Voices June 2022 Edition - Pride

Voices Pride June 2022 Edition 1

1. Editorial Introduction 3  Editorial Committee 4  Teachers in Charge 5  Editorial Message 6 2. Principal’s Message 7-30 3. Creatives 31-45 4. Events & Achievements 46 5. Photography 48 7. Outgoing Board 2

Rukshitha Yoganathan Azira Cuttilan Dilmi Delgoda President of the Media Club Vice-President Secretary Jordyn Bradie-Miles Shannel Pinidiya Neja Jayasundara Senior Editor Junior Editor Junior Editor 3

Ms. Arundathi Mudannayake Teacher in Charge of the Media Club Ms. Nuzla Hafi Teacher in Charge of the Journalist Unit Ms. Christina Sivasamboo Teacher in Charge of the Journalist Unit 4

I vividly remember the day the JU board were seated near the Canterbury building, discussing what this time’s theme should be. It took a bit of pondering: in the end we all agreed on the theme “Pride.” The tricky thing about pride is that it can veer in many directions; self-pride, Ego, pride in your school and country, in the way you feel, act, or behave. The complicated matter about this, is that there is a thin, almost nonexistent line, between how your own or another’s thirst for pride can badly affect your life. I think it is important that both these sides – the good and the bad – are brought to light. Therefore, I was delighted to see so many talented people voice their feelings in an artistic, sensitive yet extremely powerful way. The rueful honesty and resilience that our creators embedded in their writing is something to be admired. In a time where it may seem hopeless and riddled with obstacles, pride can be your savior or downfall. It is arguable that pride may have got us in the situation we now face. With growing competition, the need to become the top-dog and the non-evanescent drive nestled within us for approval, pride can win us the world or bring us crashing down. I believe it is essential not to let pride cloud one’s judgement. It is vital to remember the poison that pride can possess, yet it still is a valuable emotion. For the simple reason that every little win counts. Not for the judgments of society but for yourself. As said before, pride can take many forms. Being proud of a simple act of kindness, or finally being able to do something you previously could not, can leave you with a content glow. If you nurture that glow, maintain its soft light it becomes a motivation. However, if you feed it too much it can overshine your other emotions. Another’s pride in you can slowly fade. You need to live your life in a way that makes you happy, makes you proud, then it is almost easy to be satisfied. Pride is an immensely complex and sensitive emotion, and I am greatly impressed in the way our creators so accurately portrayed it. Moreover, I would like to thank everyone who helped make this magazine a success. Ms. Arundathi for her guidance, Ms. Christina for her support, Ms. Nuzla for putting up with late night messages and constant calls. My seniors who encouraged me every step of the way and Neja Jayasundara for all your help and assistance. A special thank you to all our creators for having the courage to echo your unique voices. You should be exceptionally proud of all your work! A final message to every reader, To be proud of yourself is a beautiful gift, to be proud of your ego can be your downfall. Happy reading! Shannel Pinidiya Junior editor 5

Have you ever wondered why the troupe of lions is called a pride of lions? It is because of their stately quality. Lions were traditionally seen as regal and elevated, so their group is called a pride. Owls are associated with wisdom, so a group of owls is called a parliament. What could we call the well-rounded students of Gateway? You are stately, you are wise, you are adventurous, and your greatest strength is being prepared to change with the times. As the lion alludes to his strength to be his greatest asset, I would say my greatest asset is my team. Living in a pride makes life easier for the lion. Hunting as a group means there is a better chance that the lions have food when they need it, and it is less likely that they will get injured while hunting. Learning, laughing, crying, inventing, upskilling, and collaborating made life easier for me and you would roar in unison ‘yes for us too’. It is with great pride that we narrate the never before things we did to raise the bar for all of us. Roar! Roar! I learned as a child from my pride that you can be proud of what you do when those around you feel good too. I learned from my parents that you work hard to get the best. Like the lions hunt only what they need, not for greed. You would never hear of a lion hunting for fun or hunting for more than he can eat. Thus, maintaining the ecological balance of the jungle. Though the lion is called the king of the jungle, the lioness leads her pride, with pride. My team is now my pride. Finally – ‘Hakuna Matata! What a wonderful phrase. It means no worries, for the rest of your days, Hakuna Matata! Hope the current situation is a passing craze, If we can be resilient and manage the days, Take care of each other and push for another day… Hakuna Matata! Ms. Vinita Shenoy Principal 6

Creatives -Writing- 7

Dear Pride, exposed you’ll never see me coming but my nude I am a goddess at best shell a rainbow raw is my personality I've fought flamboyant am I I give myself and battled but deep inside for the eyes to undress hurt myself to get I'm missing something, tell me put on a smile to where I stand how do I make me proud of me genuine or fake, nonetheless with swords in my back dear pride. I shine my colors and heart on my hand - Rukayya Zamroon 10E alien I've done it all different thought it all without a care for but there is one thing left narrow unsolved curt opinions everyone else cheers for me I chant my preferences dances around when I come melodious but me random am I deep inside unexpected It’s all hollow and numb I'm spontaneous so tell me, strange friend with my feathered crown why do you work in such cruel ways and glittery corset why can’t I have what others have for those who saw it all me haven’t seen me yet my views why leave me in dismay cannot be compressed tell me, vile friend why is my core all charcoal 8

