La Rochelle Yearbook 2025

ALL GIRLS’ FESTIVAL

This year’s All Girls Festival, a truly special annual event where more than 1 500 girls from 22 girl schools from across South Africa meet, was met with great enthusiasm by all Larries who got to showcase their talents, dedication, and spirit across a wide range of disciplines. Arts included – Drama, Ensemble (Con Spirito), Debating, Creative Writing, Marimbas, Public Speaking, Dance & Visual Art. Sport Teams included – Chess, Cross Country (Junior & Senior), Hockey, Netball, Squash and Tennis. The Arts – Creative Writing Ten schools participated in the Creative Writing programme, with La Rochelle represented by Lamees Dulvie and Lael Frankfort. The seven-session workshop series was led by Karen Jennings, an award-winning South African author. At the end of the second day, participants submitted a 450-word short story. Ms Jennings selected the top three stories, and La Rochelle was right up there, with Lamees receiving third place for “We Are Open, Come Again!” and Lael achieving second place for “Dear Old Dad.” Con Spirito Hosted with warmth and efficiency by Wynberg Girls’ High School, this year’s All Girls Festival was a vibrant and uplifting experience for Con Spirito. Under the leadership of Yvette Marais, the Vocal Ensemble strand brought together students from across the country to explore, perform, and grow through music. Participants engaged in a series of dynamic workshops such as harmony, performance, body percussion, and mash-ups. In preparation for the showcase, students from all schools were divided into ten colour-coded groups. Each group was challenged to pitch a creative interpretation, devise an original mashup featuring at least two songs, and produce a video to accompany their work – all within a day and a half. We were absolutely blown away by their originality, teamwork, and the sheer creativity that shone through in every performance. From the initial brainstorm sessions to the lively lunchtime concerts and the joyful final showcase, the atmosphere was filled with creativity and collaboration. A particular highlight was the Mass Choir performance which brought all the voices together in a powerful expression of unity and shared passion. Marimbas Congratulations to Safiyyah Moerat, who received the Team Player of the Festival award in recognition of her outstanding spirit, teamwork, and contribution to the Marimba group. Public Speaking Represented in both the junior and senior categories of Public Speaking competition that included prepared and unprepared speech components, La Rochelle was extremely proud that both Zarah van Zyl and Leigh Adams were All Girls’ Festival

selected for the prestigious Top 5 Showcase on the final day. Zarah excelled with her speech “Trailblazing Women: Past and Present,” earning first place in the junior section, while Leigh impressed with “Representation: Why Women’s Stories Matter,” securing second place in the senior section. Dance Four of our learners participated in the first ever dance of the festival’s program. Our participants joined in the exceptional workshops presented by two famous South African musical theatre choreographers. Each dancer had to learn the choreography of two highly technical pieces presented at a beautiful show case event. An honorary mention was given to Michelle Johnson who sustained an injury during the festival but remained determined and engaged throughout the programme. Drama Five drama learners participated in mixed-group workshops presented by LAMTA musical theatre academy in Cape Town. They had to learn, rehearse and perform a scene from Hairspray the musical. Katherine Smit received an honorary mention for musical theatre performance. Of the top 3 Musical Theatre Group Performances: Gabrielle Balie also receives the top musical theatre of the festival award: Most Promising Triple Threat Performer – Best in acting, singing and dancing out of 63 learners that participated. Debating The Senior A Debating Team ended in a strong 9th position at this event, with Zahrah Docrat, ranking in the top 25 on the Individual Speaker list. Sports Results Our learners competed with determination and school pride across multiple sporting codes, achieving commendable results in strong fields. Sport Final Position Chess 7th / 14 Cross Country (Junior) 3rd / 10 Cross Country (Senior) 8th / 12 Hockey 12th / 18 Netball 5th / 19 Squash 8th / 12 Tennis 6th / 13 It was a true privilege for La Rochelle to be part of this celebration, not only of talent, but of the spirit of togetherness that defines this special festival. 3rd Place = The Dinamos – Shan Daniels 2nd Place Baltimore’s Best – Gabriele Balie

144 | Hoër Meisieskool La Rochelle | Girls’ High School