ULTIMATE PV SEPTEMBER 2010

COVER

13_TOT SIENS GOODBYE SCHOOL. Kobus and Caru’s

last words.

ENTERTAINMENT

10_THE ULTIMATE REVIEW. Books, films and music.

12_PV’S VERY OWN ORLANDO BLOOM?

SPORT

25_10 TENNIS PLAYERS TO WATCH according to Christine

Roberts.

FASHION

16_FAR FAR AWAY. Fabulous fashion in Fraserburg.

MUSIC

23_THE KES AND NICK FACTOR. The next big music duo.

FEATURES

05_THE COLD WAR. All the dramatic battles being fought by

PV.

08_MISSING. PV’s gees.

REGULARS

03_LETTER FROM THE EDITORS

04_MASTHEAD

Welcome to the first ever issue of

the first ever Parel Vallei school

magazine! The idea started early

last year when Chanté and I sat

down and decided that in 2010

we were going to make five short

films, start a soap opera and a

school magazine. Only one of

those came true, and you’re

reading it right now!

In these digital (and very

environmentally friendly) pages

you’ll find countless reasons why

PV is such a great school. Firstly you’ll read about the amazing head

leaders we’ve had this year in TOT SIENS GOODBYE SCHOOL, then you’ll

read about PV’s victory in The Cold War and even discover some talent

you didn’t know was walking our hallways in The Kes and Nick Factor.

Actually, the more I think about our first issue the more examples of the

talent of our students pop to mind. The only thing we could all work on a

little is the school spirit which Chanté gracefully addresses in Missing.

I think it’s a great first issue and I look forward to producing many

more. Of course we’d love to hear your opinion on what you find in the

pages of ULTIMATE so please don’t hesitate to let us know by sending an e

mail to [email protected].

Lastly, I’m glad to announce that with the release of this issue we’re

also seeing spring make a comeback! It’s that time of year when we can

all re gain a spring in our step and start to get creative and innovative

again. Unless you’re a Matric writing exams in which case I say: good luck!

xoxo Daniël and Chanté

mailto:[email protected]

editors in chief

DANIËL GELDENHUYS

CHANTÉ CHARLES

features director

CHANTÉ CHARLES

entertainment editor

LANA DE BEER

sport editor

CHRISTINE ROBERTS

fashion director

DANIËL GELDENHUYS

music editor

ESTHER VAN ZYL

contributers

KIM SWARTS

DEVON ROLFE

STEPHAN BASSON

LEIGH-ANNE MARE

ANNI-MART DE KLERK

By Daniël Geldenhuys

Photographs Anni-Mart De Klerk

Fraserburg is *** cold. The only retail outlet in the

entire town is a branch of Pep Stores. To get there,

you drive through the Karoo, turn left at a non-

existent town, drive over a pass that looks like The

Hills Have Eyes, drive through flat wasteland and

finally you end up in a town the size of Somerset Mall

that happens to have the longest-running teen stage

festival in South Africa.

Parel Vallei is just one of the many schools that take their drama

productions to the Logan Toneelfees in Fraserburg every year to

see if, one: they can beat Jan van Riebeeck, and two: they can

receive an award at the end of the festival. This may sound like

an easy task, but you have to see things in perspective. Jan van

Riebeeck is the Lady Gaga of theatre and the awards are only

given to extremely well-crafted performances… AKA Jan van

Riebeeck.

2008: I‟m a (not so) innocent grade 9 travelling to

Fraserburg in one of the two Parel Vallei productions, about to

see all four Jan van Riebeeck ones. 2010: I‟m an (extremely

innocent) grade 11 on my way to Fraserburg in one of PV‟s four

plays, ready to watch Jan van Riebeeck‟s two plays. Things are

looking good.

I keep my outlook realistic. I‟m going to give the best

performance I can and not aim to win. No one ever wins. I‟m

also there to learn. I‟m going to watch many (I saw 20) plays and

I can analyse what they did right and wrong, while learning from

the judges‟ comments.

We arrive in

Fraserburg. Some are happy

to see the town again, others

curious to explore it for the

first time. There are many

new faces in the drama this

year and everyone is excited

to perform their

productions. We drop the

new people off at the side of

the road (initiation) and

head to the dorm. We stay

in Fraserburg High School‟s

dorm. The slogan is “Daar‟s

werk.” Nuff said.

It‟s Thursday and

the cold war has been

raging since Tuesday, but

mostly between primary and

pre-primary schools. We‟re

THE COLD WAR

just in time to catch all the high school productions. Parel Vallei

dominates Thursday night with Ysterasters. All those who aren‟t

in the play cheer them on, while being very irritated by the

notably hot temperature in the hall. Strange.

It turns out the cold war only has one meaning. Yes, the

schools re at war with each other, using the stage as a battlefield,

and no, it‟s not that cold. This seems to happen every year.

