[Winner]

Let’s save the dolphin

Dolphins are fascinating and are the most intelligent animals on earth. They live in water except in the icy cold Arctic and Antarctic. They are not fish but mammals like us. For many years now, fishermen considered them as a symbol of good luck.

They are one of the fastest animals that can swim upto a speed of 35-55 kmh. Though they are mammals they can live in water.

Dolphins have lungs like humans to breathe. They come to the surface to breathe. They give birth to one baby at a time and the baby is fed on mother’s milk for the first four months.

They live in groups called ‘schools.’ A group consists of 10-12 and they live to about 50 years.

From the 32 species, 10 are found in the ocean around Sri Lanka. Although it is illegal, people especially fishermen, continue to kill dolphins in Sri Lanka. We must do our best to save this fascinating marine creature.

Praveesha de Silva,
Grade 9,
Good Shepherd Convent, Panadura.

[Winner]

The bicycle

The bicycle is an eco-friendly mode of transport. It does not consume fuel. It was invented by Kirk Patrick MacMillan in 1839-40 in Britain. It is popular among children, who enjoy riding, which is a good form of exercise.

It can be easily maintained. It is a companion of the poor. Some ride bicycles as a hobby and for leisure.

The famous bicycle race ‘Tour de France’ is held every year. Now there are different types of bicycles. The latest one has disc brakes and a socket.

Mountain bicycles are the most popular today. There is a huge demand for bicycles in the world market. I like to ride a bicycle whenever I can.

R.M. Chandeepa Ratnayake,
Grade 7E,
St. Mary’s College, Kegalle.

[Winner]

A children’s home

Have you ever been to a children’s home? Probably the answer would be no. Imagine how you would feel to be a parentless and homeless child, shunned by society and not needed by anyone. Would you like to be one of them? Try to imagine the pitiful state they are in, the loneliness they feel and their state of mind.

Think how many times their hearts break with sadness? Could you imagine living without your family or your comfortable house?

But remember, thousands of children of your age are in that state. Feel how they feel and help them to live a happy life. This is a humble request of thousands of children.

Minethma Perera,
Grade 9 National A,
Lyceum International School, Ratnapura.

[Winner]

A frightful dream...

One Saturday evening my younger sister asked me to read a story to her. Both of us were lying on the bed and my sister enjoyed listening to the story. I then fell asleep. After some time my mother asked me to join her to go to the market to buy vegetables to cook for dinner.

On our way, it started raining heavily and lightning struck a transformer and the lights went off in the area. It was dark and both of us ran to the nearest building for shelter.

A few minutes later the rain had seased and we went to the market. We felt that there was someone following us, but when we turned to see there was no one. When we continued our walk we heard footsteps again behind us.

We stopped and saw two men following us. They looked scary. One man spoke in a rough voice to my mother and asked her to give her hand phone and the purse. The other man held me. My mother refused to give them. The other man was silent. When I looked I saw him holding a knife on my neck. We pushed them and ran away and hid behind a tree.

Then suddenly I felt someone tugging at my night gown. When I awoke, I saw my mother trying to wake me to get ready and go to school.

Haleema Binthi Aniff,
Grade 7 – Girls,
UNH International School,
Wattala.

[Winner]

Communication in the past

Communication can be defined as sending information from one place to another. It is conveying messages through a shared system of signs.

In the past, communication was slow. People used smoke signals as a form of communication where only a few messages could be sent.

As the world progressed and the population increased, people needed to send longer messages to far away places. Therefore, people replaced smoke signals with letter writing. People wrote letters to communicate with friends. This was the only way to communicate until the telegraph was invented.

The telegraph was invented by Samuel Morse. After some years it was converted to a better mode of communication technology. Communication in the past was a difficult task.

Kasuni Prasadini Samararatna,
Grade 9,
Louvre International School, Nugegoda.

Abdul Kalam, the great

Abdul Kalam was the 11th President of India from 2002 to 2007. He was born and raised in Rameshwaram in Tamil Nadu, India. He was a scientist and politician. Kalam studied physics and aerospace engineering.

After serving as the President for five years, he started writing and doing public service. Kalam was born on November 15, 1931 to a Tamil Muslim family. He studied at the Ramanathapuram Schwartz Matriculation School. After graduating from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras in 1960, Kalam joined the aeronautical development establishment of the Defence Research and Development Organization as a scientist.

Kalam received honorary doctorates from 40 universities. The Government of India honoured him with the Padma Bhushan in 1981 and Padma Vibushan in 1990 for his work with ISRO and DRDO. Abdul Kalam won many local and international awards for his works. He passed away on July 27, 2015 in Shillong, India.

Inshifa Azwar,
Grade 9B,
Amana International School, Kolonnawa.

My mother

My mother is Damayanthi Kumasaru. She is a teacher. She is pretty and kind. She can drive a car but she cannot swim.

She likes to eat rice and meat. I love my mother very much and she loves me too.

S.M. Savini Kumasaru,
Grade 3B,
MR/ Kamburupitiya Maha Vidyalaya.

My pet

My pet is Shado, a puppy. She is very playful and can run fast. Shado likes to eat meat and drink milk. Shado jumps onto my lap when I return home after school.

It likes to chase after cats. It has a toy cat to play with when I am not at home. I love my puppy and it loves me too.

Sulochana Rachel,
Grade 8,
Girls’ College, Kuliyapitiya.

My sisters

I have two younger sisters. The elder of the two, is Sanali. She is in Grade Two and always quarrels with me.

My younger sister Senithi is ten months old and loves to play with me.

I love both of them very much.

W.A.D. Tharindi Saranya,
Grade 5B,
Sanghamitta Balika Vidyalaya,
Galle.