By Towela Banda
Tacked away between the boarding House or school hostels, is the plush soccer field that has hosted a number of mouthwatering encounters among schools in the ISAZ (Independent Schools Association of Zambia) age restricted soccer league in the schools’ academic and sports calendar.
Of course soccer takes center stage as it is arguably Zambia’s number one sport that commands a very wide and passionate fan base. Horizon school boasts of a number of sports facilities that make the learners’ stay in the institution a very competitive and exciting one. Upon entering the school premises, just left of the guard house, stands a custom built multi-purpose sports facility. It caters for the games of basket-ball, futsal, handball and general sports exercising. With minor adjustments it can also be used for the games of netball, volleyball badminton and lawn tennis. Presently our formidable basketball team uses it for training sessions and its home games. To prevent spectator interference, the facility is well fenced off with diamond wire mesh and allows matches to go on uninterrupted as the players, competitors showcase their sporting skills.
Back to the soccer field, to avoid the turf being completely worn out, we have a training pitch just adjacent to it. This ensures that the playing surface always remains in good shape enhancing good gamesmanship. Around the soccer field is a six lane running track that hosts the schools inter-house athletics competitions and fun-games like egg on the spoon, sack race and the one legged races. The three competing Houses, Buffalo, Tiger and Cheetah will battle it out in both track and field races in the second school term. Buffalo emerged victorious after white washing all opponents in soccer, basketball, volleyball and track and field events. Opposite the school Tuck Shop, are the Netball and Volleyball courts. Indoor sports and games are also part of the schools compulsory sports program. We have a professional Martial Arts instructor that trains the karate team. Mind games! Chess is available for the strategists and deep thinkers. Those who would love to expand their vocabulary can join the Scrabble Club which is ably managed by Mr. Kaira.
To try and develop the learners writing skills, we have a media club which is a major contributor of ideas and stories to this very newspaper. The criterion used for one to become a member is that you have to create a news item to be published. This could be a poem, short story, a crossword puzzle, or any fictitious story. As we are all beneficiaries of products and services, we need to be very enlightened about our rights and privileges as consumers. The CCP Club educates the learners about such issues as dates of manufacture and expiry. Science which is the corner stone of technological development cannot be left out. In comes the JETS club (Junior Engineers Technicians & Scientists). Here pupils put theory into practice by coming up with practical ideas in Mathematics, Natural and Biological sciences. This could be about renewable energy, hydraulics, food preservation or invention of pesticides.
One of the core aspects of the school’s vision is to develop and inculcate self confidence in our learners. No other way can we do this than by making our learners feel free and confident to stand before an audience and clearly articulate on any critical issues. In comes the Debate Club to which all our Prefects board belongs. They are nurtured into becoming good public speakers as well as future leaders. A competitive platform is availed to them so that they ply their oratory skills against neighboring schools in our catchment area.
The second school term will surely provide a lot of excitement and entertainment to both the proactive learners and mere spectators. Definitely talent will be unearthed and nurtured. Boredom will be a thing of the past as clubs day on Tuesdays will be a hive of activity.