Everyone says it‟s going to be freezing and then we end up

walking around barefoot. I still say though that the year we tell

them it‟s going to be warm we‟ll end up freezing our thespian

faces off.

The Friday morning shows are a real treat. PV‟s

Glansgod – „n storie erases any doubt from our minds that the

grade eights aren‟t awesome, while allowing us to rock out to

what I think may have been the Fraserburg anthem this year:

Boys Boys Boys by Lady Gaga (not Jan van

Riebeeck) Then, during the Glansgod

performance, comes the moment that defined our

trip and had us reliving the moment constantly

for the duration of our tour: Ben Albertyn stands

up on a crate and introduces his own character.

Baldur! he exclaims in a deep operatic voice as

bursts of glitter erupt from his hand.

After having seen PV‟s show for the

morning, I consider leaving but decide to stay

and see the last play of the morning: Durbanville

High School‟s Japie. A compelling one- woman

show starring a girl who I think could easily become South

Africa‟s next Sandra Prinsloo. Durbanville have proved

themselves worthy competitors in this war and with three more

plays to come they don‟t seem to be afraid of taking on the

enemy.

Friday night we laugh (not cry) and laugh, and laugh a

little more at The Case Of The Prince Formerly Known As

Hamlet. This is the play with the longest title and the script

power of the legendary Bruce Kane who was also responsible for

2008‟s Cleo and Caesar.

After our standing ovation for the Hamlet cast, some

friends and I head over to my father and Rachelle Greeff‟s

guesthouse. They are here to do research for a series of books

they‟re writing and they have hot water. Again, we almost don‟t

want to go back to see the next play but somehow this one

managed to get quite a lot of hype around it before it was

performed, so we decide to watch.

There we sit, watching Durbanville‟s Mooi Maria, a

play that would go on to win Fraserburg by getting Best

Production, Best Actor and Best Actress. It was Lara Hattingh

who won Fraserburg and played the title role in Mooi Maria who

had us spellbound with what I consider to be an Oscar-worthy

performance. Once again, Durbanville is bringing out the big

guns.

It‟s finally that time of the festival when the Jan van

Riebeeck fever begins to spread. We watch their first production

7 7 7, which after reading

the exclusive Jan van

Riebeeck program they

hand out at the door and

looking at the posters they

put up at the theatre seems

pretty intimidating. It‟s

brilliant, technically

brilliant. Their ensemble

aren‟t humans, they‟re

robots. Just another typical

Jan van Riebeeck

production that has a ***

load of money and knows

exactly what to do with it.

They also have

the best director

in the Western

Cape (when it

comes to these

type of

spectacles). I

didn‟t mind the

play, but most

people took

offence as they

spend three

quarters of it telling us how

horrible our country is and

then end off by saying

Don‟t worry, we‟ll be fine

and leaving us thinking,

How? Tomorrow is the

last day. My play is the last

of the PV plays and I can‟t

look at our space in the

program without getting

extremely nervous and

excited. I go to sleep that

night hearing distant cries

of “BALDUR” as the other

casts celebrate their great

performances. I‟m tired and

it‟s not that hard to block it

out. Tomorrow I will fight

my battle and at the very

least I will be awake.

Saturday. First my

cast drowns their nerves in

tasty delights at the annual

church bazaar and then we

start to do make-up and

Baldur! he

exclaims in a

deep operatic

voice as bursts

of glitter erupt

from his hand.

warm up and finally perform. The energy on stage is

electric. For some reason my lips are as dry as biltong

(must be the air) but that is my only complaint. There is

nothing better than performing for a great audience,

many enthusiastic PV supporters, and being able to do

what you‟ve worked towards for such a long time.

Done with our performance, and dead tired, I eat

supper and go to the hall to watch the final shows of the

festival. Now, when fighting the cold war at Fraserberg,

there are usually three kinds of plays you see. The first

are really bad ones that don‟t offer you any competition.

The second are plays that are really good and you kind

of hate them because they‟re a threat. And then there is

the third kind. A play that is so amazing, so brilliant, so

breathtaking that you forget about yourself, jump to your

feet and give them a much-deserved standing ovation.

Last year it was Brackenfell‟s Porselein. This year it was

Jan van Riebeeck‟s Die Boomplanters which is without a

doubt the best play I have ever seen… ever.

Two more plays after that the war finally ends.

The judges leave the room for an hour to decide who

brings home the ultimate victory. This particular hour is

from 12:00- 01:00 in the morning. It is a desperate task

to keep yourself awake and alert at this hour until finally

the judges return and the final commentary is given.

