After 2 weeks days of hard work, sports, cinema (and a spot of safari), the 18-strong Nelson Thom team all arrived back home safe and sound last week...
On the sports front, many successful games of football, netball, frisbee, rugby were held, culminating in a rounders tournament on the final Wednesday (sadly postponed from the weekend, when it bucketed it down!) In spite of frustrations with time and the language barrier (and a few cows on the pitch!), our lot persevered and got 4 mixed teams of Nkoaranga Secondary School students together....
....to fight it out for the fabulous Nelson Thomlinson School Rounders Cup 2013! The winners were awarded medals on the day and a cup during morning parade the next day, which can be passed on from year to year. And perhaps the proudest legacy of all, the introduction of rounders (and rugby!) into the school's sports curriculum!
Most brilliantly of all for the construction project, the work was completed on the classrooms started - giving a new lease of life to the building with fresh walls and new roofs (that don't leak) and turning the unfit kindergarten into a place of happy learning:
And, to make their leaders proud, the team unanimously opted for the option of doing a complete renovation on a classroom out of use. Harder work than the extra mural painting they could have done, but something that will make a huge and lasting difference to the school, giving the cramped learners more classroom space to use!
Needless to say, the farewell celebration brought out a few tears, when members of the primary teaching staff, the secondary school, local educational administration, and most emotionally, an elder of the whole village, gave their speeches on what the NTS team's work has really meant for Nkoaranga - a place to be proud of.
And finally, a school that can be found as the final touches were put on the new school sign by Miss Southwell and a keen bunch of helpers!
***
And just in case it seems like the 2 weeks were all work and little play, the team did get the chance for a 2 day interlude of safari and cultural experience, with Maasai dancing, medicine walk and boma visit (traditional village).
Safe to say, the safari in the beautiful Tarangire National Park was certainly a highlight for all - watching a family of elephants cross right in front of the jeep and a lion mating (who was not best pleased at being interrupted....issuing a few scary warning growls and a faux charge....eek!)
***
On the sports front, many successful games of football, netball, frisbee, rugby were held, culminating in a rounders tournament on the final Wednesday (sadly postponed from the weekend, when it bucketed it down!) In spite of frustrations with time and the language barrier (and a few cows on the pitch!), our lot persevered and got 4 mixed teams of Nkoaranga Secondary School students together....
....to fight it out for the fabulous Nelson Thomlinson School Rounders Cup 2013! The winners were awarded medals on the day and a cup during morning parade the next day, which can be passed on from year to year. And perhaps the proudest legacy of all, the introduction of rounders (and rugby!) into the school's sports curriculum!
 |
| The winning team! |
 |
| From this dilapidated room.... |
 |
| ...to this shiny new kindergarten! |
And, to make their leaders proud, the team unanimously opted for the option of doing a complete renovation on a classroom out of use. Harder work than the extra mural painting they could have done, but something that will make a huge and lasting difference to the school, giving the cramped learners more classroom space to use!
 |
| From this state.... |
 |
| ...via a little of this... |
 |
| ...and a LOT of this... |
To this beautiful building!
In the words of Mama Nasari, assistant headteacher, "I feel I am going to work in a new school!
Needless to say, the farewell celebration brought out a few tears, when members of the primary teaching staff, the secondary school, local educational administration, and most emotionally, an elder of the whole village, gave their speeches on what the NTS team's work has really meant for Nkoaranga - a place to be proud of.
And finally, a school that can be found as the final touches were put on the new school sign by Miss Southwell and a keen bunch of helpers!
***
And a brief safari interlude....
Safe to say, the safari in the beautiful Tarangire National Park was certainly a highlight for all - watching a family of elephants cross right in front of the jeep and a lion mating (who was not best pleased at being interrupted....issuing a few scary warning growls and a faux charge....eek!)
***
WELL DONE TO ALL THE TEAM:
Abbie, Charlotte F, Bianca, Charlotte D, Johny, Tiff, Jess,
Dan H, Dan S, Jo, Conor, Will, Laura, Annabelle, Trent
...and of course the fab teachers Miss Southwell, Miss Lovegrove and Miss Simpson!
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