Arusha Campus News – 10 Dec 2023

Tanzania celebrated 62 years of Independence yesterday. The country gained independence on 9 December 1961, with Julius Nyerere becoming first, its prime minister in 1960 under British rule, and then president when Tanganyika was declared a republic in 1962.

Wed 13th December – 1.30pm Primary Top of the Pops

Fri 15th December – Final day of the quarter

Mon 18th-Fri 22nd – TALISS swim training camp for ages 12+/Advanced swimmers/competition level (Contact caitrintrappe@uwcea.org if interested.

This afternoon, our successful U19 Boys’ footballers suffered a rare defeat at the hands of Madukani FC. Congratulations to Madukani who play with great attitude and spirit.

When I think of Tanzania Independence, inevitably I also think of Juliius Nyerere, the founding President of Tanzania. Now, there is a UWC student if ever I saw one. The epitome of selflessness. Allow me to share two personal anecdotes about my encounters with Mwalimu that, for me, make my point. As a 5 year old who was fanatical about cars, the impending visit to Arusha in 1975 of the East African Presidents offered an opportunity to see some fabulous presidential cars roll into Arusha. And from Jomo Kenyatta and Idi Amin I was not disappointed. Both in gleaming Mercedes Benz 600SL’s. Fantastic cars. In contrast to these coachbuilt limousines, the host country’s president’s car was a more modest Peugeot saloon! Thirty years later, I had the chance opportunity to encounter Mwalimu for the second time. In Mara region of Tanzania I was waved down by somebody needing a lift. I obliged and in return my hitchhiker took me to meet his neighbour in his village of Butiama. We found his famous neighbour pounding maize outside his house. The most basic of household chores was not ‘above’ the Father of the Nation.

The quality that Julius Nyerere had in bucket loads was this one of selflessness. I don’t think he thought himself as important. And yet he was influential and as a leader could make a difference. There are a lot of people who use their leadership opportunities to emphasise their self-importance and yet make no positive difference to the lives of those around them. 

Enjoy the week ahead.

Phil

On Friday evening, our hard working housekeepers, gardeners, drivers, teachers, maintenance team and administrators gathered for a well-earned end of year staff party. The Social Committee found a stunning hilltop location for the event. Pictured above is action from the ‘Drivers Hula Hoop’ final!

PYP show they are incredibly talented during the inter house art competition

In the last couple of weeks the primary classes have been on a variety of school trips to enhance the students’ learning. School trips are really important to open students’ minds to new cultures and gaining knowledge about specific topics from places they have visited. A school outing promotes real world experiences that can’t be taught in the classroom, providing the right balance for academic life.

Remember to join us for Top of the Pops on Wednesday 13th December at 1.30pm

Amanda

P6 visited Chanzi to learn about how energy is used and transformed at their black-soldier fly farm.  We learned about their use of biogas and biofuels in their drying machines and how this is transformed into useful heat energy. Roan did not mind getting his hands dirty, but Lulu and Ava may still be having nightmares after entering the fly-breeding houses.  The fish-nibbling at Maji-Moto might be a well-known spa treatment in other parts of the world, but have you considered being massaged by 10,000 tickly black-soldier flies?

P6 also spent some time learning about conduction, convection and radiation whilst learning about heat transfer by baking chocolate bananas this week.  See image below. A slightly more appetising learning experience than black-soldier fly larvae for some!

Gathering Information

This week we were fortunate to host two institutions who shared insights on very different, yet informative topics. On Tuesday, Coach Travis Rieger from St. Lawrence University led a presentation about what students need to consider if they want to be a Scholar Athlete at the collegiate level in the US. He posed many questions for reflection and shared the experiences his international recruits have gone through. After working on multiple levels from Division one to Division three, he was a wealth of wisdom, and the notes he created for the presentation are attached to the calendar item for that event (5 Dec @ 7:30 PM EAT) on the UWCEA Careers website. He also shared these two websites for potential collegiate athletes to explore in advance of their pursuit of recruitment.
https://www.ncaa.org/
https://www.naia.org/landing/index

On Wednesday we had the pleasure of “traveling” to Germany to learn about the liberal arts opportunities available at Bard College Berlin. Not only did we hear about the UWC specific scholarship that they offer our graduates, but we were treated to an excellent presentation by Elena (UWCEA Moshi ‘21) who shared her journey to Bard College Berlin, and all of the exciting educational adventures she has had since enrolling in January 2022. She recently welcomed our recent alumni to the campus, and now she’s available to talk with any UWC/international students who would like to learn more about her institution. You can reach Elena via her Unibuddy page on the Bard College Berlin admissions website:https://berlin.bard.edu/admissions/ask-a-student/
 

With a long break starting next weekend, I wanted to take a moment to share some ideas that all of our students in the high school equivalent years (MYP4 – DP 2) can embark on over the break. Please take a look at these ways to maximize the break, and the article that some of them came from:

Career exploration

Delve into interests and potential careers by engaging with professionals in your local area to learn more about what they actually do.
Setting up internship, volunteer, or work opportunities for the long break
Planning college/university visits (for the next breaks) – especially M5 and D1
D1s – Deciding on college entrance testing schedule and practicing
D1s – working on your post-secondary plan presentation (and share with family)
D2s – finishing applications and reviewing offers received especially aid award

Learn more about some of these suggestions via this link: https://bitly.ws/34M6q

Are you an ISM/UWCEA alumnus?

We would like to welcome back to our campus any of our alumni who are currently on a college/university campus and home/off for their break. If you are a graduate from the ISM/UWCEA classes of 2020-2023 and available (in person or virtually) during the week of 15-19 January 2024, we would love to host you on campus, and gather any expertise you are willing to share with our current students as they explore their options.

Also, when we return from break we will begin planning our Careers Symposium that will take place in March 2024, and are seeking alumni who are willing to talk with current students about your career field, the skills needed to be successful in your field, and your professional journey. If you are interested in either of these events, please reach out to me at Counselor_arusha@uwcea.org.

UPCOMING College and University Events

12 December: 4:00-5:00 PM EAT Do you need to create an art portfolio for your application? Are you interested in careers in the arts? Join us to learn more about how to create a competitive portfolio for admissions consideration & career opportunities that exist at Ringling College of Art and Design (virtual)

12 December: 5:30 – 6:30 PM EAT DP Parents Zoom meeting (virtual)

Week of 15-19 January: Times vary EAT Wiki ya Wahitimu
(Alumni week) – more details coming soon!

Remember to continue checking the UWCEA Careers Website Calendar for information about new events coming our way! Although many institutions will be on break from the end of December to early January, there is still programming taking place that you may want to participate in during your time away from school. Review the list of events and mark your calendars so that you don’t miss important engagement opportunities.

Take care and enjoy your weekend!

Cassandra Ford
College and Career Counselor
cassandraford@uwcea.org