Countless golds, silvers and bronzes are

awarded, after which the Oscar moment arrives where

they announce nominees and finally winners of the

festival in every category. So PV didn‟t win the war, but

we won a great number of noble battles. Each play got at

least one nomination and after our cover girl Caru

Coetzee won Best Supporting Actress and Hamlet

director Kobus van der Colf won the Judges Award for

most promising director, it was clear that at the Logan

Toneelfees 2010 Durbanville was the best school, Jan

van Riebeeck was the runner up and Parel Vallei was the

third best. (Something we have not been for the previous

two years.)

As I write this feature, I don‟t know what

Chanté Charles has written about PV‟s „gees.‟ I don‟t

know if her article voices a positive or negative opinion

about our school but I do know one thing: this year at

Fraserburg Parel Vallei won a war. A war that people

don‟t really notice is taking place until they hear the

screams of victory. Because that is what came from our

school: shouts, screams and cheers for all our plays and

all our players, good or bad. We were the one school

you‟d always see cheering themselves on, unified by our

hoodies and showing that we care. Our spirit at

Fraserburg, as anyone who went would tell you, was

inspiring and far more lively than that of any other

school present. Of that, most of all, we can be extremely

proud.

Gees. According to the Heinemann

English Dictionary, it is the essential part of a

person‟s character, feelings or emotion. To all

of those who attend Parel Vallei, gees is a part

of the very foundations we have built our

school on. It is the passion and determination

that we show in the activities we do and

determines the manner in which we do them.

In the year of 2010, our spirit has

been expected to be intense and constant.

Every speech delivered to us from the heads of

our school, learner council and sports

representatives included the illustrious G-

word. Keeping to this, we have not done a

terrible job. Parel Vallei excels admirably in

many fields. We emerged as victors from the

Athletics Interschool meet. We have trawled

the academic area with success

and we have hosted balls that

have gone beyond some

expectations. Just recently, we

displayed our amazing drama

talent. Our four plays walked off

with a host of awards.

You would think that

with this under our belt, we

would be bursting with gees. This is not the

case, which brings me to the question: Where

did it go?

The lack of spirit the school has

shown, as a whole, is the start of many class

debates. It is a topic that crosses all of our

minds and springs forth many different views.

Many people try to pinpoint the start of our

steady spirit decline, to see where we made the

mistake. There are a few areas where we failed

to behave in a “PV-positive” way. Due to the

mistakes of the past, we have fallen from our

title as the Spirit Champions. It belongs to

another now and there are many aspects to

how it happened.

Starting with grade 8, it is what

happens during the orientation period. Many

of the activities are fun and are participated in

by all. The fault is the same as what has

happened with 40 Days. Only a few do not

know when to stop. Shaving cream and water

balloons are harmless. Physical tackling and

damage to personal property are not. This only

leads to our privileges being taken away or

restricted. This is an unfair treatment to the

generations coming and all thanks to only the

majority of the school acting appropriately. In

order for everyone to enjoy himself or herself,

EVERYONE must stick within the set

boundaries. They are there for a reason. Now

because of the minority, there is a much less

enthusiastic larger group. That is not fair; no

matter what country you are in. Gone are the

days of a great round of chasing and full out

transvestitism. All we are left with are watered

down (literally) versions of the

past and a feeble skirt-

swapping day.

We have gained a

matric lawn. It is right next to

the grade 8 lawns. There are

many attempts at compensating

for what we once had, but they

pale in comparison. The

element of surprise is taken away.

When talking about the progression of

the years at our school, we need a third point

of view. Who better than Mr du Preez of our

support staff?

“There has not been a year with gees

like there was in 2006,” he reminisces

wistfully. Now what exactly made that year

memorable above all others?

That year, Parel Vallei reached new

heights. Led under head girl, Christa Rohwer,

and head boy, Lukas Muller, the learners of

Parel Vallei experienced a non-stop rush of

gees. (Subsequently, together the heads won

the Bulldog award for their efforts.) We were

the champions in athletics AND walked away

with the spirit cup. In the winter sports section,

the first teams for rugby, girls and boys‟

“There has not

been a year with

gees like there

was in 2006”

hockey and netball, all tasted victory. Parel

Vallei continued with a 100% pass rate in the

matriculant section and scored the best science

results in the Western Cape. Yet, it was so

much more than that.

The annual Athletics Interschool meet

took place on our luscious green fields. It

started in the early morning. Our team and

cheerleaders made their way onto the field

with flaming beacons at hand. The fire swirled

as they led their way through their routines

and songs. Keep in mind that this was the year

before the likes of formations. When we

proved to be the victors, we celebrated late

into the night. Despite our success, the other

schools danced with us and shared in the gees

of the day.

The main burst of gees came from the

social activities of 2006. It was the year that

marked Parel Vallei‟s first Carnival. Together,

the students dressed up as different

cultures and marched through the

streets. The costumes showed

meticulous detail and massive

amounts of attention. As the students

marched, they held their heads up

high and their smiles could be seen a

mile a way. Perched on beautiful

floats, the parade made its way

through the streets, the rest following

on foot. No one complained about this.

