A Walk In The Park Grade 5
Georgeanna Abson
Parents were called to a meeting by the headmistress (now late) in 2010, we were informed that the school cannot accommodate all the children doing grade zero into grade one. Competition was stiff. Places will be secured by parents who pay school fees, uniforms and sports wear on first come first serve basis. If my memory is not failing me, uniforms and schools fees were slightly above USD100. Parents were then asked by the headmistress, if they had any questions to ask.
I looked around, there were no hands up, but the faces were telling a different story. Understandably, most probable the fear of antagonising the headmistress when competition for grade one place was stiff acted as a deterrent. I must confess, I also felt the pressure too. However, I had to summon my residual strength to seek clarity from the headmistress.
I remarked, I had no problems with the prices set by the school for purchase of school uniforms and sportswear. It is only fair for the school to provide samples to satisfy parents on value for money. Before I had gotten a response from the headmistress, from her looks, it was unmistakable that I had asked an annoying question. I was flatly told that we cannot afford to give places to children who have parents that are going to haunt us for the next seven years.
Incalculable was the loss for failing to secure a grade one place for my child. This meant that we were going to deal with the uncertainty of securing a grade one place in other schools, if successful, fork out more money on transport. We decided not to give up on Eastridge primary school. My wife went and paid the required fees, a place was secured. Easily done, one would think. A colleague of mine whom I had known from college was nearly denied a place for her daughter because of mistaken identity by the headmistress.
When schools were opened in 2011, i received a letter from the school with a request for a meeting. In that meeting, sat the headmistress, the deputy headmaster and the senior teacher for early childhood development classes. Coldly, the headmistress told me that the educational policy demands that places must be given to children residing in areas around the school. By that time, I had relocated from Hillside to Warren Park.
According to the said educational policy, my daughter was not eligible to get a place from Eastridge. In my response, I reasoned that I am a tenant, does that mean every time I change a place to stay, I also must move my daughter to a new school. This policy, I cautioned, makes sense for property owners but tenants. She was adamant, take your refund and your daughter, there is nothing we can do but to enforce the policy.
Further, I argued, if you are genuine about implementing this policy, at my cost, i am willing to sponsor a survey so that children who are not living in suburbs near the school will meet a similar fate to mine. My point was not to make other parents and children suffer, but to prove in a subtle way, how unreasonable the headmistress was.
She maintained her hard-line stance, it was not my responsibility to tell the school what to do. Realising that there was no escape route in this conversation, I became agitated, I told her to release her dogs and I realise mine (warumwa warumwa). Quickly, I walked out of the office. This is how my daughter secured her place at Eastridge primary school.
I am sharing my personal struggles to motivate other parents and youths to be more open to share the struggles that they face when dealing with schools on transparency and accountability issues. This call is not limited to educational services, but all other essential services, health, water and sanitation among others. The following lessons can be drawn from the experience I have shared;
As it turned out, the sports wear we got was of poor quality, it failed to match the asking price we had paid. It is interesting to flag out that government has banned schools from forcing parents to buy uniforms from any other sources other than the schools offering services to their children.
The hike up to Half Dome, towering over the Yosemite Valley at 8846 feet, is one of the great bucket list hikes. You'll pass iconic waterfalls, hike through majestic sequoias, and then pull yourself up steel cables to stand at the summit. There's a lot to know before you start; this isn't just a hike where you show up at the trailhead and go. There's a decent amount of anxiety about the cables section of the hike for a lot of folks. In this guide, I will cover everything you need to know in a simple and step-by-step way. I'll help you prepare, conquer your fears, bag the summit, and have a great time in the process.
Most hikers will want to plan their hike in advance, and the best move here is to apply for the pre-season permit lottery, which you do online at Recreation.gov. Since you'll probably want to book accommodation at Yosemite in conjunction with your permit, it can be a bit of a chicken and egg situation. I recommend booking your accommodation first, especially if you want to stay in the park. I've found that accommodation is much harder to get than a permit. If you don't win the pre-season permit lottery, there are other ways to secure a permit to hike Half Dome once you arrive. And there are many other great non-permit hikes to experience at Yosemite as well.
