Winner

What is blue?

Blue is the colour of
The cloudless sky.
Blue is alive,
Of a flickering fish
Which lives its life
In the deep blue sea.
Blue is the colour
Of the bluebird that flies.
Blue is the colour
For many people
Which gives them
Goodness,
Happiness and gentleness.

Kusala Gayathri Akmeemana,
Grade 5F,
Ecole International School,
Digana.

Winner:

The farmer

The farmer is a useful person. He gets up early morning. He works from morning till evening and he is a hard worker.

He gives us fruit and vegetables. He is very strong because he works hard.

I love him very much.

M.Sadisa Damruwan,
Grade 4G,
D.S. Senanayake College,
Anuradhapura.

Winner:

A rainy day

The sky’s gloomy,
Water begins to pour,
The sun peeps through the clouds,
Then there’s thunder and lightning.
The wind is blowing,
Fast and furiously
Happy thoughts spring in my mind,
I’m happy to see the rain.
I feel the rain falling drop by drop
They hit the roof with a plop,
I feel the water rushing between my toes,
I wish there would be more rain!
The children play in the puddles,
They enjoy their game,
Water, water everywhere,
There’s no one to stop them.
It’s pouring buckets and buckets,
I’ll have to change my clothes,
Do I feel sorry?
No, let the rain come again!

S.G.L. Dilmi Nethmini,
“Brilliant Stars” International College,
Nupe, Matara.

Winner:

The importance of reading

Reading has at all times and in all ages been a great source of knowledge. Today the ability to read is highly valued and very important for social and economic advancement. In today’s world with so much more to know and to learn the need for a conscious effort to conquer the divisive forces, the importance of reading has been cultivated and encouraged. There was a substitute for it in religious sermons and in the oral tradition.

In the 19th century, Victorian households used to get together for an hour or so in the evenings and listen to books being read aloud. But, today we read more and more to catch up with the events taking place around us.

Reading skills are essential to succeed in society. Those who are good readers tend to exhibit progressive social skills. A person who is widely read is able to mix with others. He is a better conversationalist than those who do not read. Reading broadens the vision.

It is a substitute for travel. It is not possible to travel as much one would like to and reading can fill the gap created by the lack of travel. Having confidence in reading only comes from the daily practice of reading. A good reader can interact with others in a better way because reading has widened his vision and point of view.

As a result of reading books over a period of time, a learning process will be formed. There are many benefits to be gained from reading books. It is proven that in this technological society the demands for higher levels of literacy are creating unfavourable consequences for those who fall short.

This is a reason to get into the habit of reading books, but with the cinema and television taking up a great deal of attention of children, teenagers and even adults, the habit of serious reading is dying out. We must never let it die out.

Nilani Kanaganayagam,
Grade 8,
J/Kokuvil Hindu College,
Jaffna.

Winner:

Bonds of friendship

We all know that “A friend in need is a friend in deed,” but it is very difficult to find a friend in need. The way to find a friend in need is by communicating with each other. There are many ways to find a faithful friend such as having a pen-pal or through the network system.

A pen-pal is a friend who writes about the news and information about themselves or the country where they live. We can get to know about the qualities and what they intend to do. This is a very popular activity and a hobby in many countries such as Switzerland and France. Even in Sri Lanka we make it a popular hobby. This is a good activity among school children which improves the knowledge and writing skills.

Abiru Kumarasinghe,
Lyceum International School,
Wattala.

The elephant orphanage

The elephant orphanage in the Kegalle district was started in 1975. The elephants found here are not captured animals but they are all rescued elephants. Farmers shoot them, throw fire crackers and they get injured. Sometimes they fall into wells and waterholes when they go in search of water during the dry season.

After their morning meal, they are taken to Maha Oya for a bath. They walk to Maha Oya in a line, like school children walking to their morning assembly. They love to stay in water and baby elephants splash and spray water at each other. Mahouts clean them with a coconut husk. After bathing for about two hours they are brought back to the orphanage.

There are elephants in three age groups in the orphanage. The baby elephants below one year are the infants. Those between one year and five years are calves and over five years are adults. The infants drink five litres of milk at a time. They are bottle-fed five times a day. Calves and adults eat fodder, coconut leaves, jak leaves and kitul trunks.

When we go to see the elephants in the orphanage, we can spend many hours looking at their activities.

Hasindu Malisha Warnapura,
Grade 6A,
St. Sebastian's College,
Moratuwa.

Welcome CHOGM!

‘Thambapanni’, ‘Ratnadeepa’, ‘Ceylon’, ‘Pearl of the Indian Ocean’, were names heard by everyone which are not to be heard now. We are moving into a new era where our mission is not limited but goes beyond to become the ‘Miracle of Asia.’

The Commonwealth Heads Of Government Meeting (CHOGM) 2013 will be held in Sri Lanka in a few days as a result of President Mahinda Rajapaksa leading the country.

This is the second time that we are holding an international summit after the Non-Aligned Nations Conference.

The CHOGM is an event where 54 countries will participate. It is the 23rd meeting where youth, business, people’s forums from many countries will meet in our country.

Queen Elizabeth 2, is unable to participate. Prince Charles and his wife Camilla Parker will arrive for the the summit.

We must be thankful to our leadership and the Government for creating an environment to have such a worthwhile summit in our country.

This is an event which is a surprise to our grandparents who did not imagine of such an event in their lives. So, as children, it is our responsibility to be good, educated youngsters and serve our nation which has now opened its doors to the world. We must welcome all delegations who will attend the summit and let them understand the status of mother Lanka. We must assist in the uplift of our country and throw the negative aspects away.

We must look forward to the fruits of development.
Let us create our way of success with the arrival of CHOGM to our country!
Let us get together and make ways to reveal the miracle!
Come, hold hands, open your eyes, get-together to reveal the miracle!

Welcome CHOGM!

Savinduni Dahanayake,
Grade 7F,
Southlands College,
Galle.