(Noted, it was before the time of the X-box

and Wii.) It can be considered as the most

memorable and inspiring carnival we have

thus far hosted. Why then, have we not

continued the tradition?

It was also the year of the musical,

Footloose. People from everywhere streamed

to our school to watch as the students danced

and sang to the best of their abilities. It was

not only the massive planning that went into

the choreography that made it such a success,

but more so the amount of spirit the students

put into it. It was all that they talked about and

it was not just the idea of being on stage that

drove them to it. They knew what we have yet

to show. We need to combine solidarity with

spirit if we wish to start building our own

legacy.

Now I pose the question, “How do we

get back what we once had?”

Whatever our plan of action is,

participation from all is needed. There are

plenty of great ideas bursting from us students.

What we now need is to work out how we are

going to bring about this change.

First, we need to learn the difference

between initiating and hazing. That way we

can have fun without repercussions. This

means not putting other substances in the

balloons.

When we do get the opportunity to

prove ourselves, we cannot let others ruin the

chance for us. To be human is to err. To

prevent this erring is to be awesome. When it

comes to 40 Days, dress up. By this, I do not

mean find your nearest friend of the opposite

sex and swap clothes with them. Wear a wig.

Attempt to hide your true identity. Boys, try

putting on some make-up. (I

know that it is asking a lot, but

imagine the others‟ reactions. It

is rather worthwhile to see.)

Girls, act like our counterparts

do. If they can do it, then so can

we.

The next time it comes

to our carnival, put in at least

two weeks of effort. No one

wants to see you falling around and the new-

age excuse will only work for a short period.

Try thinking of a new approach and make your

teacher join in and get down to the music. If

you do not like something in one of your

classrooms, ask your teacher if you can help to

change it. The teachers will not know what we

want, unless we tell them.

There are so many options for you to

choose from and create something new. All

you have to do is think about what you like

and try to link it to school in a safe way. No

one will find it uncool. If anything, everyone

will be better off because of it. Talk amongst

your friends and write to us. If you make your

ideas heard, no one can blame you for the lack

of gees we show.

Start with baby steps and work from

there. Let it not be the case of “die gees is

gewillig, maar die vlees is swak.”

The main

burst of gees

came from

social

activities

Written and Directed by Christopher Lolan.

Starring Leonardo di Caprio, Ellen Page, Marion

Cottilard, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Michael

Caine. Genre: Sci-Fi/ Action

In theatres everywhere.

A week after its release, Inception climbed to the top of the chain

and was named in the top three for the best movie of our

generation. The originality of the storyline is what made it so

successful. That, and Leonardo di Caprio of course.

di Caprio plays an architect who had found a way to

enter people‟s dreams and extract their secrets and desires. His

morals start to slip with this newfound power and soon he ends

up not being able to return home to his children because the law

is looking for him. A powerful criminal knows about his

dilemma and offers to get him home and eliminate his sentence if

he helps him achieve the impossible through dreams. They enlist

the help of a young French architect (Ellen Page) to construct the

settings of the dream and the journey begins.

This movie will literally keep you on the edge of your

seat and guessing every outcome. The end result will fry your

brain and you will be very disappointed to have to face reality

afterwards. Don‟t miss it!

Written by Richelle Mead. Genre: Romantic Horror.

Available at leading bookstores worldwide.

The Vampire Academy books are becoming one of the most influential

series in the world today. They are creeping up on the Twilight collection

and personally I prefer them. It‟s hard not to.

In this series there are three types of vampires. Moroi, Dhampirs

and Strigoi. Moroi are tall, thin, good (mostly) vampires who rule the

vampire world. They are not immortal but they do drink blood. Strigoi are

horrible, immortal bloodsuckers who are set upon drinking the Moroi and

killing them because it makes them stronger. Dhampirs are half human and half Moroi. They look like

humans, don‟t drink blood, are mortal and they have curves. The only difference is that they‟re

stronger and faster than both humans and Moroi so they are trained to protect the Moroi from the

Strigoi, making them Guardians.

This story is told by Rose Hathaway, a seventeen year old Dhampir whose best friend,

Vassilisa Dragomir, who is a royal Moroi. Rose is passionate, quirky and violent. Her peers, although

viewing her as unstable, admire her immensely for her courage to venture into places where she

doesn‟t belong.

In this collection, she tries to keep Lissa safe whilst also enjoying life as a teen. She finds

herself being drawn to the mysterious and powerful Russian Guardian, Dimitri Belikov, who tries to

keep her out of trouble.

There are six books and they are as follows; Vampire Academy, Frostbite, Shadow Kiss,

Blood Promise, Spirit Bound and Last Sacrifice. These books are a definite must read!

