Winner: The Sports Meet

Yesterday was our Sports Meet. We have four Houses called Darwin, Shakespeare, Einstein and Lincoln. My House is Darwin and its colour is green. We decorated our House and tried to be the best.

The Chief Guest was welcomed by the band and then the national flag was hoisted. We sang the national anthem and the school song.

First we had events such as 75 metres, 100 metres, 200 metres, 400 metres and the relays. Thereafterwe had the drill display and I also took part in it. The drill was done by students of Grade 5, 6 and 7. It was a beautiful gymnastics display.

Then we had the march past. The best House was Darwin. We will try to be the best House next year too.

Jayam Chandu Dissanayake, Grade 5, Royal International School, Kurunegala.

Winner: The Internet

Don’t you like to explore the whole world within a few minutes? What a great thing it would be if we can find a heap of information even about a small ant! So, here is the answer – the Internet.

Nobody would say no if they were given a chance to travel around the world. But doesn’t it cost lots of money? The Internet is the magic carpet which takes you around the world in two seconds without wasting money and time.

If you need to climb Mount Everest, will it be possible? You need to buy special clothes. Won’t it cost much money?

What will happen if you have got a cold even though you have the necessary things? But the Internet will make your dream come true. It will help you climb to the top of Mount Everest without catching cold, without being tired and without spending a lot of money.

The Internet has its advantages and disadvantages. There are heaps of articles, pictures and videos on unsuitable things. We have to be very wise about what we search on the Internet. If we choose the right track it will lead us to the path of success. If we read and watch unsuitable things it will ruin our life. So it’s our choice, good or bad.

The Internet helps in our education and we should use it correctly to gain the maximum benefit. It is a bank of knowledge that gives us information about anything at any time.

Dithara Rambodagedara, Grade 9, Girls’ High School, Kandy.

Winner: The Fair

We go to the Fair in Bandarawela on Sundays. There are many sellers at the fair. Most people come to buy vegetables. It is a very noisy and crowded place. Toy sellers and pot sellers are popular during the festive season. Children gather round the toy sellers. I too like the toy sellers. My father bought me a toy car last week. I like to go to the Fair every week with my father.

Venuka Rashintha Munasinghe, Bandarawela Central College, Bandarawela.

Winner: Road accidents

Many road accidents occur in our country daily. Many people die and become permanently disabled. These accidents are caused mainly by motorists who are drunk and reckless. Road accidents are also caused by private bus drivers who compete with each other and ignore traffic rules and regulations.

Pedestrians are also to be blamed for the high rate of accidents because they do not use the pedestrian crossings. Some stop to chat while crossing and are not alert. The best way to avoid road accidents is to follow road rules. It is a set of rules that all road users are expected to follow for their own safety.

Weerahatedige Suresha Fernando, Grade 11, Convent of Our Lady of Victories, Moratuwa.

My favourite bird

My favourite bird is the parrot. It is beautiful. Parrots are green in colour and have strong red beaks. They love to eat fruits and nuts.

Parrots can fly very fast and live in holes of tall trees. Some parrots can talk as well as imitate voices. They like to be in groups.

Some people keep parrots as pets.

Mohamed Shamroz Mohamed Naqeeb, Grade 3, Zahira College, Colombo.

My best friend

Dhanajaya Pramodi is my best friend. She is in Grade 9. Her home town is Chilaw. She has a sister and a brother.

Her favourite subject is science. Reading books is her favourite hobby. She is very kind and friendly with others.

She has one puppy and its name is Marly. She helps me in difficulties.

Her favourite cartoon is Peter Pan and she likes to eat ice cream. She is my best friend in the whole world.

Eleesha Shahini Perera, Grade 9, Ch/Carmel Girls Central College, Chilaw.

The advantages of watching television

There are many advantages of watching television. It is a source of information where we can gain knowledge and information about the world.

The television also provides entertainment programs such as cartoons, teledramas and films. However, television viewing should be limited.

Dinal M. Kulathilleke, Grade 10, Rahula College, Matara.

My favourite cricketer

My favourite cricketer is Mahela. His full name is Denagamage Prabath Mahela de Silva Jayawardana. Mahela's nick name is Maiya. His birthday is on May 27, 1977.

His daughter's name is Sansa Araya Jayawardana and his brother's name is Dhishal Jayawardane.

Mahela was a former captain of the Sri Lankan National Cricket Team. He played his Test and ODI debut in 1997. Mahela's highest score was 374 when his team played against South Africa. He recorded the highest partnership for the third wicket in Tests along with Sangakkara. Mahela was the fifth player to score over 12,000 runs in ODIs.

He was the highest scorer in the T-20 Internationals. He was the leading runs scorer for Sri Lanka in Test matches.

Mahela has 35 hundreds in Tests and 19 hundreds in ODIs. He was recognised as one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 2007.

Mirisage Ishith Chethiya Fernando, Grade 5, Jennings International College, Nainamaduwa, Wennappuwa.

Reading

Reading is a very good habit. We can read books, magazines, newspapers and novels. Reading helps us to improve our knowledge as well as our reading skills. We should read not only English books but books in other languages too because it will improve our language skills.

Reading is very essential in our day-to-day lives as it helps us to gain information on new things. Many children read books as a hobby. A person can improve his or her mental skills by reading.

We can gain knowledge by reading during our leisure which is beneficial to our future. Francis Bacon said “Reading maketh a full man.”

Peshma Shanmuganathan, Grade 8, Ecole International,Digana.