Queen The sky goes so high, Yet here I am, On the ground. My dreams are above the stars, But you tell me to shut them out, For I am a woman, Who cannot dream? Put me down, Because it’s not perfect. Put me down, Because it’s not ladylike. But, You fear women will Put me down, rise higher. Because, Higher than dreams. High than stars. For I am a woman, And I am a Queen. - Sandali Sineka 10C 9

Pride oh pride, what a marvelous Pride thing Feels so good you’re on a high, when will you realize? Builds you up just to tear you down No one’s around you, your friends all gone Sucks you up in a world of frowns Your ego got the best of you… Think you’re right till the end of time, when will you be paying the - Onela Chukwubeze and fine? Kalani Herath 9E One Nation Harsh times, All as one, Everyone helpful, We all united, Children Crying. Everyone equal. People in pain, Citizens unite Nothing stops us, Still doing their Working together, We as one. Nothing at all. part. One united nation, Fighting together, As proud Together as one, For the better. citizens, Pretending to As proud citizens. Day and night, We continue. smile, We as one. Lighting up the - Thesanga and Dahamdi 9E nation. 10

Reminiscence of Pride There are many memories that come into light when I hear the word “Pride”, but there is just one special reminiscence that tops everything. It was the first time I had ever shown my true colours in the sport I love – Table Tennis. We were playing in an immensely major tournament, the ‘All Island Inter - International Schools match, 2019,’ it was my first time competing in such a significant event. I distinctively remem- ber being stunned by the cold fears of anxiety and dread that morning, feeling my heart racing a million times faster at the glimpse of my competitors and the harsh, unfriendly pressure you feel just seconds before the games began. Nonetheless, I gave my very best, and performed with every atom of skill and strength I had in desperate hopes to finally prove myself to my peers, family and coaches. That day, our team had secured Runners Up in the entire match, riding completely undefeated till the finals. Yet, I was filled with an incredible sense of fulfilment and euphoria, for it was the first time I ever competed so fantastically and achieved so much in such a paramount tournament against some of the fiercest competition I had ever met. To this day, remembering that experience still makes me smile with nostalgic pride. - Vivein Usgoda Arachchi 10E 11

Prideful Past Pride swells in her chest, to have come this far, the mud and mountains, she crossed in her youth All to give her children- A childhood. A home. One that was not tainted by war, By death and disaster as hers had been Now she is old and content, Her once dark hair was nothing but gray, So she opened her eyes once more, Before her time was over, Smiling as pride overtook her heart, Seeing her children, Middle-aged and worry struck, Seeing her grandchildren, Living lives she had dreamt of, and then made realities for them, And until her last breath, She had been a proud woman. - Methuli Gamage 10E 12

Everyone is capable of anything! By Kaylon Peerez 8B Alisa is a reserved but hard-working person while Lora is an outgoing and bold person. They both go to the same school and have a strong interest for one sport in particular. Lora and Alisa have been playing badminton for several years, ever since they started to read and write. Even though, both of them developed immensely over the years Lora began to improve rapidly in badminton while Alisa wasn’t really improving showing no signs of progress. she always admired Lora but doubted herself many times of ever becoming anywhere as good as Lora. However, after a while she thought to herself, ‘I’ve got to do something, I can’t always be the weakest per- son here,’ while pondering on what she could do. After a while reasoning and thinking heavily about it she decided from that day onwards she was going to work hard, dedicat- ing time to help herself improve. Moreover, she doesn’t do this to make others jealous nor gain revenge and attention from others, rather she’d willingly do this for herself and to make herself feel proud and happy of even the slightest developments of her new adventure starting now… Within the next two years Alisa worked hard, building her strength and knowledge all about the sport but most importantly building her confidence day by day to work harder and harder. Finally, the day came. It was a Wednesday afternoon, the day which trials were being held for an upcoming tournament. The tension in the room was erupting the roof to smithereens. Silence. Pin-drop silence. Alisa stood up walking towards the court looking over her shoulder at Lora. Standing alone on the court she looked around wondering who she was playing against. Dom, dom, dom…Low pitched and fierce. Footsteps could be heard approaching Alisa turned slowly from behind. ‘Lo..L..ra?’ Alisa stuttered as she turned around to see her. ‘Am I, playing against you?’ Alisa asked Lora with her eye- brows raised. Lora nodded her head up and down indicating yes as she walked over to the other side of the court. The match had started, Alisa held the shuttlecock high getting ready to serve as her fingers started to shake vigorously. She took in a deep breath whispering to herself, ‘you can do this!’ Countless minutes passed, Alisa and Lora both fought hard, barely missing any shots. As the match finished both players walked up to the umpire to ask for their scores. ‘So did I win?’ Lora asked, with a smile on her face. ‘No, actually I’m surprised; Alisa won. Congrats!’ the umpire said shaking Alisa’s hand. Stunned and bewildered by the news, Alisa rushes over to her friends. ‘I won against Lora!’ Alisa shrieked shaking her hands happily, with an enormous smile across her face. Her friend’s eyes grew wider as her jaw dropped in an ‘O.’ Standing up swiftly they looked at each other smiling, running towards Alisa to give her a big hug and congratulate her. Moreover, here is one of Alisa’s favorite quotes she always remembered and stood by throughout her whole journey, ‘Never doubt yourself or others, as everyone is capable of anything, you just have to work hard for it.’ 13