TAYLOR MOMSEN vocals, BEN

PHILLIPS guitar, MARK DAMON

bass and JAIME PERKINS

drums. Genre: Alternative

Rock/ Post-Grunge

Their Album, Light Me Up,

will be released this spring. Many people claim that the only

reason that this band is getting

publicity is because the lead singer,

Taylor Momsen, is a big-time actress.

Momsen portrays the role of Jenny

Humphrey in the hit television series,

Gossip Girl. While this might have

been true in the beginning, it certainly

isn‟t so anymore. They released a

single with the name; Make Me

Wanna Die on the 13th of May earlier this year and it reached 1# on the UK Rock Chart.

Momsen‟s voice is shockingly low and her lyrics are violent and effective. Truly not for the

faint-hearted but brilliant all the same. The band originated in New York City in 2008. Momsen wrote

all the songs on the album and in a recent interview with British OK magazine, she said that bands

like The Beatles, Oasis, Audioslave and Nirvana impacted her greatly.

Taylor Momsen was born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1993. She started acting in 1998 and

landed the role for Cindy Lou in How The Grinch Stole Christmas. She is also a model and was

recently introduced as the face of Madonna‟s new fashion line, Material Girl, which she also inspired.

In 2009, she was placed on the People Magazine‟s 100 Most Beautiful People list at number 76.

Even though she is such a preppy girl on the screen, her music takes a much darker tone and

makes you realize how little you know about her. Singles such as Zombie and Ugly People should not

be missed so watch out for the album, Light Me Up.

ULTIMATE: What was the most rewarding thing about being in this show?

BRADLEY: I hate to sound corny, but it’s the new friends you make. Your

social ring just gets bigger.

ULTIMATE: How is the relationship between you and the cast and crew?

BRADLEY: I must say, it’s a really pleasant atmosphere between everyone.

There are no fights. It’s like one big family.

ULTIMATE: How did you get this part even though it’s a dance show.

BRADLEY: The dance teacher wanted to use one of her students to play

the role of William Turner, but he was in too many dances, so then she

asked Kelly Prior (director of KADS drama school) for an actor to play a

small role in her show. That turned out to be me.

ULTIMATE: You didn’t have any dialogue. What was that like?

BRADLEY: It was different because I’ve always been in plays where

dialogue was used, but it was quite interesting to rely on my body to do all

the acting. Dialogue makes things more exciting but it was still very

enjoyable.

ULTIMATE: What was the atmosphere like backstage?

BRADLEY: It was chaotic! There are girls constantly running around and

changing. If you’re not on stage, you’re either getting changed or waiting

in the wings.

ULTIMATE: Would you say The Playhouse Theatre is for anybody?

BRADLEY: I wouldn’t say for everybody. But if you like expressing yourself

and making new friends it’s definitely the place to be.

ULTIMATE: What is the one thing you will take with you from this

experience?

BRADLEY: Definitely the friends I made.

In their grade 8 year, Kobus

Badenhorst and Caru Coetzee were

under the leadership of the legendary

Parel Vallei heads Christa Rohwer and

Lukas Muller. Did they try to lead in the

same way? No. Kobus said himself that

you have to come up with your own

original way of leading in order to be

successful.

It seems that the key to their

success as leaders of the learner council

is experience. And boy, do they have

experience! After doing the math, I

worked out that when Kobus leaves

school he will have been on the learner

council for 85% of his high school

career, that‟s the most you can possibly

be (he started in grade 8). Caru isn‟t too

far behind herself with 40% and, let‟s be

honest, did anyone not see her election

to head girl coming after her

international success with her music

company Hazardous Vibrations?

Meeting Kobus and Caru is a bit

like meeting celebrities (the nice ones).

We see them all the time in the school

hallways and making their speeches but

we hardly ever get a chance to meet

them up close and personal. I‟ll tell you

this: they are genuinely nice people.

I couldn‟t refer to them as “kids”

or “teens”. They have a distinct air of

authority and maturity that most adults

don‟t even have. Still, they aren‟t high

and mighty (something they strongly

warn the learner council against being)

and they lead by example. It doesn‟t

matter if you‟re a grade 8 or a fellow

matric, they treat you with the same

amount of respect. In short, they‟re

friendly and efficient. I like that.

You couldn‟t call their

relationship a friendship. It is, like they

say, more than that. Before their year as

head prefects began, Kobus and Caru

weren‟t moving in the same circles.

They had been juniors on the

council together, so they knew of each

other‟s existence but that was about the

extent of it. Today they‟re family.

“That‟s what happens when you see

someone all the time every day,” says

Kobus. “We became best friends.”

Together, these two amigos have

embarked on a great adventure filled

with high highs, low lows,

interesting catch phrases and lots

of food fests. They‟ve come out

the other side stronger and wiser.

