Sports, Activities & Events at Waterford
Waterford Kamhlaba sports philosophy puts emphasis on participation and not just competition; winning is a bonus. This approach has led to lots of students trying out different sports, learning and developing, to become part of the competitive teams that we have. The importance of sports and games at Waterford encompasses more than just the benefit of physical activity; increases in self-esteem and mental alertness make our activities necessary for every student. The school believes that physical activity is an integral part of a student’s life.
Anybody thinking of coming to WK will enjoy our modern sporting facilities and an opportunity to choose from an array of sports. Our Sports department includes soccer, athletics, volleyball, swimming, netball, tennis, hockey, chess, rugby, basketball, and badminton, which are facilitated by professional coaches who are employed by the school – it helps to structure the programme and cultivate and maintain the interest among our students. There are also plenty of opportunities to travel with our competitive sports teams. Our various sports teams will play in tournaments throughout South Africa, in Botswana and in Maputo, Mozambique. These trips help to expand the learning experiences for our athletes, but we do take pride in winning. Students can also participate in other activities like public speaking and debate, or physical activities like rock climbing, hiking, and canoeing.
We also host various sports tournaments and competitions at WK, during which we welcome schools from South Africa, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and eSwatini on to campus.
Within the school we have three sports houses: Guedes, Stern and Henderson, and these help create a vibrant atmosphere during inter house competitions in various sports and activities. House captains together with the sports coaches continue to drive the programme and strive for excellence. Students get assigned to a house upon arrival.
Facilities
Our sports programme is 7 days a week, with training happening in the afternoon (from 2:40 pm for juniors) or evening, depending on the sport. We have a hockey field, soccer field, tennis court, basketball court, swimming pool, netball courts, outdoor volleyball and an indoor multi-purpose hall, which help us when the weather is difficult outside. WK recently upgraded our school gym with new equipment, and more hours, allowing students and staff to use them at different times. The school also invested heavily in the development of our multi-purpose (MP) hall – added sitting space, a new roof, rock climbing wall, new lights and new offices for coaches and the sports and physical education department. The new space made the MP hall a more modern and competitive facility.
WK Co Curricular Program
The co-curricular program at WK brings together service, creative arts, sports and events to provide a vibrant student life. There are over 30 clubs, several events, as well as opportunities for students to apply for funding to implement service initiatives in Eswatini and their home countries.
The WK Co-Curricular Program is an opportunity to make your Waterford Kamhlaba experience a more enjoyable one! For students, it is:
- A great way to have a sense of belonging and help you to adjust more easily to the WK community.
- A fantastic way of engaging in WK’s founding pillar of service.
- A great way identify your own interests, as well as meet new people who have similar interests.
- An opportunity to develop your leadership skills.
- An opportunity to practice time management skills.
The Co-Curricular Program is organized as follows:
- CAS
- Student Clubs
- Sports
- Events
- Competitions & Opportunities
Examples from sister schools
Events at Waterford
Waterford has a series of events, other than sports, that take place on annual basis and bring together the community, alumni, parents, students, staff and friends of Waterford. These include, but are not limited to:
- WK Day: is WK’s birthday.
- UWC Day: UWC Day is a celebration of the diversity of cultures and nationalities represented in the UWC colleges. During UWC day, students, staff, parents and the broader Waterford Kamhlaba family show a little bit of what their “home” is like to the rest of the school. It features a parade of nations where students represent their own countries in their traditional attires and greet the rest of the school in their home language. Student led food stalls present food from around the world.
- UWC Africa Week: UWC Africa Week is a platform to engage students with some of the core aspects of a UWC education: Global Citizenship and Peace. It is a further opportunity to discuss contemporary Africa and international issues that are relevant in our world today, to help promote a global ethos. During this week, there are many activities that take place on campus including panel forums, music concert and workshops.
- Careers Fair: The Annual Careers Fair is a student-led Career Support Initiative (CSI) event and it is a community service project, organized by IB2 students. The event brings together high school students from around eSwatini to get career information from a number of companies and organizations. It has grown in size over the years and now over 2000 high school students participate in the event, in which many companies come to exhibit.
- The 24 Hour Run: The 24 Hour Run is one of the school’s charity events which takes place every second year. Everyone including students, alumni, staff and parents are invited to take part in this event, as long as they join a team. Participants complete laps around the field within a space of 24 hours, and each lap is sponsored. They then collect money from sponsors who agreed to sponsor their participation or each lap they completed. The money raised from the event is used to fund the school’s various community service projects.
Years
Nationalities
Students
Alumni