Winner: My favourite person

My favourite person is Neil Alden Armstrong, an American, the first to step on the moon. He was born in August 1930 at Wapakoneta, Ohio in the United States.

He loved flying from his young days. When he grew up he became an aerospace engineer, naval aviator, test pilot and later a university professor. He made his first space flight as command pilot of Gemini 8, in March 1966 and became the first civilian astronaut to fly in space. Armstrong joined the NASA Astronaut Corps in 1962.

Armstrong was the second and the last space flight commander of Apollo II, the first moon landing mission in July 1969. He and the others returned to earth safely after eight days. He died on August 25, 2012 at the age of 82.

Himesh Senanayake,
Grade 6B,
Royal Institute International School.

Winner: Water

Water has no shape, colour, smell or a taste. We cannot live without water. Animals and plants too need water. It is a natural resource.

We get water from wells, rivers and rain. We use water to drink, cook and wash.

There are many industries connected with water. Water games such as water-polo and swimming are very popular.

Water is very important and we should not waste it.

Mishal Dheeshan Ossen,
Grade 3E,
St. Peter’s College,
Colombo 4.

Winner: A Lotus speaks

I am a lotus who lives in a pond at a park. My colour is pink and have a thick stem. I spread a fragrant smell around me.

There are many lotuses in the pond but when people see me they say that I am the prettiest. My friends are the frogs, butterflies and dragon flies. When I am lonely they chat with me.

Supun Sanchitha Peiris,
Grade 6A,
Wadduwa Central College.

Winner: Environmental pollution

Many people do not dispose garbage properly and environment gets polluted. People pollute the environment in different ways. Rubbish is strewn everywhere and garbage is thrown into waterways. Smoke and poisonous gases are some of the major causes for environmental pollution.

Deforestation is another serious environmental issue. Air is polluted by smoke and poisonous gas emissions from vehicles.

How can we take care of our environment?

We should dispose waste matter properly and recycle them, especially the plastic and glass bottles. We should avoid using chemical pesticides and ensure to keep our country clean.

Ashok Kumar Abitha,
Grade 9,
CP/Kot Punduloya TMV.

Winner: Sigiriya

Sigiriya is an ancient palace built on top of a rock. It is a World Heritage Site. The entrance to the palace is shaped like a lion’s mouth. The rock was called Sinha Giri, which later came to be known as Sigiriya.

It is situated 24 kilometres away from Dambulla. King Kasyapa who had murdered his father King Datusena, built the rock fortress as a hiding place, so that he is safe from his brother Mugalan, the lawful heir to the throne.

The rock is 361 metres in height and in the old days the entire 200 metre rock was painted with the world famous Sigiriya frescoes. There are only 19 of the great art works now remain.

Sigiriya is a fine tourist attraction. Thousands of tourists come from all parts of the world annually to have a panoramic view of the surroundings from the top. We should protect and preserve Sigiriya to retain its prestige glory.

D. Dinali Saubhagya Nanayakkara,
Grade 9,
Aloysius College,
Anuradhapura.

Daydreaming

Daydreaming is a pleasant thought about your life experienced while awake. It is a short term detachment from one's immediate surroundings. Daydreaming has positive and negative effects.

The negative effects are that it reduces the power of concentration. It slows down our day-to-day work. It makes us inattentive and embarrassed and humiliated by friends.

The positive effects are that daydreaming allows our mind to have a break, makes us refresh and helps develop imagination and aesthetic skills.

Kasuni Somaratna,
Grade 10,
Louvre International School, Nugegoda.

My home garden

I have a small home garden. It is beautiful. There are many flowers in my garden. My garden is clean and there is a well in the middle of the garden. We have many fruit trees such as mango and banana.

My mother sweeps and cleans the garden daily. I water the plants every evening. Many birds and butterflies come to my home garden. I like my garden.

Rusini Kurukulasuriya,
Grade 7,
Musaeus College, Colombo.

My favourite animal

My favourite animal is the horse. Horses can run fast. I like to ride a horse. One day I went on a horse ride in Nuwara Eliya with my sister. I like horse rides but I am scared. My father took pictures of my sister and Iyself.

Mohemed Inayathulla Leena,
Grade 7,
Zahira National College, Mawanella.

The singing pond

During the Christmas holidays my grandma took me to watch a Sinhala movie called Ho gana pokuna (The singing pond). Actually it is the ‘Sea.’

The story is about 17 schoolchildren from a remote village.They have not heard or seen the sea. A new teacher enters the classroom and tells them about the sea. The children were excited and eager to know as to what it was.

The school principal says it is a big black box with a dragon inside and whoever opens it will be swallowed by the dragon. The teacher opens it and plays a beautiful song while singing. The children join her happily. She even encourages them to come to school. It is a beautiful movie. I like it and I am sure all children will like it.

Indumini Y. Samayadasa,
Grade 4J,
Asian International School,
Colombo.