Winner:

Insects are the most successful of all animal groups. They make up 85 per cent of the whole animal kingdom. There are as many as 10,000 insects living on every square metre of the Earth’s surface.

It is possible for insects to live in almost any environment.They eat nearly all kinds of food.There are many kinds of insects but they all share a common body design. All adult insects have a segmented body which is divided into three parts: head, thorax and the abdomen. All insects have three pairs of jointed legs, and most have four wings. The dragonfly has four wings. The bee’s eye is called a compound eye.

A fly is also an insect that has two wings and lays about 500-2000 eggs. They hatch within 8-20 hours. White, legless young come out and they are called larva.

Afthab Atheeb,
Grade 5A,
Hejaaz International Boys’ School.

A dedication to Sanga

Winner:

When you came to the ground,

We knew there’s a chance for victory,

When we saw your shining eyes,

We only saw courage,

You had strong determination,

That could not be changed,

Like a father,

You loved and cared for your team,

You were the greatest captain,

We ever had, dear Sanga,

You hardly thought about yourself,

But you always thought about the rest,

If you can read our hearts,

You would be so happy,

Because our hearts always say,

“We love Sanga.”

Thiloma Aththanayaka,
Grade 10E,
Devi Balika Vidyalaya, Colombo 8.

Cultivate good manners

As schoolchildren we must learn good manners. We must always try to be well mannered people.

Good manners are essential to live in society. When we meet someone we must always greet him by saying “good morning” or “good afternoon”. We must also greet him with a smile.

When someone offers to help us we must say, “thank you very much” to show our gratitude. When we have to talk to someone who is very busy or who is already in conversation with another person, we must say “excuse me”.

When we have hurt someone by an oversight, we must say, “I am very sorry”. We must also say, “please” when we ask someone for something. We must learn to appreciate the talents of others. We could show our appreciation by saying “How nice!”, “That’s fine” or “congratulations”.

We must always be polite and respectful.

When a teacher comes into the classroom, we must stand up and greet him. Well mannered people can become good citizens and be respected in society.

Hameed Ali Affa,
Grade 10B,
Al-Falah M. V.

My school principal

Winner:

A dear beloved sister

An angel from heaven

Gifted by God

To make our school

A heaven

Wearing a white robe

And a sweet smile

Greeting us in the morn

To make the day

So bright

Let's make her happy

By being good students

May the heavenly God

Protect and bless

Our Principal

A.T.Supipi Anuththora
Grade 6 A,
Sacred Heart Convent,
Galle .

The country I would like to visit

Winner:

I have heard much about the wonderful countries in the East and the West and also the islands in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. The whole world seems to be full of beautiful places. However, the country I would like to visit is the United States of America.

It is a vast country with a mixed population of about 308,745,538. People from many different lands have come and settled there. This mixture of different races of people with different customs, religions, cultures and abilities have created a nation, unique in history.

Even though the country has a very short history compared with other large countries in the world, the great work of the people who live there has made this country a wonderful land indeed. The roads, buildings and cinemas here are said to be among the best in the world.

There are many places and things of interest such as Hollywood, the United Nations, Statue of Liberty, the White House and and Yellowstone National Park. Even the natural vegetation and other man made structures are rich in variety. If one travels across the land, one will find different kinds of scenery in different places because of the changing geological features from one state to another.

My favourite places are the American Falls near Niagara Falls and Hollywood. I would love to visit these two places if ever I go on a trip to the US. I also like to visit this country one day to learn about their culture.

Ganguli Mendis,
Grade 10A,
St. Paul’s Girls’ School,
Milagiriya.

A rainy day brings new life

Winner:

Rain is good for plants, animals, birds and people. In the month of October there are many rainy days. Such days are useful to all farmers and schoolchildren. The farmers prepare their fields and gardens to grow crops of paddy and vegetables.

One day in October last year there was heavy rain which resulted in many areas being flooded. Most of the drains were filled with rain water.

In some places rainwater flowed across the roads. Children made paper boats and sailed them in the flowing water. Stray cattle and goats on the roads were drenched in rain water.

The people walking on the streets too were fully drenched not only by rain water but also by muddy water that the passing vehicles splashed on them. All the trees looked clean and happy too because they were parched without water all that time.Rain gave them new life.

The dry season has gone and now the rains have come to make us all happy.

My brothers and I decided to start a vegetable plot in our garden on one rainy day. We then made the plot and planted some seeds. As we waited anxiously the plants in the garden grew. Day by day we could see its growth. Now we are making full use of its yield. We use the vegetables and also give some to our neighbours for which they are grateful. I think we are the happiest family on Earth. It all started with a rainy day!

Amal Liham,
Grade 7,
Sussex College,
Kurunegala.

I like to be a scientist

I want to be a scientist. I think Sri Lanka needs good scientists. I am very interested in the way different countries have solved problems related to power using alternate sources of energy.

India also uses various new technologies to improve the quality of life.

I want to learn about alternate sources of energy so that we too could overcome problems faced in this sector in our country.

I think most of the tropical countries would have used sunlight in the past, even though solar power is a new source which has become popular today.

Most people go to Sigiriya and marvel at the frescoes, the mirror wall and the lion’s paws. They miss out on the wonders they can see elsewhere at Sigiriya.

On the left, leading to the steps you can see this wonderful rock seat. The rock is split in two to make the seat. You can clearly see the two halves of the rock.

What knowledge had been there! What technology! The fountains laid ten centuries ago still work. It shows the engineering skills of our ancestors.

If I become a scientist, I too can contribute to develop science along with technology. We need to develop in the scientific field too.

Sonali Tania Fernando,
Grade 10E,
St. Paul’s Girls’ School,
Colombo.

--------

Myself

My name is Chamin Iranga Dias. I study at St. Sebastian's College in Grade 4 A. My class teacher is Mrs. Dilusha Silva. My favourite subject at school is English.

My mother is Inoka Priyamali and my father is Chaminda Niroshana Dias.

My hobbies are reading story books, watching television and playing cricket. My favourite toys are aeroplanes and cars. My favourite colour is red. I like to drink coffeee.

Dominic Kalhara Perera is my best friend. I want to be a pilot when I grow up.

Chamin Iranga Dias,
Grade 4 A ,
St. Sebastian's College,
Moratuwa.