With final exams just over a week away, the girls are working hard during their classes and study hall time to prepare, but still taking some time to enjoy some extracurriculars as well. Here’s what happened on campus this week:

Mpala Research Centre – A group of Form 3 students, along with biology teacher Mr. Charles, went on a field trip to a nearby wildlife foundation on the weekend. Mpala researcher, Katherine, visited campus a few weeks ago and asked to have a few girls go to the centre to help with research on ant communities in acacia trees. Monicah, Mary K., Everlyne, Florence, Maureen and Pauline got to learn first-hand about field research.

HIV/AIDS education – Most of the girls have learned about HIV/AIDS and family planning before, but volunteer Maggie Gaughran is taking a different approach to these lessons. She wants the girls to become leaders in HIV/AIDS education so they can teach others in their communities about disease transmission, prevention and treatment. Maggie’s classes are fun and comfortable; the girls are happy discussing ideas with the large group and Maggie provides a question box for anonymous inquiries.

Lisayo in action

Sports – The Daraja table tennis team was proud to go out and represent the school at a tournament last week. They all played exceptionally well but were unable to clinch one of the top spots to proceed. Coach Joseph is pleased with the girls’ performance and looks forward to helping them develop their skills in coming terms.

Lisayo had tears in her eyes when the Daraja football team voted her best player and best teammate of this term.  Coach Martin presented Lisayo, who’s a very quiet and reserved student, with a medal to recognize her achievement. She said the acknowledgment made her feel “very, very happy.” The team will be reorganized after the final exams to get ready for next term.

WISH – In this week’s Women of Integrity, Strength and Hope classes the Form 3 girls discussed caring for the bedroom, including cleanliness, design, heat and ventilation. The Form 1 girls learned how to “break the silence” – Victoria encouraged them to think about times when they are silenced, or feel uncomfortable speaking, and reminded them that they have the right to speak out at school and in their communities. The Form 2 students continued work on their oral history project.