If you haven't gotten a permit, you still have a chance. You are allowed to hike all the way to the Sub Dome, about 0.5 mile before the summit, without a permit. Generally the ranger will be sitting there, checking people's permits. Simply go up to the ranger and ask him if there are any empty permit slots open. Often times people will have a group permit with some no-shows. If there are slots open, you can go. If there are no slots open, hang out close to the ranger and ask folks that are arriving if they have any open slots.
I've used this method successfully. You might have to wait for a while if you get here early. The big rush of hikers generally arrives between 9am-noon, so waiting until then will get you the most traffic.
Another option is applying for a wilderness permit, camping, and adding Half Dome to your reservation. You simply ask for the add-on when you pick your permit up at the ranger station. It's only available for overnight permits close to Half Dome, so you can't get an easy wilderness permit for somewhere else in the park and then day hike Half Dome without camping.
Your permit is good from 12:00 AM on the date it was issued for, so you can leave as early as you want. Having a permit also allows you to park at the hiker trailhead parking lot. You don't need to display anything on your car.
When you get to the Sub Dome area, a ranger (or two) will be there checking permit confirmation emails. The best move is to print it out, but rangers will also allow you to show the email on your phone (no service here though). You'll also need an ID (like a driver's license) that matches the name on the permit. Only the group leader (the name on the permit) needs an ID. When you apply for your permit can specify an alternate permit holder as well.
Generally there is no ranger on duty during the night, and you could ascend the cables then. I once saw someone who did this get busted in the morning on the way down, so be prepared to pay a fine if you try it (not recommended). I also know of people who have done this successfully. For some people the fine might be worth it.
And you don't need a permit when the cables are down. But again, this isn't something for someone without experience to try. People die when the cables are down. If you need to read this guide, you should not be climbing with the cables down.
The National Parks Service describes Half Dome as the most strenuous day hike in Yosemite, and probably the toughest (recommended) day hike in any National Park. So while you can certainly just show up and give the hike a go, you'll enjoy it more if your fitness level is up to snuff. Training doesn't have to be complicated and a lot will depend on the trails you have available where you live.
Check out the complete list here. ( Updated July 2024)Specific Gear For the CablesThe cables section presents a unique challenge that you don't get on most hikes. You'll climb up a steep 45-degree granite slope, using a steel cable to keep you steady and occasionally pull on. Here's what I recommend:
I just climbed the cables for the first time and I was blown away by how freaking insane the whole thing is. I mean, you slip, you die (probably). I can't believe it's even a thing open to the public since it's so dangerous. I'm terrified of heights and it was a mental challenge for me, for sure. I can't imagine what it's like in wet or bad conditions. Glad I did it though! Reddit Hike Report
The majority of people who reach the cables at Half Dome ascend it without a problem. I've seen almost every type of person ascend the cables: 70-year-olds, a 12-year-old (not recommended), people wearing cheap tennis shoes, and those obviously not prepared. I've also seen experienced hikers reach the base of cables and say "I'll pass." Fear and anxiety are personal and relative, and it's hard to say how you will process the experience until you get there. In this section I'll explain exactly what the cables are like, and then give you some insider tips on making the experience as safe as possible.
When "the cables are up," which is generally from the Friday before Memorial Day through the Tuesday after Columbus Day,.it means the poles and boards are in. The cables are actually there all year. A disproportionate amount of deaths occur here during the off season when "the cables are down". If you need to read this guide, doing the cables when they're down is not something for you.
There are two schools of thought when you go down, climb down forward or backward. I find that I'm able to control my descent and balance my weight better when going down backward, so I do that on the steeper sections. On the less steep sections I just carefully walk forward. Whichever way you do it, make sure you are going as slow and as controlled as you are when you ascended. You'll find some people getting impatient when there are crowds and going on the outside of the cables. Not smart.
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