Wanidu Hasaranga Aruk Nanayakkara 8B Wanindu Hasaranga is a Sri Lankan cricketer who plays for the Sri Lankan Cricket Team and for the Royal Challengers Bangalore Team in the IPL for the year 2022. He has been referred as the best leg spin bowler ever. Wanindu Hasaranga De Silva was educated at Richmond College, Galle, where he started his cricketing career. He represented Sri Lankan under 19 Cricket World Cup held in Bangladesh in 2016. Wanindu Hasaranga was a fast bowler at the beginning of his career.t career. Later he switched to bowling leg-spin after witnessing a demonstration by his coach Lanka de Silva. He soon followed the footsteps of his coach and transformed into a leg-spinner. It was his coach who knew the potential he had to be a great leg-spinner, after realizing Hasaranga’s great arm speed. Hasaranga debuted for the Sri Lankan Team on the 2nd of July 2017 against Zimbabwe. In his debut match, he took the final three Zimbabwe wickets in the innings in three consecutive deliveries, becoming the youngest bowler to take a hat-trick on debut in an ODI (One Day International). Hasaranga created history on his debut match becoming the first leg spinner to ever take a hat trick in ODI history. After many economical bowling spells in the T20I series against England and India, Hasaranga achieved second rank in the ICC T20I rankings in July 2021. He also broke the record of Imran Tahir for registering the best ever bowling spell in a T20I match on his birthday with an economic spell of 4/9 in four overs. He won the player of the match award and was also named the player of the series. I am proud of Wanindu Hasaranga because of his very rare skills: the way he plays, the way he can just bowl leg spin or googly and make the ball spin smoothly. He has represented our country in a phenomenal way. 14

Obstacles I Faced The biggest obstacle I faced was finding my true passions. I kept doing things that others said were in \"trend,\" which were playing video games. Most people find comfort in them and would always talk about them, I was the only one who didn't know anything so I would spend hours with my face stuck in a screen all day last year. It stopped me from doing things I loved. It made me a complete addict. For a second when I looked at myself I thought: I never liked this, I did this to please others around me. That's when I made the decision to stop playing video games completely as I was never happy doing it. It was the best thing I did to myself. My parents wouldn't be proud that I was a video game addict or would spend hours hopelessly scrolling on my device. It took me a few weeks, but then I found something that made me truly happy. I loved reading since I was young, the thought of travelling into a different world while I was turning pages felt surreal. Trying to be hip and trendy stopped me from it because people would say \"reading is outdated\" or \"only losers would read\" but now I didn't care about the people who would say such things as I didn't want to be that cool person, I wanted to be me and if people didn't like that, they can find another person who is cool. Soon enough I also started writing stories and found great comfort in making up my own world. It brought a feeling of happiness nothing else would give me. So, what I learnt was to not stop the things I loved just to be trendy. I can change my perspective and see the world in the way I want, further enhancing my point of view on certain aspects. I saw the world in a different way whenever I pick up a book, villains seem like heroes. When I write, I make my own world, my own characters and show others what I see in people that seem cruel to the naked eye. I've developed more as a person by writing and I couldn't be more proud of myself. I one day wish to be an author and show my stories to the world and show others what I see. - Tamashi Senavirathne 7B 15

The Other Side Pride, pride, pride - Shenuk Fernando 9D I’m glad I moved to the other side. Without trying to hide. Others seeking for glory. As I search for pride in this other side. Glory, glory, glory I found it by being Holy. Sadly on the other side many people died from corruption in the search of pride. Come on people let’s not try to hide instead let’s see what’s inside. And this is what comes to my mind, from the other side. 16

Honourable Death -Daniella Nugera 8A The air smelled of death screaming drumming through the air two guns pointed at each other waiting for the other’s shot to cut through the air. A pistol in my hand. The grazing itch of its trigger entrancing me with its song of honour, power and victory for my peers I took an oath to my nation, following it should have given me pride But my blood drenched hands were pulling me to humanities side. A funny thing pride is undefinable to the mass personal to each soul defined only by the experiences of its host I regret many of my life choices, I was guilty of breaking my oath But the bullet, now lodged in my heart gave me pride in my consciousness as a whole I saw regret on the face of my shooter I saw tears falling down his cheeks he could now go back to his family And I would pride myself on being a decent human being. 17