(When I say “come out the other

side”, I mean as the leaders of the

school. Please don‟t think they

don‟t still have to write their

exams and please don‟t forget to

wish them luck!)

When I asked about the

highest high the first thing that came to

mind was the grade 8 initiation… then

interschools… then the matric braai.

They seem to agree on everything.

Perhaps we should refer to them as Koru

or Cabus (Why? I ask you, has no one

done mash-ups of their names yet? I

think it‟s high time, before they leave

us.)

Unfortunately the very highest of

the highs was in fact the lowest of the

lows. Imagine having to attend a hearing

of one of your fellow students… A

fellow council member who was a high

candidate for head boy and who you‟d

already tried to give a second chance?

That‟s what it was like for Kobus and

Caru during the expulsion of Ricky

Mathee earlier this year.

But here‟s the thing that makes

them not only great leaders (Did I

mention that they‟re great leaders?) but

also great people: they tell me Ricky,

and Kevin Maré (the other guy who got

expelled) are doing really well. They tell

me about their marks, their friends and

their new situations. It‟s clear that our

leaders did not simply banish these boys

never to hear a word from them again,

but rather made sure that they were okay

and showed genuine interest in their

well-being.

Kobus had another personal high

this year when he went overseas with the

under-nineteen Hockey A team, one of

the few things he did without

Caru. One of the few things

Caru did without Kobus this

year was Ysterasters, the

school play. She won best

supporting actress at

Fraserberg which (in case

you didn‟t read The Cold

War) is a really big deal. Yes,

it was definitely a highlight

for her.

So many highlights. I had to ask:

How do you cope with the most

important year of your high school

career while being head boy/girl at the

same time? My answer was a beautiful

description of Caru‟s coffee machine

and Kobus saying that if it weren‟t for

sport he‟d have some serious anger

management issues.

Their greatest support system

was without a doubt their deputy head

boy and girl: Riccardo Moretti and Anni-

Mart de Klerk. “When you‟re addressing

the learner council as a head leader,”

says Kobus, “you can‟t seem uncertain

of yourself. Riccardo and Anni-Mart

were the ones we could run our ideas

by.”

the very

highest of

the highs

was in fact

the lowest of

the lows

Of course, as a head leader there

is one thing no one can help you with.

Something you just have to do and have

to learn do to well: Monday morning

assembly speeches. I had to ask. Caru

says she‟s learned to speak much slower.

(I‟ll leave that one up to you to decide.)

And Kobus is surprised to hear about the

Goeiemôre, Good morning school

Facebook group. Yes. There‟s a group.

The final and probably most

important source of Kobus and Caru‟s

support are their families. Caru has a

brother in grade 9 who will probably be

delighted to be out from under her

shadow next year and Kobus an older

brother by two years who is studying at

Stellenbosch. Kobus‟s parents (and this I

found interesting) are teachers at Strand

and Paul Roos! It sounds almost wrong

and yet pretty right: head boy has spies

in our rival schools. Of course, I‟m not

suggesting that he would actually spy on

other schools. Both Kobus and Caru are

prestigiously well-mannered.

It‟ll be a sad day when these two

have to say goodbye to each other. I‟m

sure they‟ll keep in touch though. If all

goes well, they‟ll both be studying at

Stellenbosch: Kobus to become a lawyer

and Caru an accountant. Whatever they

do with their lives, their legacy will

always live on in the hallways of Parel

Vallei. These two friends who combined

their leadership skills, brains and love

for working under pressure to bring the

school to where it is today. Whoever is

taking their places have got some huge

shoes to fill.

Finally I asked: If there is one

last thing you could tell the school

before you leave, what would it be?

Kobus‟s face lit up with an almost

mischievous grin. “Stay PV positive!”

Flow top PRIVATE

PROPERTY; Strappy

top MODEL’S OWN;

Leggings LDS;

Wedge heels SPOT

ON; Ear rings

MODEL’S OWN; Bag

GUESS

Jeans shirt PORT

at YDE; Black

lace top BCG;

Jeans shorts

HOLLISTER; Belt

ED HARDY

Embellished

shoulder top YDE;

Ring, Chain Bangle

and Heart

Necklace all

MODELS’S OWN

Top TOPSHOP;

Stretch strappy top

HOLLISTER; Striped

pants RT at MR

PRICE; Ring, Chain

Bangle, Ear Rings,

and Hat, all

MODEL’S OWN

On Esther

Top LOIN CLOTH & ASHES; Skirt GOSSIP; Sandals SPOT ON; Bangle MODELS’S OWN

On Kim

Top HANG TEN; Leggings YDE; Shoes CONVERSE; Ear rings MODEL”S OWN

Beton striped

dress (with

belt)ALYNPAIGE;

Tweed jacket

WWW; Necklace

MODEL’S OWN

Dance print

top TOPSHOP;

Strappy top

Studio W; Jean

print leggings

MELTZ; Belt

MODEL’S OWN

On Esther Dress TOMMY HILFIGER; Necklace MODEL’S OWN On Daniël Eagle Print Top BLACK HAWK at YDE; Skinny Jeans

JJ’S

MODELS Esther Van Zyl, Kim Swarts and Daniël Geldenhuys. PHOTOGRAPHS Kim Swarts. FASHION DIRECTOR Daniël Geldenhuys.

