[Winner]

Garbage - a worldwide problem

A common topic of discussion these days, is the increase of garbage. It is produced everyday and everywhere because of the excessive use of non-biodegradable matter and it is dumped carelessly. This is a hazard affecting every country.

We throw away many items we don’t need, to get rid of them. Then garbage piles up on a daily basis. In Sri Lanka, we have a problem of waste disposal, mostly in urban areas due to the lack of space. People dump them in marshy lands, rivers and forests causing many health hazards.

In the past, empty glass bottles were sold to bottle collectors for recycling. But now it is thrown away. Grocers collect newspapers to wrap things, but now we use polythene bags. Some recycle them but many dump them in a careless manner. Burning polythene is harmful to the respiratory system because it causes lung disease.

To overcome this, Municipal Councils have begun a project to classify garbage as degradable, non-degradable and glass material. Degradable matter is released to the environment while the others are recycled. If this is a success the world will be saved. It is our fault, we should be responsible and try to solve the problem preserving the environment.

Prashan Randike Ratnayake,
Grade 9,
Kingswood College, Kandy.

[Winner]

My favourite scientist

My favourite scientist is Alfred Nobel. He was born in Stockholm on October 21, 1833. His father was Emanuel Nobel. He studied mechanical engineering and started to work under his father who was an engineer in explosives. He researched on mine explosives and torpedoes.

Alfred Nobel developed a safe way of handling Nitroglycerine and called it Dynamite. Then he produced other explosives such as smokeless gunpowder.

After the dynamite was invented, he became very rich. In later years, he gave a large portion of his income to start a fund which gave the most treasured annual award to the people who rendered a great service to mankind in the field of Art, Literature, Physics, Biology, Chemistry and other fields. These prestigious prizes are known as the Nobel Prizes.

R. Dimesha Sashinika Ruhunuge,
Grade 7B,
T/Agbopura Maha Vidyalaya, Kantale.

My motherland

My motherland is Sri Lanka. It is called the Pearl of the Indian Ocean. The population of Sri Lanka is about 20 million. The President is Maithripala Sirisena. The capital is Sri Jayewardenapura and the commercial capital is Colombo.

Sri Lanka has a favourable climate.Many tourists visit our country. There are many tourist attractions in Sri Lanka such as the Udawalawe and Yala national parks. There are beautiful rivers, waterfalls, mountains and gardens in Sri Lanka.

Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa are historical cities. Sigiriya is of archaeological value. It is a World Heritage Site. Sinharaja was declared a World Heritage Site in 1989. It is the largest tropical rain forest in Sri Lanka.

There are Sinhalese, Tamils, Muslims and Burghers in Sri Lanka. Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam and Christianity are the main religions practised. Our main exports are tea, coconut,rubber and garments.

Lihini Thamodya Jayaweera
Grade 10,Rathnavali Balika Vidyalaya
Gampaha.

[Winner]

Rose flowers

The rose is a beautiful flower. There are many thorns on the stem. Wasps come to suck the nectar. The yellow rose symbolises friendship and the white rose symbolises sympathy. The red rose is for love.

The fragrance of the rose enhances the fragrance of the environment. Roses are used for decorations as well. We can see many varieties of roses in the Hakgala Botanical Gardens in Nuwara Eliya.It is a beautiful flower gifted to us by nature.

W.A.Nisali Sakunika,
Grade 9D, Devi Balika Vidyalaya, Colombo 8.

[Winner]

Do you know who I am ?

I am green in colour and love to eat green leaves as I live on plants such as Kathurumurunga. I come from the white eggs laid by my mother who was a beautiful butterfly. I have many brothers and sisters. I ate leaves and grew up as an adult caterpillar.

Later, I went to sleep in a cocoon for about a week. I did not feel hungry as I had eaten a lot when I was out of the cocoon.

After a week, I came out of the cocoon as a beautiful butterfly with two colourful wings. I was really proud of myself. Then I flew to the village with my friends looking for nectar. I am enjoying life with my friends. But when you see me, do not try to catch me. Love me as I also like to enjoy my life and help me to be free!

W.D. Shanika Rasangi,
Grade 10A,NCEF Buddhist College,
Mulleriyawa New Town.

[Winner]

A story I read recently

In our school we have a library. When it is the library period, we go to the Library and read story books. Some books that I have read are ‘Wooden Horse,’ ‘Lion King’ and ‘Robin Hood.’ The story I like best is the ‘Wooden Horse.’

When the Trojans woke up they found the Greek camp empty and a huge wooden horse left outside the city.The Trojans did not know what to do with the wooden horse. They decided to bring it into the city and celebrate. After the celebration they were tired and went to sleep. The Greeks who were hiding inside the horse captured the city of Troy at the break of dawn.

I like this story because of the clever idea of the Greeks to fool the Trojans.

Ibraheem Yaseen,
Grade 3A,
Hejaaz International Scool.

William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare was an English poet, playwright and actor. He was born on April 23, 1564 at Stratford-on-Avon in Warwick. His mother, Mary Arden, descended from nobility and his father John Shakespeare was a prosperous businessman in the village. They were Catholics and had eight children.

Shakespeare was the third child and the first son of the family. He had to leave school and go to work when he was fourteen because his father lost his wealth and was heavily in debt.

At the age of 18, Shakespeare married 26-year-old, Ann Hathaway in 1582. Shakespeare started writing poems and his first poem was Venus and Adonis. His well-known comedies are Merchant of Venice, Taming of the Shrew and Two gentlemen of Verona.Shakespeare wrote many short stories, novels, dramas and poems. He died on April 23, 1616.

V. Jeyarupa Sharma
Grade 9A,
Chilaw International School,
Chilaw.

Pharoahs of ancient Egypt

Egypt is the valley of the kings. The kings and queens were known as pharoahs. Menes was the first pharoah of Egypt. He built a large city called Memphis on the banks of the river Nile and made it his capital.

Tutankhamen became, the pharoah of Egypt in 1347 B.C. A British archaeological team found a tomb containing jewellery, clothing, daggers, thrones, beds, linen and masks made of pure gold. I like to go to Egypt and explore the spot.

Ehansa Arunadee,
Grade 5,
Lyceum International School
Panadura.