Wednesday, December 5, 2012

End of term!




Who could have thought this term would have whizzed by so quickly! Big apologies for not updating the blog in such a long time...But what a brilliant term it has been jam packed with lots of wonderful events and activities. There is so much to report but we have decided to pick just a few highlights from this term.

Friday 21st September- ‘The Quiz Night’

This was the start of the farewell period for our grade 12’s and sixth form. They kicked off the term with a FANTASTIC quiz night as part of their fundraising to go towards their leavers activities at the end of term. They worked extremely hard to transform the school hall into a lovely candle-lit setting for a three course meal provided by staff and PTA members. The Grade 12’s did an excellent job of serving the tables and hosting the event.  In between each course of the meal there was great laughter (and a lot of blank faces!) as we answered various questions about different topics. The Quiz night was a great success and it was a real encouragement to have over 70 guests attend.

Sunday 23rd September- ‘Baptisms’

What an absolutely incredibly joyful day this was as we witnessed the baptism of three Amano students; Edwin (Grade 9), Manena and Tim (Grade 12).
The service and baptism pool was set up outside the secondary classrooms in the beautiful (very hot!) sunshine; it was great to see such a big crowd of family, staff and friends come to witness this memorable occasion. The songs we sang had been chosen by the three students and we were lead in song by Amano staff and students. A highlight of the service was to hear the young people’s testimonies as they spoke about their own individual stories of coming to know Jesus (tissues were at the ready!); what an absolute privilege it is to witness young people who are passionate about their faith and wanting (and brave enough) to share this with their peers.
We had a thought-provoking message from Mr Grove who encouraged the students to carry on their journey of faith after the point of baptism and to seek out other Christians in the next stages of their education (especially as 2 prepare to leave Amano).
This was all rounded off by sharing a meal afterwards with the families and friends of those who were baptised.

Thursday 15th November- ‘Dorm Farewell’ 

Another excellent event; organised by the grade 11 students as a goodbye from the dorm to the Grade 12 and sixth form students. The dorm students worked hard to decorate the girls dorm with lighting, photo’s and colourful decorations ready for the programme. Our hosts for the evening were the wonderful Chipe and Chigo and they did a great job at leading us through various songs, interesting talents (a highlight being Mr Kmanga’s incredible display of press-ups!), dry jokes, power points and power cuts!
Mr Grove (Jnr) finished the evening off with a challenging talk based on 1 Corinthians 10:23- “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but not everything is constructive.’ It was a challenge not only to the leavers but to all of us about making the firm decision to follow Christ before challenges and temptations arise in our lives.
The evening’s entertainment ended noisily as boarders and staff shared in lots of yummy baked cakes and LOTS of photographs!!

Saturday 17th November- ‘The Meal Out!’

The long awaited Grade 12 leavers meal finally happened on Saturday! This is certainly a huge highlight for the grade 12’s and has been the topic of conversation for quite some time as students have thought long and hard about what to wear, how to have their hair, what shoes (and that’s just the boys!!). And it certainly paid off as they all looked absolutely amazing, some even unrecognisable! Some of their class teachers and dorm parents also joined them (also looking great may I add!)
The grade 12’s (with the help of Miss Scott; their class teacher) had decided upon going to a place called ‘The Mukwa Lodge’ in Kitwe. And what an excellent choice they made! The restaurant staff had even gone to the effort to arrange a photo type podium just outside the dining area with a spotlight so the students could get their photos done in style, as you can see.
As we all sat and chatted it was great to see the relationship between staff and students and the obvious atmosphere of ‘familyness’. For those who have been at Amano for a long time it was nice to hear their stories of seeing these young people turn from children into young adults and now see them fly the nest as they go their separate ways.
The atmosphere was lovely but made even better with some delicious food pre-chosen by the students. A great evening enjoyed by all!
The Leaver’s Service November 18th 2012
What a wonderful day of seeing the grade 12 and 6th Form graduate from Amano.  It was great to hear the testimonies and to see how their lives have been changed during their time at Amano.  We had a great turn out of family and friends to see them take another step in their life.  May God bless them as they grow closer to Him as well as taking on new challenges in their lives.