ASSISTANT Devon Rolfe. SHOT ON LOCATION IN Fraserberg, Northern Cape, South Africa.

If someone asked a PV student, “So how's the music scene at PV?”

They'd hopefully be clued up enough to reply, “Pretty good, hey.”

The truth is, pretty good is a pretty mean understatement. There are a

ton of things happening in the music world that are, sadly, under the

radar. One of these things is Kes Murray and Nicholas Hosking.

They're the coolest two-man band both on and off the radar, and it's

about time they got introduced...

ULTIMATE: So. What's your band's name?

KESNICK: We don't have a name. We decided that at the moment we'd

rather keep it nameless until we become more well-known... a name is

such an important thing. We don't want to mess it up.

ULTIMATE: Tell us about your band. What kind of music do you guys play?

KESNICK: Well, we stretch over quite a wide variety. We focus on doing

more chilled stuff, like background music, but we've got some lively

pieces as well. It's good to have a repertoire that we can use in any

situation.

ULTIMATE: So what kinds of situations are you talking about? What kind of

audience do you guys have?

KESNICK: We have different sorts of gigs. If we're playing at a restaurant

we're usually there for a background music vibe. At pub gigs we can do

more lively, entertaining pieces, like songs that people will know and sing

along to.

ULTIMATE: Where can your fans expect to find you on the weekends?

KESNICK: We often play at McNaughton's, Lord Charles, events like wine

festivals, private events like fundraisers and birthday parties. We do as

much as we can.

ULTIMATE: How did your band come to be?

KESNICK: Well, we both love music, we both wanted to do something new

and decided that guitar, saxophone and some vocals would make a

pretty good mix.

ULTIMATE: Uh huh. And who does what in that

combo?

KESNICK: I [Nick] play sax and sing

(occasionally), and Kes plays guitar.

ULTIMATE: Where do you see your band in the

future?

KESNICK: We recently got offered a radio deal

from Radio Helderberg (whoop whoop) – we just

need to get some stuff recorded. But ya, besides

that we'd like to start performing at bigger events

like weddings... Maybe make a couple of CDs.

We'll take it as it comes.

ULTIMATE: Tell our readers a bit about yourselves. Who are Kes and Nick?

KES: I'm mainly a chilled guy. I enjoy interacting with people via various

different extramural activities. I played flute for 8 years, and now I enjoy

expressing myself through my guitar. I also have an amazing girlfriend

called Roxy.

NICK: I'm friendly, relaxed, and down-to-earth. When I grow up I wanna

be a hippy. [laughs] Just kidding, I want to work in nature. I started playing

music – the recorder – when I was in grade 1, and continued until the end

of primary school. When I came to high school I realized that I needed to

find a cooler – I mean, more commercial instrument, so I started playing

sax. I started guitar at about the same time.

ULTIMATE: What's your band's mission statement?

KESNICK: Lets all have a good time!

So there you have it: the next big thing in the PV music world. Watch

this space for updates on the Kes-and-Nick Band's rise to stardom,

and be sure to check them out at their next gig. Kes and Nick promise

that you'll all have a good time.

events like

wine festivals,

private events

like fundraisers

and birthday

parties

Grigor Dimitrov

Age: 19

Nationality: Bulgaria

Height: 188cm

Weight: 77kg

Plays: Right-handed

Turned pro: 2008

Coach: Peter Mcnamara

Current ATP ranking: 280

Started tennis at age: 5

Our very own TENNIS expert CHRISTINE ROBERTS predicts who you’ll be CHEERING for in the future of the professional tennis world.

Professional tennis players and coaches reckon that

Grigor Dimitrov is the next Roger Federer. Peter

Lundgren (former coach of Roger Federer) says: “He

[Grigor Dimitrov] is better than Federer was at his age.”

Grigor Dimitrov is definitely someone to look out for on

the ATP tour, and might even be a future world number

one and a multiple Grand Slam winner.

Nicolas Almagro Age: 24

Nationality: Spain

Height: 183cm

Weight: 81kg

Plays: Right-handed

Turned pro: 2003

Coach: Jose Perlas



Nicolas Almagro is a talented Spanish tennis player

who will stop at nothing to reach the top. Almagro

played the Australian Open this year and reached the

fourth round, despite playing the whole tournament

with a broken wrist.

