Kloof High’s Bianca does it all

BIANCA Smith is Kloof High School’s SPAR Star of the Month.

She is a Grade 11 pupil and shuns the limelight but has made a significant impact at the school. She describes her high school career as “the best time of my life.”

In her first year at Kloof High School, she excelled at academics and was first in Grade 8 for all four terms and was awarded junior half colours for academics. She also participated in the aquatics programme at the school and was awarded junior half colours for swimming.

In 2012 Bianca finished off the year with an aggregate of 91 per cent and was awarded junior colours for academics. She stayed in the swimming team and was awarded junior colours for swimming and swam in the Midmar Mile. In Grade 9 she was selected for the 1st girls’ waterpolo team and received a certificate of merit. Bianca also played in the U15 netball team.

She has worked at numerous clivia shows in Kloof by photographing the winning show plants for the KZN Clivia Club. By selling teas and plants at these shows, Bianca raised funds for the Kloof Eco Schools and Kloof Conservancy Msinsi Reserve rehabilitation project. The Kloof High School Eco Club has spent many hours in all weathers eradicating alien invaders in the Msinsi Reserve and Bianca has been a hard working supporter of this cause. She has also contributed many hours to the Keep Kloof Beautiful Association and worked at the Indigenous Open Gardens in her support of the ecology. For her efforts in this regard she was awarded junior half colours in Grade 9.

In order to fulfill her academic potential, Bianca began taking lessons in additional maths. At the Evening of Excellence in 2012 Bianca was nominated for the Arts and Culture award.

In Grade 10, she obtained an aggregate of 89 per cent for the year and was awarded academic colours. In the first term Bianca was a key member of the Kloof High swimming team and was awarded a 1st team tie. Bianca participated in the Futurewise Interschool Quiz and was awarded colours for her work in the Eco Club. She then joined the Photography Club and the Debs and Squires programme, a fundraising initiative. She also participated in the forum discussions, biology and physics Olympiads, helped manage the lost property and helped organise the Kloof Rotary Careers Expo. For this effort, she received a letter of commendation from the president for all she had contributed. Once again she was nominated for the Arts and Culture trophy at the Evening of Excellence. As an added interest, Bianca began ballroom dancing at the Mark Wilson Dance Studio.

This year she swam for the school in all of the galas and helped raise funds for the aquatics club. She achieved an aggregate of 91 per cent in the first term and came second in the grade. Bianca participated in the first rounds of the life science, physics and maths Olympiads. Bianca’s team won the Grade 11 forum discussions and she also enjoyed her time attending Toastmasters. She served on the Matric Dance Committee. Bianca is part of the sound and lighting crew in the hall and so helps at various functions.

Bianca is a member of Interact and has done community service at the Kloof and Highway SPCA among other projects. Over the years she has chalked up 422 hours of voluntary community service and continues to add to this total.

Bianca isn’t sure what her future holds but is torn between studying medicine or accounting.