Congratulations to three of our pupils whose writing has been published in SACEE’s ‘English Alive’ Publication – Grade 12 pupils Ameerah Patel, Chloe McComb and Ciaran Steenveld.
SACEE (South African Council for English Education) runs various competitions and programmes throughout the year, where the best writing by high schools and colleges throughout South Africa is published in the ‘English Alive’ annually.
Additionally, Ameerah Patel was invited to perform her writing at the launch of the book on Saturday, 6 September in the Cape Town Library. Only seven pupils performed their work at this event which was attended by an audience which showed their appreciation enthusiastically. The launch was part of the Open Book Festival of 2025.
“We are very proud of our pupils, the writers who have been published for the first time! May this encourage them to continue writing and to being published in the future.” said Mrs Jeanne Rankin, Head of English.
“This is a fantastic achievement for these learners and we hope to see them build on this in the future!” said Alison Gwynne-Evans, Chairperson of SACEE Western Cape.
See below for the published pieces:
Relapse into the past
December dissolved into my skin; it seeped in and cradled my heart. But January is pulling at my hair, beckoning me to an uncertain future – a future that I have longed for. But as it rears closer, I trudge back into the comfort of the past. This heavy lead dragging my bones will only lead me back to familiar habits, to a life I have lived many times before.
Today is the first day of my new life. I expected to be excited; instead, I am met with the bitter aftertaste of yesterday on my tongue. The flavours singe down my throat as I try to ignore my restlessness. This duel between the past and the future has left me in a state of disarray-armour knocking at the walls of my heart until it turns soft. Soft enough to let the past walk back in, but not soft enough to welcome the future. I realise that I do not know how to move on without dregs of the past floating in my blood. It lives within me, and I do not have the heart to tell it to leave.
How could I ever move on when I still feel the shadows of the past lingering in every corner? It feels like a betrayal of my own heart to leave behind a piece of my life, so I let myself sink into old habits and hide from the future that awaits.
My knuckles have turned white from holding onto the past. I have left claw marks all over my old life, and I fear that the future is near. In this taxing race, I feel the future catching up to me. The desperate need to escape pushes me further down the line. My mind is frantic, screaming contradictions in my ears. I run until my legs feel boneless, until the strain of fear paralyses my body. A stillness settles in the heavy air. As I search for a sense of comfort I feel the same tug at my hair – the future is knocking at my door again, arms ready to take me in.
Indecision rakes my brain, and an overwhelming sense of danger surges through me. I feel as though I am on a precipice, and if I do not leap, I might be stuck indefinitely. I have let the past build a home in my heart, only for it to feel more akin to a parasite than a visitor. Perhaps I have clung too tightly to familiarity that it has begun to suffocate me. Exhaustion rings through my bones. The future is slowly weaving itself into my hair-braiding, twisting and winding until I do not feel the ache of the past pressing into my ribs.
As I bathe in the January sun, I feel an inexplicable sense of gratitude for the past. The past is an old rain jacket that has held me through the worst of storms. It has kept me warm when I thought the winter would stay forever. But it is summer now, and I no longer need a jacket to feel warm. I can now feel the sun in my every cell .
Ameerah Patel, Cannons Creek Independent School
Do I remember you?
Your silent voice
I fear it far more
than any angered yell
Your faceless smile
saddens me so much,
much more than tearful eyes
I found comfort
in your long-short hair
Now all I find is loss
What was your name again?
Ciaran Steenveld, Cannons Creek Independent School
What a Wonderful World!
I have always been a glass-half-empty sort of person. The kind of person who always sees the sadness and pain that fills the cracks of this huge rotating ball we call Earth. However, everything changed the day I picked up a recorder for the first time.
I first saw a recorder at a school concert in Grade 2. I will remember that moment forever. Although all of my classmates around me were wriggling about and wiping grubby hands on their dirt-splattered school uniforms, I was completely enraptured by the glorious melody engulfing the hall. I did not understand how such a small, ordinary-looking piece of wood could produce such a wonderful sound. The next day, I signed up for recorder lessons and approached the instrument like a child given free rein in a sweet shop. I was excited, curious and eager to learn.
However, as I grew older, life became harder. In the space of one year, my grandfather died, I had my first panic attack and I failed my first Mathematics examination in high school. Everything felt out of control and overwhelming. That was when music became something more for me. It became a way to express my emotions and a place where I could be myself. Each note was a colour that could be pulled together like paint on a canvas to form a story of a world beyond. Each piece and bar was a thread of wool that knitted together with texture and feeling to create a blanket of woven dreams and joyful melodies. Each performance was a transformative journey to a world where imagination ran wild and hope was no longer a daydream. Music became a cathartic experience where I was the poet and music was the vessel with which I could express myself.
Additionally, music allowed me to experience joy and beauty fully for the first time. It showed me how awe-inspiring and wonderful the world truly was. It allowed me to look at a flower and see goodness and delicate elegance. It allowed me to eat a steaming, rich stew and let the salty, tantalising flavour rest on my tongue. The beauty of music opened my eyes to the beauty of God’s creation around me and left me feeling in awe of his glory and of his perfect handiwork. The world truly is wonderful!
Overall, music has allowed me to see goodness in the world again, when previously I saw nothing but bleak and dreary days of repeated motions and empty hearts. I will always be grateful for the impact it has had on me and I will always be grateful for God’s love in creating a world filled with wonder and beauty. The world is an amazing place if you only open your eyes to see it.
Chloe McComb, Cannons Creek Independent School