Nicolas Almagro has won seven ATP Tour events and

has reached his career high of 11. Almagro has what it

takes to beat the likes of Federer and Nadal, and will

definitely make his mark in tennis.

Juan Martin Del Potro

Age: 21

Nationality: Argentina

Height: 198cm

Weight: 83kg

Plays: Right-handed

Turned pro: 2005

Coach: Franco Davin



Juan Martin del Potro shot into the tennis scene

in 2009 when he beat Roger Federer at the US

Open. Del Potro was always seen as a dangerous

player by his oppositions, but at the US Open he

showed that he was potentially a next ATP world

number one.

Del Potro recently had a wrist operation, but will

luckily be fit to play at the US Open this year

and try to defend his title.

Gilles Simon Age: 25

Nationality: France

Height: 180cm

Weight: 69kg

Plays: Right-handed

Turned pro: 2002

Coach: Theirry Tulasne



Even though Gilles Simon‟s parents had no involvement

in any sport, it did not stop him from becoming one of

the most dangerous players on the ATP tour. Gilles

Simon hits the tennis ball very flat, making it difficult

for his opponents to attack. Simon‟s backhand is very

consistent, allowing him to tire his opponents.

Gilles Simon has beaten the top three men‟s tennis

players in the world and is someone to watch out for in

tournaments.

Thomaz Bellucci Age: 22

Nationality: Brazil

Height: 188cm

Weight: 80kg

Plays: Left-handed

Turned pro: 2005

Coach: Joao Zwetsch


Thomaz Bellucci has the correct discipline and has

the willingness to do whatever it takes to succeed.

Thomaz Bellucci‟s tennis style is similar to Rafael

Nadal‟s and Bellucci could likely be the next „King

of Clay‟.

Marin Cilic Age: 21

Nationality: Croatia

Height: 198cm

Weight: 82kg

Plays: Right-handed

Turned pro: 2005

Coach: Bob Brett



A former second ranked junior, Marin Cilic has reached an

ATP career high ranking of nine.

Cilic has won 5 ATP career titles and has made it to three

Grand Slam quarterfinals, and one Grand Slam semi final.

Marin Cilic has a winning match record against Nadal,

beating him at Beijing in 2009.

Ernests Gulbis Age: 21

Nationality: Latvia

Height: 190cm

Weight: 77kg

Plays: Right-handed

Turned pro: 2004

Coach: Hernan Gumy



Ernest Gulbis is currently at his career high ATP ranking at

number 27.

Gulbis stunned the tennis world when he beat Roger Federer

earlier this year. Gulbis blasted 8 aces past Federer to take

the match in three sets.

If Ernests Gulbis can keep his temper under control, he will

definitely be a threat to all the tennis players.

Thiemo de Bakker Age: 21

Nationality: Netherlands

Height: 193cm

Weight: 67kg

Plays: Right-handed

Turned pro: 2005

Coach: Rohan Goetzke



Thiemo de Bakker finished 2006 as the

world‟s top ranked junior tennis player.

De Bakker won the junior Wimbledon

title. Winning the junior Wimbledon title

is very promising as Roger Federer also

won the junior Wimbledon title and has

now become the world‟s leading ATP

Grand Slam winner.

Melanie Oudin Age: 19

Nationality: United States of America

Height: 168cm

Weight: 59kg

Plays: Right-handed

Turned pro: 2008

Coach: Brian de Villiers

Current WTA ranking: 44


Even though Melanie Oudin is considered a

short tennis player, it has not stopped her

from making her mark. Playing only in her

second US Open, Melanie Oudin reached the

US Open quarterfinals by beating Anastasia

Pavlyuchenkova, Elena Dementieva, Maria

Sharapova and Nadia Petrova.

Oudin became the youngest American player

to reach the US Open quarterfinal since

Serena Williams in 1999.

Caroline Wozniacki Age: 20

Nationality: Denmark

Height: 177cm

Weight: 58kg

Plays: Right-handed

Turned pro: 2005

Coach: Piotr Wozniacki (Caroline‟s

father)

Current WTA ranking: 2


At the age of 20, Caroline Wozniacki has achieved more

in her tennis career than what most girls could dream of.

Wozniacki played her first WTA tournament at the age

of 15, won the junior Wimbledon Singles title, reached

the junior Australian Open Singles final, reached the

Roland Garros Doubles final, won 8 WTA titles,

reached the US Open final, and is currently ranked 2 on

the WTA circuit.

Caroline Wozniacki showed her determination and

courage in 2009 when she played in Doha. Wozniacki

fell to the ground while serving for the match due to full

body cramps. Full of pain, and in tears, she pushed

through and won the match.

With so much determination and willingness to fight

through everything, Caroline Wozniacki is one of the

next world‟s best female players.

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ULTIMATE PV SEPTEMBER 2010