When I was younger, Pride my mother would say, Do your best, and make your family proud. And so I never knew what they meant by this. They would say… Be like your brother, He makes us proud why can’t you? Whatever I did, It was never right, No matter how hard I tried, It was always a disappointment. I was always in his shadows, But there was something I knew I could do, sports. I would practice and run for meets, I wasn’t the best in my team, but I would sometimes come 2nd or 3rd, Which made me proud, and so I come back home with a silver medal, Now I knew my parents would be proud, but all they could say was, If you had practiced harder you could have come first like your brother, I was tired of them telling me to do better, better like my brother, I was tired of being 2nd, I thought to myself, maybe I should stop trying, Since everything I did, never seemed to satisfy them. And so I stuck with being the unsatisfied one. - Lisara Fernando 9C 18

Pride -Damsini Amarasekara 9C The ice has thawed in his heart When it’s his time to go, But by his empty bedside, Shimmers a golden glow The gilded chair by his bedside Shatters his empty heart. And nowhere to be seen, are his friendly lords. Dignitaries he’s met, Kings he’s entertained, But the server he turned his nose up at, cares for his ailing health When it all falls down you’ll be met with a hurt pride. But would you have fallen so low, had you not gone so high? 19

To become a father with pride, have their baby hold the world in its eyes as he takes his first steps crawling toward daylight Reaching a number so high Achieving goals till the day he will die, singing his school song for the last time. I saw a glimmer of hope as he ventured out into the world to become an icon that would change many lives. To the day he dances with his bride and becomes a father flowing with pride. - Nicole Dominic 9D 20

On the Podium Standing on the podium, Disappointed faces on either side of me, Meaningless applause from strangers Go unnoticed by me. Spotlight shining bright, my worries set aside in a pile, The piece of metal around my neck shining, but nothing shining brighter than my smile. What I did not know, were two glowing faces watch- ing from afar, Beaming with smiles, their pride raising the bar. - Ritika Ramachandran 9D 21

Proud to be Sri Lankan I’m proud to belong to a majestic island, Outlined by beaches of golden sand, Filled with lush forests and roaming animals, And where gemstones fill up the land. I’m proud to belong to scenic island, With forests in every shade of green, Where every laughing stream and whispering lake, Is cool and crystal clear and pristine. I’m proud to belong to an ancient island, That not only has scenic beauty, But over the millenniums it has prospered, Filled enormous books with its rich History. I’m proud to belong to a resilient island, Where the land on which I freely tread, My ancestors while defending this land, Into the soil their blood they willingly shed. And although we may be suffering now, And struggling as a nation. If we keep hope and work hard enough, We’ll get back up, because we’re Sri Lankan. - anonymous. 22

Reflections... The Duality of Pride Pride is the most complex, and in a way, the most human emotion that anyone can feel. Sometimes pride is a beautiful thing – for example, a parent’s pride for their child’s accomplishments, or the pride that one may feel for the achievements of one’s friends. But more frequently, pride is destructive. It is cruel. How many lives have been lost in wars fought only to satisfy the pride of selfish leaders? How many friendships have been broken because of pride preventing someone from accepting their mistakes? That, dear reader, is the duality of pride. It is often a wonderful thing but too much of it, as the saying goes, can only lead to a fall. - Adheesha Dissanayake 9D I wanted to prove myself in drama as a kid; picturing myself as a public speaker. However my biggest hurdle was stage fright. Stage fright wasn’t easy to overcome. It gives you great courage. It is a skill. Speech and Drama needed skills not all have. I wanted to build that courage. The first years being a rookie was painful. The competition was waited by many actors and public speakers to provide opportunities. Taking part came with many hardships. The scripts were endless, which caused dropouts. Winning the competition was hard, but I was proud for the winner. Winning it brought pride and joy, but becoming proud to the extent where you cannot accept your fault is worse. - Ibraheem Azad 9D The day I was most proud of myself was just a few weeks ago. There have been many moments of my life where I was full of pride but this time was unlike any other because I had just won a chess tournament. The day in which I accomplished this was very eventful since I had been tested positive with Covid-19 and I did not feel so good. Luckily, the tournament was online so I could attend it. There were many participants over a 100, but I managed to defeat my opponent in all six rounds. It was really tough to defeat my final opponent but I managed to beat him and when the final player had finished—it was done. I was placed first and a few weeks after the tournament I received a trophy and a medal. I had never been this proud of myself in my entire life. I was not the only one who was proud of myself my parent and my brother was also proud of me. I still treasure my accomplishment. That was a day full of pride. - Minuka Liyanage 8A 23

