Term draws to a close - sport, goodbyes and music!

Ten Steps Primary Sports Event
On Saturday 10th July the Copperbelt ISAZ ‘Ten Steps’ event took place at Amano. This was the first time we had organised this event which had previously taken place in Lusaka for schools in that area.
The idea behind it is that each school brings ten students, representing boys & girls of five different age-groups, and they have the challenge of representing their schools in ten different sporting activities. This ranged from the shuttle relay- running 10m x 6- and high jump; skipping races, long jump, and throwing a size 4 football while sitting down and standing up.
The event was well-organised, and the secondary students did a great job at helping both with the activities and accompanying the teams around the circuit. Unfortunately not as many schools sent teams as we would have liked, and one of the teams was late in turning up, but there was still a good, friendly sense of competition between the students and I think it was enjoyed by all. I also know that staff and students from the visiting schools were quite impressed by what they saw of A.C.S. that day.

Auf Wiedersehen, volunteers!
As this term draws to a close there are a number of goodbyes which the Amano community must say. Last Friday was a time for some of these.
In the evening the girls’ dormitory was the venue for the boarding students, and a lot of staff, to gather in order to wish goodbye and to say thanks to the German volunteers who have spent the last year working in the dormitories. Miss Rachel and Mr Philip were leaving Amano the following day, while Miss Tamara remains here for the last couple of weeks of term.
The students showed their appreciation both in what they said and in the effort they put into the evening’s entertainment. This was a mixture of song, both solos and groups, dance, and some comedy which mainly came from the M.C.’s for the evening, Davido and Wila. It was also good to see Mr. Matt back in the dorm, helping to run the show and also reminding us of his skill on the guitar.
The evening was concluded with a number of speeches, firstly from matron who also presented the volunteers with a gift which she hoped would remind them of their time at Amano. Mr. Phil Grove amused us with a fictional letter from one of the volunteer’s parents- which included the news that it was so windy back home that the chicken laid the same egg 4 times!- but also gave a much more serious goodbye to them in which he recognised their significant contribution towards the life of Amano during the past ten months. The students are sad to say goodbye to them, and wish them well for their futures.

Musical Recital
Earlier in the day there was the first ever Amano School Music Recital. This had been organised by Mrs. Gwen Amborski who has taught music here for the last two years. As she and her family will be returning to the United States of America in August she wanted to give the individual students she has been teaching the opportunity to perform in front of their families and other guests. There were also a number of extra items added on which helped to entertain the packed audience in the school hall for about one and a half hours.
The recital was divided into two main sections- primary and secondary- and the whole event was linked together by Davido and Wila (yes, they had a busy day on Friday!) The primaries included a number of students who have been learning either keyboard or guitar with Gwen, but the highlight was probably the Indian dance which a number of the Indian students (and guests) performed while Arushi accompanied them on the keyboard. This was followed by an amusing song called ‘Bumpy Roads’ which reflected on daily life at Amano.
The secondary section also included a number of students Gwen has been teaching, along with performances from the three flautists who have been trained by Mrs. Jo Grove. They each performed a solo piece and then joined together as a trio. We were then entertained by a visit to ‘Cafe D’Amour’ in which Gwen and other guitarists provided the cabaret, and Mr. Matt & Louise, along with Mr. and Mrs. Kirk gave us a glimpse of romance in action, or not. I am sure Mr. Matt and Louise told us they were already engaged before they arrived at Amano, but he proposed to her nonetheless! Yes (that was the answer). I don’t think Mr. Kirk was caught up in this mood of romance, however, as he kept looking at his watch and asking his wife if it was time to go home yet...
Gwen said thanks to all of the parents present who had helped their children to learn the instruments by giving them encouragement and time to practice. She also reminded all of the students that, what was important was not so much which talent they had- musical or otherwise- but that they committed themselves to using that gift for God and His glory. Mr. Phil Grove spoke at the end, adding his own thanks and those of the Board for all the hard work Gwen has put in during her time at Amano. He concluded the recital by leading us in a prayer for her and her family.

The Amano term finishes on July 30th 2010. The final event of the term will be the Primary Sports’ morning which the Secondaries will be watching and also, no doubt, helping with. Then the students leave for a month of relaxation- unless they are in Grade 12 in which case they have important I.G.C.S.E. exams to prepare for.