Garbage - let us dispose of it properly

A school is our second home. We mainly attend school to improve our knowledge, learn skills and most importantly learn discipline and manners.

Cleanliness plays a vital role in the classroom. Leftovers, food packets pencil shavings, papers and wrappers should be thrown into the waste paper baskets or the trashbins, as keeping the premises neat and tidy is very important. Not only the classroom, but also the entire school should be kept clean as it would be an ugly sight if garbage is thrown everywhere.

Litter is always unsightly and can even cause deadly diseases.It can be the breeding ground for many deadly diseases like malaria and dengue. Also when it rains, the garbage rots and gives out unpleasant smells. Garbage also helps breed flies. Remember that the cleanliness of the school reflects on the character of the students. It is important to keep the school clean but we must also remember not to dump garbage on the roads as it pollutes the area and also spoils the beauty of the place.

Non - biodegradable items like plastic should not be thrown but reused or recycled. By just following and implementing simple steps we can keep our country clean and beautiful.

Shahani Razzak, Grade 8 S, Ilma International Girls' School.

My dream as a young boy

When I was six years old, I had already learnt a great deal about space, the objects in space and the immensity of galaxies which were all beyond conception for my young mind. I had a very deep interest about space than the other boys of my age. I very well knew that human kind had 'improved' a lot but....yet it took hundreds of years to travel even to the nearest planet. I wondered whether human beings would come to know all about space before they become extinct.

I was living in an apartment and I used to look at the stars everyday. I was rather annoyed on some occasions for I could not get a clear view of the moon because the strong and sturdy walls of the apartment blocked my view. I wished I had been born in a village to get a clear view of the moon.

I asked plenty of questions from many elders but none of them seemed to narrate anything new.Then came an interesting day in my journey of life. I was playing 'hide and seek' with one of my friends and from the apartment block I thought of a place to hide from which I could never be found....until the end of the game.

I thought of flying to space, but that was just an illusion. I ran to the fifth floor, the top most floor of the apartment building and decided to hide there. But something prompted me to go to the roof of the building. I found the way, and decided to climb up even though. I was aware that it was either wrong or dangerous to go there. I had to open a small door and squeeze through it to have a view of the complete beauty of the sky at sunset!!

I walked aimlessly on the roof, in every direction. Slowly the stars began to appear. I was stareing at the far eastern horizon, waiting for the moon, but alas! The 'catcher' came up to the roof.He was a tall boy of fifteen years. He was frowning at me. "The game is over" he said angrily!After a short curious conversation with him, I got to know that we can only go to space, in a rocket!

After a long pause he said in an angry voice, "Get down without annoying me."Since then I have been thinking of inventing a spaceship which could travel a million times faster than a rocket; which could accelerate even in space. With the passage of time, my former 'ambition' has 'faded' but not yet 'erased' from my mind !!!

S. Arushan, Grade 11, Alexandra College.

Knowledge is power!

Do you know
That knowledge is the
Richest treasure
Anyone could have in life?

I believe that,
The only institution,
In which you can
Gain knowledge is school.

"Listen more, talk less,"
Is an old proverb
Do you believe in that too?
Of course, I do!

The more you listen,
You'll gain more knowledge
The more you talk,
You'll disturb everyone,
And gain nothing!

A. M. Kavisha Kavindya Attanayake, Grade 8, B/Bandarawela Central College.

Protect public property

Public property means things that belong to all the people in a country. There are many things that come under public property such as schools, hospitals, libraries, parks, wayside taps, toilets, buses, bus stands, trains and railway stations. It is our responsibility to protect such public property.

Libraries are an important public property provided by the Government for the benefit of the people. However, many do not realise their value.Some children who go to such public libraries do not know how to behave or use the material provided there.

There are children who are in the habit of tearing books and scribbling on them too. This is not correct. They do not seem to know the value of books. School is another very important public property. There are many schools around the world to educate us and these places have various things that belong to all the students. Most present day children misuse them. They break the desks and chairs, write on the walls and damage the property.

Public taps and toilets are also badly used. Some do not close the taps after using them.Therefore, a valuable natural resource too is wasted.

There are many who litter public places, especially parks. They throw garbage all over these places and also paste posters and notices on the walls and even on trees. They destroy the cleanliness and beauty of these places. If we protect public property our country would be a place with a pleasant environment.

Ishini Hansika Mullegama, Grade 9 G, Badulla Central College, Badulla.

Waves and their uses

You may have heard the word 'waves' a thousand times but have you ever thought of the real significance of waves?

What exactly is a wave? We could simply explain a wave as a periodic motion that propagates with or without a medium from one place to another.

There are various kinds of waves which fall into two groups.They are electromagnetic waves and mechanical waves.Electromagnetic waves do not need a medium to pass through but mechanical waves do.Let us look at some uses of waves. Waves which form in the water such as in the ocean,lakes or rivers are very common. They can be used to generate hydro power.

Waves, especially those formed in the ocean, could be used for various water sports such as surfing.Sound waves are used to operate different equipment such as sonar equipment used by ships to find obstacles under the water. Infrared waves are used for remote controllers and other electronic devices.

Waves are also used to work micro ovens.

It is clear that waves could be used for different purposes to help us in our lives. Even though they are very useful to us, we should also remember that ocean waves could result in disasters like tsunamis.

Malshi Nayanathara, Grade 11, Thakshila College, Gampaha.

My best friend

Friends are wonderful people to live with. We should have at least one good friend.We can share our happy and sad moments with them.

I have many friends and one of them is my best friend. His name is Hasitha. He is clever and smart. His favourite subject is mathematics. He is very fond of his pet dog. He loves cricket.

Hasitha is very helpful to all the students in class. He wants to be an engineer someday and I wish him all the best in his future goals.I expect to remain a good friend of his even when we grow up.

Harshana Gopallawa, Grade 4F, Maliyadeva Boys' College, Kurunegala.

On a trip to Anuradhapura

Children love to go on a trip to some place or another.During school holidays teachers organise trips to various important places and the students simply love it. Recently a trip was organised by the teachers to take students of my class on a trip to Anuradhapura.

The bus arrived at the school premises early, at about 8.00 a.m. Once all the students arrived at the school we left around 8.30 a.m and reached Dambulla in about two hours' time.

From there we went to Sigiriya and our teacher explained about the historic significance of the place to us. Sigiriya, which was the kingdom of King Kasyapa is famous for its frescoes the world over. He had built the place to avoid any attacks or invasions by enemies.

The king had taken a lot of effort to make his rock kingdom a beautiful place. From Sigiriya we went to Anuradhapura. We were very tired by the time we reached the place. We had lunch by the banks of the Tissawewa. After that we went to see Ruwanveliseya, the Srimaha Bodhiya and the famous Samadhi Buddha statue. As it was only a day trip we could not visit many places. We reached home almost at midnight.

M.N. Fathima Sahla, Grade 8, Jeelan Central College, Panadura.

Myself

My name is Ashani Vihangana. I live in Koshena. I am ten years old.
My school is Minu/ Godigamuwa M.V. I am in grade 5A. My favourite subject is English.
My mother is Deepa. My father is Jayalal. I have only a brother.
My favourite fruit is orange. I want to be a music teacher.

Ashani Vihangana, Grade 5A, Minu/Godigamuwa M.V.