Creatives - Artwork- 24

Maryam Zamroon 9D 25

Methuki Handugoda 8B 26

Methuki Handugoda 8B 27

Selini Dharmasooriya 7A Nehansa Herath 7A Senudi Weeraman 7A 28

Chelini Madarasinghe 9C 29

Events & Achievements 30

We won against Belvoir College by a score of 32-23. The match took place in the evening at school; both teams were warming up to play the finals. You could see the adrenaline rush in the players whilst they warmed up for the game. The game started with an intense back to back scoring from both teams and eventually our captain, Sharo, scored 2 shots back to back giving us a confident lead in the game. All we needed to do was defend our basket and play wisely. It got down to the last 30 seconds we were up by 8 points and we already knew that we could take the victory. But the game was not over yet. During the last 5 seconds, we scored another basket leaving Gateway with 32 points. We sealed the deal for victory; the smiles and mixed emotions overwhelmed the team as we thanked our coaches and celebrated. Yet another achievement for Gateway and an outstanding outcome from the entire team. We were all happy and so were the coaches. We were proud of our talents and our abilities! Sharo Perera won MVP (Most Valuable Player) of the tournament while Rometh Perera won Best Defensive Player of the tournament. -Timothy Ahamadeen 9B Congratulations to Matheesha Wijesekara from 9A for placing runners up in the under 15 novice boys’ tournament which took place from the 26th-31st December 2021! We also extend our congratulations to Bihandu Nannayakkara and Manuth Dassanayaka for their achievements. 31

Our school, Gateway College, organized the Relay Carnival on the 1st of March 2022 where eighteen schools participated with around 1500 athletes in the country. This was a two-day event where six different types of relays were performed along with medley relays. Since, this year’s ISAC was not held, this competition covered up the celebration of the 25th anniversary. Below is an achievement of a participant in the competition. The Invitational schools relay carnival was an exciting and enjoyable event which was organized by our school and was held on the 1st of March 2022. My relay team and I came first place in the mix relay, which comprises of two girls and two boys. The mix relay covered a span of 1000 meters during which the different members of a team must run different distances. I, being the second lapper had to run an exhausting 200 meters. It was an exhilarating feeling to know we had won the race. After the race, I was further astounded to find out that not only had we won, but also we had won with a 100 meter lead on the second-place team! It was quite an electrifying feeling to know that everything we had trained for over the past few weeks, had paid off. It was almost unbelievable, knowing that all our teamwork had played out so flawlessly. This achievement will continue to be one of my most unforgettable memories. - Mahila Uthpala 9A 32

The U16 Inter-International Schools' Tournament which took place in March of 2022 was an intense competition in which international schools from all over the country participated and battled each other to earn the title of the winners of the U16 Inter-International Schools' Tournament. After days of playing matches under the sun in the sweltering heat, we made it to the finals. Unfortunately we lost to Overseas international school 2-1. But one thing that put a big smile on my face was that I was chosen as the Best Goalkeeper of the tournament. I have now won this award for two years consecutively! Nadal Senapala 8B 33

Achievements of the MUN Club 2021/22 - Timothy Shankar 13B The Model United Nations club is one of the most illustrious of those present at Gateway College Colombo, reinforcing this through our achievements over the past year. MUN is an extra-curricular activity where students roleplay delegates in simulated United Nations committees. Delegates are tasked with discovering and discussing pragmatic solutions to a range of world crises that may go unnoticed everyday such as fighting for equal rights for women, minimizing the spread of pandemics, and solving the world’s climate crisis. Furthermore, MUN has the ability to drastically improve the personal development of young students, teaching them public speaking, leadership and teamwork skills while simultaneously providing them with a platform to voice their opinions on topics they are passionate about. Our junior members have also expressed that MUN has assisted them greatly when researching for their Year 9 Global Perspective assignments. The leadership, analytical and problem-solving skills you obtain through the avenue provided by Model UN supports students when applying to universities around the globe. Our delegates participated in three conferences over the past academic year beginning with the ‘Harvard Model United Nations Conference 2021’ where a remarkable 62.5% of our delegation secured awards. At the annual ‘Sri Lanka Model United Nations Conference 2021,’ Gateway College Colombo obtained six awards, while at the prestigious ‘Colombo Operated Model United Nations Conference 2022,’ eight members of our delegation clinched awards, ranging from the Best Foreign Policy Statement to the coveted Best Delegate award. This year, we alsowitnessed delegates as young as Grade 10 winning awards at these highly contested conferences. Gateway College boasted an astonishing total of 50 awards at the aforementioned conferences combined, upholding our position as one of the premier MUN Clubs in the country. Our achievements would have been impossible without the guidance and support provided by our faculty advisors Mrs. Nishotha Anuraj and Mr. Chinthaka Wijayasinghe who’ve invested their time and effort to contribute to the success of the MUN Club. 34

