A 'dazzling' campfire

Dazzle-2011, the annual campfire organised by the Girl Guides of the Anula Vidyalaya, Nugegoda was held on March 12, at the school premises with the participation of 10 schools: Ananda College, Thurstan College, Devi Balika Vidyalaya, Samudra Devi Vidyalaya and Pannipitiya Dharmapala Vidyalaya.

The chief guest was the Principal of Anula Vidyalaya, Mrs. Kalyani Gunasekara. The assistant principal in charge of extra-curricular activities, Mrs. P.K.P. Pieris, Guiding Commissioners, teachers and parents were also present to witness this grand event.

The Guides and Scouts in action at Dazzle 2011.

The guides and scouts who were divided into 12 teams after the registration participated in many events. The main event was a treasure hunt which was like a hike around the premises. Each team had to find their way through the signs given at various points. There were also checkpoints to test their knowledge on the history of guiding and guiding signs as well as their ability to think rationally, and ascertain how vigilant they are. After completing the tests at the checkpoints, they had to find the treasure following the given trails. After the treasure hunt, the teams had to face yet another challenge; the cooking challenge. Each team had to cook a meal using the ingredients, the twigs and a saucepan made out of a tin.

The team that cooked in the least amount of time won the game.

The lighting of the campfire which followed the games was the grandest moment of the day. The theme of the day was 'The Journey to the Pathfinders Fiesta'. The organising committee took all the participants on a journey to Mars. The King and Queen of Mars warmly welcomed the visitors and the witch lighted the campfire using her spells. Everyone cheered when a ball of fire rolled along a string, and lit the campfire. Then the King of Mars invited the schools to display their talents through creative activities.

A member of the Old Scouts and Guides Association Abeetha Edirisinghe along with other members of the Association gave immense support to the organising committee to make this event a success. The committee was also thankful to the teacher-in-charge, B.S. Tennakoon for her guidance and support.

According to the marks obtained from the treasure hunt and the cooking challenge, Thurstan College won the trophy of the games. After singing campfire songs, the event concluded with a spectacular fireworks display.