2012 is not doomed
Winner:
How interesting it is to have a year where the first and last numbers
are the same. 2012 is also the last we can celebrate a day which carries
the same number for the day, month and year; (12.12.12). Most people
believe that 2012 is doomed and would result in the end of the world.
People claim there are facts to prove that it is so. Some scientists
have said that the world’s end will take place in 2012, due to some
major natural disasters.
These claims have been based on the Mayan calendar. Mayans were a
group of people who lived thousands of years ago. They were excellent in
mathematics and they did all of their activities based on mathematics.
The Mayans’ famous creation is the ‘Ziguratt’, which has a pyramid-like
shape and comprises rock steps. It is said that they took a particular
number of years to build up a single rock step around the pyramid.
Likewise, they have taken the same number of years to build each rock
step from the bottom to the top. And also they have prepared a 12 month
calendar which ends in 2012. The reason for some scientists to accept
this as evidence is the fact that Mayans carried out all their
activities based on mathematical calculations and were hardly wrong.
However, it is not the last year of our destiny. Going by another
archaeological discovery-another inscription by Mayans - the end of the
world is not in 2012. It is said to be only an end of an era. So, in my
point of view, the next era must be an era of high technology.
Everything might be based on technology. It may also be the new
generation, with artificial intelligence (AI).
We like to have a bright future with less problems. And that has to
be achieved by us alone. So, everyone must work towards this. Let’s make
2012 a successful year.
W. A. Thilini Shehani Kulathilaka,
Grade 11,
Sujatha Vidyalaya,
Matara.
What a wonder
Winner:
It’s a wonder...
I see the clouds light blue
And the grass green
Who told the trees to bear fruits?
Who taught the birds to build nests?
Who hung the Sun and Moon in day and night?
Who put the water to seas, waterfalls and lakes?
How come the soil is brown in colour?
And who filled sand into deserts?
How did those rocky mountains come to rest?
If Dad just didn’t open my eyes,
I would have been still blind of your wonders Lord.w
Fidaylia Fernando,
Grade 4, St. Lawrence’s Convent, Colombo 6.
My English teacher
My English teacher Mr. Mahanama is very kind. Sometimes he is like a
father to us and at other times he is like a friend. He is always with a
smiling face.
He always appreciates us and encourages us to learn English.
I respect him more than any other teacher. Today I can speak English
very well because of him.
I love my English teacher very much.
Ushan Dulanka,
Grade 5,
Oxford Academy, Alawwa.
My dream ...
Winner:
Spring, the sweet spring
Childhood is my sweet spring
In my childhood,
I met many people
Numerous people
Some were so cute
Some were so kind
Some were a nuisance
But...
Everybody asked me one question
A common question
A usual question
‘What is your dream for the future?’
At first,
I wore a nice smile,
And then answered...
‘I want to be a child forever, without becoming an adult!’
‘She is funny’
‘She is crazy’
I could hear some opinions
I never cared...
But now I have grown up,
Now I know my dream
To be a good citizen to my motherland,
Be a valuable gem to my motherland,
Be a hero to my motherland
This is my dream.
My dream will never die in my heart,
Because I have great hope!
D. M. Sajini Apsara Dissanayaka,
Grade 11F,
B/Mahiyangana National School.
The magic of fairy tales
Winner:
 Most of us love to read fairy tales.The shops are full of books with
exciting stories revolving around fairies, goblins and little elves who
make shoes at night and dance on toad stools in the garden.
Going by these fairy tales we know that fairies have wings, carry
magic wands and make our wishes come true. There are good fairies like
Cinderella's god mother and bad fairies like the wicked fairy in
Sleeping Beauty who cast a spell to put the beautiful princess to sleep.
Do fairies really exist? Has anyone seen a fairy fly in the garden ?
No. But we do not know whether they really exist and how such a
character came about. But, it does not really matter because fairies
cast a magical spell on us whenever we read fairy tales. They give us so
much to think about. There are many things we could learn from the
fairies featured in these books. So, even though they may be only
imaginary characters, they are lovely beings to read about .
Mayani Jayasekera
Ecole International ,Digana.
A visit to a national park
Winner:
During the last school vacation we went on a trip to the Minneriya
National Park. We travelled by a private coach. There were 34 of us who
went on the trip. We left Kurunegala about 10.00 a.m. and reached
Minneriya at about 1.p.m.
First we visited the Minneriya tank. We had lunch on the bund of the
tank. After lunch we rested for a while and went to the National Park at
about 2.30 p.m. We had to enter the park from Ambagaswewa on the
Habarana-Polonnaruwa main road. As with most other places we had to buy
tickets at the entrance to visit the park. Then we were taken around the
park by a wildlife officer. According to him the forest reserve was
declared as a National Park in 1997. The extent of the park is 8,889
hectares.
The National Park is famous for wild elephants. They come out of the
jungle only in the evening. The park is situated adjoining the Minneriya
and Giritale tanks.We could see a large number of elephants at this
place. There were nearly 100 elephants in the herd we saw. There were
several baby elephants too. They were playing like little children. It
was a very attractive scene. We took some photographs.
The wildlife officers told us that nearly 60 species of birds live in
the National Park. We saw peacocks, jungle fowl, eagles, parrots and
many other kinds of birds. There were six species of birds endemic to
Sri Lanka.
There were many tourists who had come to watch the wild elephants at
the park.
The wildlife officer said that elephants from Trincomalee,
Polonnaruwa and Matale areas also come to the park during the dry season
in search of food and water.At about 6 p.m. we started our return
journey.
We reached Kurunegala at about 10 p.m. We will never forget this
enjoyable trip.
M. R. F. Nusra,
Grade 8, Baduriya Central College, Mawanella. |
