Duneside welcomes the newbies

Michelline Nawatises
Jessica Noabes

Since Duneside High School is such a small school, we try to welcome new learners with open arms and keep track of how they settle the first few weeks. We had a total of six new learners that joined our school. The Dunes Paper editorial team had a few questions to ask some of them, just for the school to get to know them a little better.

Zion Imusho, in grade 9, describes herself as shy, but once she opens up and you get to know her she is really fun. She enjoys reading, swimming, listening to music and being around people who uplift her spirit. She was born in Walvis Bay although she has spent most of her life in South Africa and did her grade eight year at Brakenvah High School. Because of her shy personality, she says, “it was hard to make friends because I just kept to myself and I didn’t really open up to the kids at my previous school.” Zion says that the learners of Duneside High school are more open and friendly than those at her previous school. It’s very challenging for her to adapt to the new syllabus as she’s used to a different one. Nonetheless, she enjoys most of her subjects. One of the main reasons she decided to join Duneside is because most of her family members are former Dunesiders.

The next learner we interviewed was Chloe Husselman who joined in grade eight. She enjoys drawing, listening to k-pop and she’s currently learning Hangul - the Korean language. Born in Keetmanshoop, she grew up in Walvis Bay and attended the Naraville Primary School. She expressed that she felt confused as she embarked on her journey to make new friends. She rotated among the different friendship groups to test the waters and in that way she finally found friends who she can relate to. The transition from her previous school to Duneside is so far so good, considering the change in schools and entering high school. Chloe’s favourite subject is life science because she is very intrigued by science.

James Haraseb, just like Chloe joined the grade 8 class. He is always happy, making jokes and he loves soccer wholeheartedly. He previously attended JJ’s Private School, here in Walvis Bay. Though most of his subjects are new to him he says he likes the challenge. James’s favourite subject is math because he says the numbers speak to him. After school, he likes to play soccer and go to the gym. “I have made a whole bunch of friends because I used to school here from grade 1-3”, says James. He really loves the transition from his previous school to Duneside. “I wanted to come here, this school has high standards and I’ve been here before so I knew it was the right choice.”

Josephine Mbago, in grade 9, describes herself as someone who is an extrovert that can be shy at times. She is a very talkative yet hardworking girl. “She is very nice and sweet,” another learner in grade 9 said. She strongly dislikes judgmental people, especially those who are judgmental about her appearance. Born in Walvis Bay she attended the Flamingo Secondary School. The experience of setting out to make friends has been very good for her, as she has found very friendly and funny buddies that suit her personality quite well. “Duneside is actually bigger than my previous school, that I sometimes get lost between the classes,” she says. Josephine really enjoys the fact that her classmates participate in the class discussions and is stunned at how well-mannered they actually are. “I am actually coping very well at this school, my grades are better and the teachers are very kind, they make you understand and focus on the whole class.” It was both her and her parent’s decision for making the move to Duneside and she’s very happy about it.

Lastly, we have Jazzmin Smith, who joined us in grade 11. She finds pleasure in reading novels, watching crime and mystery series and movies. Born in Luderitz, Jazzmin grew up here in Walvis Bay and previously attended the Flamingo Secondary School. “The journey of making friends was very interesting, as I also learned more of myself as well,” she says. Jazzmin likes being active and sometimes practices soccer with boys at Atlantis Sports Club. The transition from her previous school to Duneside is very smooth for her, as she is already familiar with the subjects. Her preferred subject is math, “simply because I do math, not for the sake of doing it, but because I enjoy solving the problems.” Jazzmin was over the moon when she heard she was accepted here at Duneside. It is truly an exciting opportunity to interact with the new learners here at Duneside High.