I was seated with the other contestants; our team’s name would be called at any moment. I knew I wasn’t nervous to go up on stage and present, yet my legs were trembling as if they had feelings of their own. Maybe it was because the auditorium was bitter cold. Maybe. The finals of the ‘Gateway Innovathon 2021’ were challenging owing to the innovative ideas of the three other teams that made it to the finals – all from Gateway College Negombo. There were two categories in the competition: World Citizenship where you could develop technology solutions to contribute to the community, and gaming, where you could ideate a game to solve a problem. My brother and I selected the world citizenship category where we constructed an app which was able to calculate the calories in a plate of food through a simple photograph. My brother programmed the app while I designed and researched on potential competitors we would confront in the future. At the end of the day, my brother and I were able to emerge victorious with the title for the most innovative idea. It was unquestionably a memorable and significant experience that I’d never forget. The Inter International Under 20 Badminton championship 2022 took place on the 25th February and 26th February. This tournament was organized by OKI International. Both the Girls’ Team and the Boys’ Team emerged as second and first runners up, respectively. The Girls’ Team consists of the players: Ranuthi Samarawickrama (Captain of the team), Imasha Arachchi, Shastra Rajapreyar, Rashmi Mudalige, Nanthitha Nadarajan and Hansani Dharmasooriya. . The Boys’ Team consists of; Nashwan Rawlins (Captain of the team), Desandu Liyadipita, Pehan Amarathunge, Inaz Ahamad, Senith Weerasooriya ,Dison Devendra, Sonal Abeywardana, Jithindu Athapaththu, Bihan Amarathunge and Osada Abeywardana. 35

Gateway College continued their winning streak by winning the Inter International Schools Under 20 Girls Netball Championship’ once again. The prestigious tournament organized by Ilma International School was played at the Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium. Gateway College beat Ilma International School at the final with a comprehensive margin of 14-3.The semi-final was a closer affair but Gateway, finally beat Lyceum International School Wattala 11-7. Gateway’s Onadhi Samarakoon was named the Netball Queen of the Tournament. Methuli Erahapola won the award for the Best Defensive Player. - (source: Gateway Facebook page) 36

At a time when Gateway College is on a drive to catch up on missed time and opportunities due to the pandemic, four of its students have brought honor to their alma mater and the country by performing exceptionally well in their respective sports to represent the country. Chess – Nabil Nazar Mohamed Following the Sri Lanka National Chess Championships 2022 conducted by the Chess Federation of Sri Lanka, Gateway’s Nabil Nazar Mohamed was selected to represent the country at the FIDE Chess Olympiad 2022 in India. Squash - Bihandu Nanayakkara and Manuth Dassanayake Bihandu Nanayakkara and Manuth Dassanayake have been selected to the National team to represent Sri Lanka at the 29th Asian Junior Individual Squash Championships 2022 to be held in Thailand in June. Bihandu is currently the Junior National Champion in the Under 13 age group and 3rd in Under 15 age group. He has performed consistently, to be the champion of Under 9, 11 and 13. Eleven year old Manuth Dassanayake is the Under 11 National Champion and the Runner Up of Under 13. Rowing - Mithyl Wickramasinghe Mithyl Wickramasinghe of Gateway College has been selected for the Junior National Development Pool for Rowing (Under 16) after his performances at the Junior Nationals that was held in March and the Indoor Rowing Championship that was held in April 2022. The squad is being trained to represent Sri Lanka at international level. - (source: the Gateway Facebook page) 37

Magazine Publications Nimith Ariyawansa 7E Dear friends and family, I am delighted to say that my article about conserving fishing cats was posted on the ‘Envorce Digest,’ as you may know, I stated down the facts that are known about them including about what could be done to preserve these unique and special creatures. I hope you read through my article and get a clear understanding about why we should conserve these animals, along with many other endangered species. I just want to say a big thank you to my school, colleagues and my teachers for these great opportunities and events that help me and many others to learn something new everyday with courage. 38

Magazine Publications Presenting to you the ‘Top 6 entries of Wordsville 2.0’ Winner of the Creative Category! Something else, different, more passion and romance, maybe quiet conversations in candlelit rooms All that comfort & bliss, melted upon that Darkness’ Kiss, beautifully poem-ed by Shannel Pinidiya depicting that romantic deep love. Read it on : Rotaract Club of University of Co- lombo Faculty of Management and Finance | Darkness’ Kiss (rcuocfmf.com) Shannel Pinidiya 10E Conscious Evolution ‘Evolution is a process where any living organism is believed to have developed from previous snippets of history and its different kinds of forms. We can say that things today are constantly evolving…’ Read it on: Post Book Depression: Is it a Conscious Evolution - The Morning - Sri real thing? Lanka News ‘Books. Readers. Pages bound to fingers by Post Book Depression: Is it a real the red string of fate. Every reader, whether thing? - The Morning - Sri Lanka News they admit it or not, has a favorite book…’ 39

