Loreto Girls Secondary School (LGSS) is a busy environment where students learn and grow in all aspects of life. Apart from learning in class, they participate in agriculture, sports and clubs, and community service activities.

At the end of a busy term, after our end of term exams, we carry out different activities to relax our bodies. In addition to the usual movies, dances, and story-telling, we also participate in friendly sports matches. According to the sports teacher, Mr. Geoffrey, “Hard work, dedication and pure motivation makes you who you are and who you will become – sports brings creativity, strength, ability in the air, and students’ powerful and accurate striking abili…girls and boys be motivated…Get started… That’s what sport is all about.”

This term we had sports activities over three consecutive days, well organized by the sports committee. On 28th August 2018, the Loreto Primary School pupils and the De La Salle Secondary School boys participated in a friendly competition that included hula-hoops, 100m sprint, relay race, wheelbarrow race, skipping rope, volleyball and soccer. The activities were very interesting for the young ones, which was evident from the joy on their faces.

It was a day filled with smiles! According to Peter Majak, a Primary 8 boy, “The sports have helped us to relax after reading hard this term. I played football and volleyball and my friends were cheering. Now we have rested after hard work and we are encouraged to work harder. We also watched a video and we enjoyed very much. We are happy.”

August 29th was a day for the secondary school students to participate. The girls played volleyball and basketball, with teams representing each dorm or ‘house’: Teresa Ball, Mary Ward and Bakhita. As Awau Dut, a Senior Two student explains, “The games help us relax after exams as we reenergize for next term. I love the games and they are interesting. The house competition is so good and involving. I participated in volleyball and my house Teresa Ball dorm won. I’m very happy about it and I am going to cheer my fellow housemates in the games they are participating.”

This year, the competitions were between dorms instead of classes. Playing together and cheering together help to unify the students because different students with different talents interact and embrace teamwork to achieve success. Sports help to improve self-motivation and build one’s character. It also promotes physical fitness which is essential for one’s overall performance and good health.

According to Miss Nicole Hess, the sports coach –

“It was great to see the students enjoy the sports day as they competed and cheered each other on. Many of the students really excel in sports, and it’s exciting when they are able to show their skills in front of their classmates and teachers. We hope they learn how exercising and being active is not only good for you physically and mentally, but also it can be a lot of fun.”

On August 30th, the students participated in the finals as we crowned the sports event. They also competed in shotput and a wheelbarrow race. The wheelbarrow race was a new sport for many of the students and it yielded a lot of laughter. After the competitions were finished, all the students received sweets for appreciation.

We look forward to having a great holiday break and starting over with more energy next term. We thank all of our generous supporters who have stood with us through this journey.