Johannesburg - The harmful effects of plastic on our oceans, the environment and marine life is the focus of Dainfern College’s annual Swimathon.
This year’s event was given an environmental twist as the result of a collaboration between the Dainfern College Parents’ Association (PA) and Grade 12 student head of environmental affairs, Nicholas Petrovic.
The Swimathon, an annual tradition driven by the Dainfern College PA for many years, involves Prep School students from Grades 2 to 7 swimming lengths to raise funds for the school and its outreach initiatives. In 2018 the Swimathon was used to raise awareness of the dangers of plastic pollution in the oceans. This year, Petrovic felt it was time to revisit this idea with the current Prep School students.
Head of marketing at Dainfern College, Lindokuhle Maluleke, said students purposely “polluted” the school’s swimming pool with hundreds of plastic bottles.
“The students who participated in the Swimathon swam through the pollution, experiencing the destructive nature of plastic and how it affects one’s ability in the water. This innovative experience was used to highlight that we are the only ones who can control the outcomes on our planet and that we have the power to change our environment for the better,” she said.
Dainfern College, which is a member of the international Round Square network of innovative schools, places an emphasis on environmentalism in its quest to teach students to think globally and act locally.
“The Plastic Swimathon is certain to be a memorable event for the students as an experiential lesson on the effects of pollution and our role in looking after our oceans,” Maluleke said.
The PA said its fund-raising projects always support the school’s outreach programme as well as key initiatives that the PA is working on. The Swimathon last year raised funds for Rainbows & Smiles, an organisation that supports children with cancer and their families.
“We had members of the Rainbows & Smiles team attend the event to provide music and some gifts to our students. Last year we raised R100 945. The 2018 environmental Swimathon raised R49 500,” Maluleke said.
A top swimmer at the College, Petrovic said he has a vivid memory of the previous Plastic Swimathon held in 2018, when he was a Grade 7 student.
"I’m quite a strong swimmer and I found it difficult to navigate through the plastic in our pool. It made me realise how hard it must be for our marine life. This event made a lasting impression on me, so I wanted to repeat the idea five years later for the next generation of Prep School students. I want them to see and experience for themselves the consequences of our carelessness with plastic and the devastating effect it’s having in our oceans."
The PA said it raises funds for endeavours for the enhancement of the College as well as the outreach projects it supports. A generous portion of the funds they raise is given to the Dainfern College Foundation to support ongoing outreach initiatives. These include the High School Student Bursary Programme, the Nutritional Support Programme at partner schools, support of ReShomile and LEAP 4 schools in Diepsloot and three crèches in Cosmos City and Diepsloot, the 67 Blankets for Nelson Mandela initiative, Witkoppen Clinic and Jordan House Old-Age Home.
The PA also often identifies specific initiatives to support, such as Rainbows & Smiles last year. They are planning to use this year's Swimathon funds to plant trees.