As the first event of the year, the Islamic Society successfully organized The Virtues of Hajj’ in July 2021. It was a workshop centred around Hajj, why Muslims must pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in their lifetime and to clear out any doubts and questions by the students. It was conducted by Professor Inthikab Zufer, a doctoral student, public speaker, and senior lecturer. The workshop was an overall success despite being our first time to hold a workshop. It concluded with a fun Quizzizz online quiz where students showcased exquisite knowledge. Like all religious societies, the Islamic Society also held an event to celebrate school’s 25th anniversary. It was held in January 2022 where Professor Inthikab Zufer once again impressed us all on his beautiful speech about education and how far Gateway College has come as a young school. It featured a qaseedah (Islamic song) by our younger students, an oration by a former President of the society Ruqaiyah Shiraz who spoke out about how no matter what religion you come from, what gender you identitfy as or anything else, you have the freedom to express yourself to your fullest potential. As the final and biggest event of the year, the Annual Islamic Day was organized in March 2022. The Islamic Day competitions which included ‘Quirath, Hifl, Azan, Qaseedah, Oratory, Essay and Calligraphy,’ were held in the months of February and March where students displayed astounding strengths and talents. The competitions were moderated by many qualified judges to ensure fairness. The event itself was filled with amazing lectures and qaseedahs. It featured a recital by Fathima Mubasshir, the winner of Quirath in the Junior 2 category, an oratory speech by Aara Riza who was the winner of Oratory in the Junior 2 category, and qaseedahs by Sawrah Jauffer, winner of Qaseedah in the Junior 2 category, Insha Gasim and the students of the Primary Section. Once more, Professor Inthikab Zufer lectured on the importance and equality of education and how it must be treated as our first priority. The day ended with all attendees leaving with additional knowledge and awareness, and delighted students who were awarded a place in the competitions. The hard work of all committee members, teachers, and students really paid off resulting in the flourishing success of the event. - Samrah Shiraz 12B 40

The Buddhist Society of Gateway College Colombo is one of the largest clubs/societies in the entire school in terms of club membership. As such, the Buddhist Society aims to further the multicultural objectives of the school by fostering the communication of Buddhist values to the school population, which helps students of all religions and ethnicities to understand the Buddhist philosophies, thus minimizing conflicts and misunderstandings between religions, and fostering compassion and religious co-existence. In the academic year of 2021/22, the Buddhist society undertook the organizing of multiple religious events. The first event arranged by the society was the Poson Poya Day Dhamma Sermon, which took place on the 24th of June 2021. It was formulated to commemorate the Mahindagamanaya and invoke blessings on our Managing Director, Mrs. Rohini Alles, on the event of her 89th birthday. The sermon was conducted by Ven. Kalubowila Amitha Gavesi Thero at the Dhamma Paryana Foundation and was broadcasted on the school YouTube Channel. Moreover, the Buddhist Society for the year 2022 also happened to be the first school event that was organized to commemorate the 25th Anniversary of the school. This was held on the 6th of January at the school auditorium with the aim of invoking blessings on the school and all our stakeholders. The sermon was conducted by Ven. Dr. Mirisse Dhamikka Thero, and it was broadcast on the Buddhist Channel on the 29th and 30th of January. In addition to that, during the Covid-19 pandemic, the students of Gateway College were unable to take part in usual religious activities such as Bakthi Gee. Virtual Vesak was an event that provided students with the opportunity to engage in activities such as Bakthi Gee even during the pandemic. This event incorporated youngest to the oldest students and even the teachers of Gateway College, who all displayed their talents online. Lastly, we are planned on carrying out a CSR Project which entails helping out a rural underprivileged school in Kurunegala. Due to the country's and world's situation, we were unable to complete the project within this academic year, however it is scheduled to be completed within the next academic year. In conclusion, the Buddhist society has had a successful year and was able to make significant contributions towards achieving its aims and we, as the board of the Buddhist society, would like to invite all students to join hands to help the Buddhist society to achieve its future objectives and to contribute to the betterment of our society. - Thiseni Wijesundara 41

The Buddhist Society of Gateway College Colombo is organizing a CSR project with the aim of uplifting the quality of education experienced by the students of the Hakuwatuna Jana Pada Vidyalaya. This school is located in a rural part of Kurunegala, named Polpithigama. Since this school does not receive adequate funding to carry out its activities, the students happen to lack many of the facilities and privileges enjoyed by students at our school. Hence, the Buddhist Society has decided to organize an effort to collect the items required by the Hakuwatuna Jana Pada Vidyalaya in an attempt to uplift the learning standard of the students at that school. The items required by the school are: Items for a playground such as  Swing  Monkey Bar  See Saw  Speaker and a mic  TV  All-in-one Printer Sports Items such as  Skipping ropes  Footballs  Cricket Bats and Balls  Instruments for a band If anyone is willing to make any contributions to this project, please contact:  Mesandu Karunaratne - +94 76 426 9909  Venura de Alwis - +94 77 015 0150 42

