Maragon Ruimsig learners made their monthly visit to the Owl Rescue Centre (ORC) in Hartbeespoort on 14 September 2019.
The learners have been visiting the centre to assist with any possible projects they would need help with.
Maragon teacher, Rhona Crawford said, “I am also an Awards Leader for The President’s Award (TPA) and in 2015 I accompanied a few awards participants on their residential project at ORC. The centre managers, Danelle and Brendan Murray, and I decided that, seeing that ORC is not too far from our school, I would rather be taking my participants there for community service, rather than doing residential projects.”
Not only TPA participants, but also Grade 11 and 12 learners required to do community service participate and learn a few interesting skills along the way.
ORC has decided to sell spekboom shoots as part of their ongoing fundraising and also to try to counteract the massive air pollution rampant in the world today.
The spekboom is indigenous, grows quickly and produces a larger amounts of oxygen than most plants.
During the school’s last visit, the learners were roped in to assist with this project, and were randomly instructed to make 1 000 shoots.
The school took it literally, and driven by their over-achieving Grade 9s, the whole group pitched in and rose to the challenge.
Rhona said, “We used cut-off 2 litre Coke bottles, mixed soil with compost, planted our spekboom shoots and watered them. In between, we also completed a few other tasks for ORC, but this was our main focus.”
Maragon learners planted 1 000 spekboom shoots and ORC will sell them for R10 each, once they are rooted.
“The learners will be going to ORC again on 19 October. Come along for community service hours as you really never know what you will be doing,” concluded Rhona.
