, these are the race dates and locations forthe 2022 season.how does a season of F1 look? Any season of F1 racing essentially consists of 4 Parts. These all fit in between middle February andLate November. Since nearly every F1 race is in a different country, some on different continents, theraces usually have an open week in between, but there are a few double and triple headers scatteredthroughout. Part one: Pre-season testing.Pre-season testing took place 23 to 25 February and again 10 to 12 March this year. This is a chance forall teams to show off what they worked on over the holidays. The data they collect from the varioustests they do on these 6 days help shape the car they hope to win the championship with. Part two: First half of the season.The 2022 season kicked off at Bahrain, with the first free practice on the 18th of march. From here on,until the Hungarian GP in July, drivers and teams try to score as many points as possible, whilst tryingto develop their cars. In the 2022 season this means the season only separates after 13 of the 23 races. Part three: Winter breakAfter the first half of the season, the winter break kicks in, and for three weeks no teams are allowed towork on any part of their cars or any other aspect of their teams. This is a forced holiday for allengineers, mechanics, marketing departments and broadcasting companies. The drivers need to stayin shape though, because soon they need to be back on the podium. Part four: The final half of the season.Arguably the most crucial part of the season is when everyone returns to racing in August. With just10 races left to determine the champions, teams and drivers try to do anything for race wins. Theseraces are essentially the equivalent of beginning to cram study the night before a test. At this point it israther clear who has and who hasn’t got a chance to win. And finally in Abu Dhabi, on the 20th ofNovember, the season comes to a close and the real celebrations start. anatomy of a race weekend:The first few days of the week is usually predominantly spent talking about the previous race, makingpredictions of the next and yearning. Then Friday comes around and the excitement becomes toomuch. On Fridays and Saturday mornings drivers have three free practice sessions to get used to theweather, circuits or any other changes since the previous weekend.
Saturday afternoons or evenings, depending on whether the race is a day or night race, is for aqualifying session. The results of these sessions, depending on the fastest time in which each driverfinished a lap, determines the order in which the grid lines up for the Sunday race. And finally, onSunday, its lights out and away we go... And so, the cycle repeats.The only exclusions are for the three weekends in the season where the third free practice sessionbecomes the qualifying, setting the starting order for the Saturday qualifying which becomes a sprintrace. This race is a short distance version of the Sunday race, also awarding points, and determinesthe starting order for the Sunday race.where to watch...If you have channel TV you can watch all the action, from free practice one to the post-race analysisand everything in-between: on the SkySports motorsport channel (215). Alternatively, for R76 a monthyou can purchase a f1tv subscription and watch all that and more, as well as endless archives of oldraces, interviews and documentaries. A great way to get accustomed to the sport is to watch it withothers who are already invested in the sport. And if 23 races a year is not enough entertainment for you, definitely check out the endless amountsof f1 documentaries, podcasts, past races and tv shows. These are available on YouTube, the f1tv app,Spotify and Netflix. Some hyped recommendations include:Tech talk with Jolyon Palmer (F1tv) – Every week leading up to a race, past F1 driver, Jolyon Palmer,usually along with other commentators or past drivers, analyse the technical aspects of each circuit,the race setup and major design changes.Drive to Survive (Netflix) – Do note that this is a great way to get invested in the drama of f1 andbackground of drivers, but it is not 100% accurate, don’t take all rivalries and facts as the truth.“Schumacher” (Netflix), “Senna” (Amazon), “Hunt vs Lauda” (Amazon), “Williams” (Amazon), “Life ofSpeed” (Netflix): All documentary movies about specific teams or drivers, giving great insight into therich history of modern competitors and the greats that inspire them. Definitely also check out the official formula 1 website and YouTube channel for short docuseries andentertaining articles, or just to stay up to date. Or, if the technical side of the chequered flag sparksyour interest, be sure to read the F1 technical developments article in the BLUE THREAD ISSUE 22. journalist ANYA MARX | designer CAITLIN SCHOEMAN
LOOK
BOOKfotograwe SEMICKA GROVES & CAITLIN SCHOEMAN | ontwerper JANDRÉ ERASMUS & CAITLIN SCHOEMAN
B.O.Bphotographer CAITLIN SCHOEMAN | designer JANDRÉ ERASMUS
THEBARKOFTHEBULLDOG.The Blue Thread is a magazine for thelearners, by the learners.We believe in speaking up and doing good forour school and our community.The 'Bark of the Bulldog' is a section devotedto promoting positive action in the bestinterest of our school environment - for thelearners, by the learners.
photographer HANNA VAN ZYL | journalists TESSA HARRISON & ANGELA SCOTT | designer HANNA VAN ZYL
cartoonist ANDREW DE GREEFF
journalist ANYA MARX | designer HANNA VAN ZYL
fotograaf CAITLIN SCHOEMAN | ontwerper HANNA VAN ZYL
fotograaf CAITLIN SCHOEMAN | ontwerper JANDRÉ ERASMUS
ontwerper HANNA VAN ZYL
fotograaf GINA TOUGH | joernalis JENNA BRITZ | ontwerper HANNA VAN ZYL
fotograaf CAITLIN SCHOEMAN | ontwerper HANNA VAN ZYL
fotograaf CAITLIN SCHOEMAN