As the Hindu Society of Gateway College Colombo, we had three main tremendous events in the year 2021/2022. Starting off with our annual event – The Saraswathi Pooja which was conducted online on October 8th, 2021, where all the Hindu children and teachers came together to celebrate this auspicious festival of the Knowledge God. The event consisted of a pooja followed by many recitals, speeches and dance performances performed by our very own children from primary to secondary. The awards for the recital and speech competition held prior to the event were also announced on that day. Starting with the president, Dhanvin Nandakumaran’s speech and ending with the secretary’s, Pranav Manivannan’s speech, it was a well conducted and successful event. The second event of the year, the pooja to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the school was held on the 11th of January 2022. Together with the Hindu Society Board and the teachers in charge, an organized event was conducted where a priest from a well-known temple was invited to conduct prayers and provide blessings to all who were there – the chairman, Dr.Harsha Alles; the principal, Ms. Vinitha Shenoy; the deputy principals, teachers, students and our very own prefects who also contributed to make this celebration delightful. Our last and best event – the Avurudu Celebrations 2022. On the 7th of April, the whole secondary, dressed in colourful, charming, traditional dresses celebrated the Sinhala and Tamil New Year festival with many fun games, activities, songs, and ice-cream! The Hindu Society made sure to make it more interesting with a dance performance by two of our girls and a whole tent decorated to resemble and show our children how we celebrate this important day. It was a remarkable day indeed. -Nanthitha Nadarajan 11A 43

The Christian Society of 2021/2022 firstly organized a Youth based program known as “Alpha Youth Series”. All secondary students from Year 09 onwards were invited to experience the journey. The duration of the program was 09 weeks and 12 videos based on the Christian faith and other worldly questions young people had, were shown to the students. It kept the students engaged as there were games, videos, and a follow-up discussion. However, due to the prevailing situation of the country, the program was held online via Zoom for the entire series. Although it was the first time such program was organized by us, it was a success as more and more students joined in to know more about Christianity. Moreover, the annual Christmas Carol Service took place on the 11th of December 2021 and was known as “A Time of Wonder”. Gleaming with colours of blue and silver, the Carol Service reflected gratitude and hopefulness that was upon the year of 2021, seeking a brighter and a more positive outlook for the new year. Performing unforgettable carol songs such as ‘White Christmas’, ‘Silent Night’, ‘Rudolph’ from the Senior Band; ‘See Him lying on a Bed of Straw’ from the Primary Choir; ‘Bethalayil Piranthavarai’, ‘The First Noel’ from the Junior Choir; ‘It Came Upon the Midnight Clear’, ‘Seenu Handin’ from the Senior Choir; special performances from the Alumni Choir and the Teachers’ Choir, it was a successful event which was livestreamed on Youtube and Facebook. The Christmas programme undoubtedly lightened the hearts and souls of students, parents, and many others with the amazing performances as the school year of 2021 came to an end. Just like other religious societies, the Christian Society held an event to commemorate the 25th Anniversary Celebration of our school, Gateway College. It took place in the month of January 2022, where our distinguished guest priest Rev. Father Chandana Sajeewa Perera blessed our school as it celebrates the Silver Jubilee. He delivered an awe-inspiring speech as he spoke about the magnitude of establishing this great milestone, the education we receive and the unity that the Lord has blessed us with. Rendering harmonious hymns promoting unity and love amongst the students and teachers, the event concluded invoking blessings upon the Gateway family. -Shanelle Jayawardhana 12E 44

Photography 45

Prefects’ Induction Avurudu Celebrations Independence Day Celebrations 46

As my time as the Vice President of the Journalists’ Unit comes to an end, I take pride in knowing that we will be leaving this unit and this magazine in the hands of three bright, capable young ladies. They have been working non-stop, even during their exams, to get this edition’s magazine done, and to that I say – congratulations on another successful release! To our dearest president, Rukshitha, thank you for pulling through whenever we felt like trouble was brewing, and to my lovely secretary, Dilmi, thank you for keeping me mostly sane. It has been an honor working with you both and getting through the chaos together even when our minds felt like exploding. The late nights, the edits, and the memories will be with me forever – whether to haunt me or to make me smile, we are yet to find out. A special thanks to Ms. Trudy and Ms. Nuzla. It is because of them that our creative outlooks in life continued to flow and will flow when this is all over. Thank you for making the late nights worth the work and brain power, and for staying up yourselves, making sure everything ran smoothly. Most importantly, to Shannel, Neja and Jordyn – I wish you girls the best and hope you will bring the JU to greater, newer heights. And lastly, to my batchmates, throughout my time in Gateway, you all have touched me in different ways, shown me new sides of living, and brought out something in me that usually stays hidden. Cheers to all the good memories, to the new friendships, and the old. Here’s to living our lives and making the most of a moment. Azira Cuttilan Vice President 47

“Take pride in how far you've come. Have faith in how far you can go. But don't forget to enjoy the journey.” - Michael Josephson June 2022 Edition 48 All images included are copyright under fair use