Congratulations to all our graduates. These events are always special, but for me this one was a little more special as it was my first as a parent as well. For all the graduates, please know that we wish you the best in your next adventure and hope that it brings you joy. Please remember Moshi and come back when you get the opportunity.
Thank you to everyone that worked so hard to make this event happen. Catherine lists all the details below, but I must say that all that hard work made the hall look fantastic. Thank you as well to everyone that was able to join us for the celebration either in person or online. These (ex-)students worked hard over the last few years in many different areas and their memory will last beyond their time here.
This week we will be celebrating the M5 class as they transition from the MYP to the Diploma Program. As you can see in the MYP and residential sections they have spent some time preparing over the last week.
Beyond these events there was still a lot going on. Please read on to see what has been happening.
Bob Cofer – Head of Campus
Diploma News
This week felt like the pinnacle of the year as we finished D2 Exams and celebrated Graduation. It was emotional on so many levels: pride, joy, relief, sadness and nostalgia.
The graduation this week was a real celebration! We sent each student off with a short reflection of their highlights and a funny moment that we will always remember. A very special thank you to Agnes, Joelle, June, Huguette, Patricia, Magda, Sabrina, Meghan, Christine, Marina, Martina and Chris for helping to make the hall so beautiful. Our D2 moms, Brigitte and Antje led the decoration team with such professionalism and Lola arranged the most beautiful flowers. It was an incredible end to an incredible year.
We also had the opportunity to publicly thank Ben Morley, our Deputy Head of Campus (you will know him from Ben’s corner) who is leaving us after 7 amazing years. He has worked in UWC schools for 12 years and has been instrumental in our transition to UWC. He has poured so much of himself into our school and it’s hard to imagine Moshi without him. He was presented with a graduation sash in recognition of all he has done. We will miss you Ben.
The D1s were invited to graduation and many of them are aware that it will be their turn in 12 months! Between now and then, there is much to do. They submitted their extended essay outlines this week and should be discussing the structure of their essay with their supervisors now. Later this week, they will have some study days before exams start on Friday.
We also had M5 move up day, where the M5s shadowed D1s to get a sense of some DP classes. I had the awesome opportunity to meet with the M5s to learn a little about them (sounds like I’ll have my hands full next year) and they each shared a burning question about DP. As we bid farewell to the D2s this week, it’s exciting to think our next set of world changers are on their way to us!
In the next week the D1s are going to meet the incoming students to share about Life in Moshi, residences and what to expect. Incoming students, we are ready for you!
Catherine Dowie – DP Coordinator
Ben’s Corner
It’s in the music emanating From the Kiongozi rooms It’s in the friendships incubating To Amapiano tunes
It’s in the roots and the foundations We all bring here from home From all cultures and all nations All together now not alone
It’s in your teachers, in your friends In OP Trips, in Sports Weekend It’s in this gift that we inherit When every Graduation ends
It’s in the echoes of your youth And in the traces of your past ‘Cause the power cuts keep coming But this light will always last
Moshi Campus forever Whatever the weather This place is our own And our hearts will leave you never And we will forever Call this place home Call this place home
Excerpt from Ben Morley, Our Home (Moshi Campus Forever) (Ramy Records, 2025)
MYP News
M5s – Busy Week Our M5s had a wonderfully full week packed with meaningful experiences. They began with reflective sessions on residential life with Mr. Adnan, looking back at their growth and memories. They also enjoyed a fun and relaxed “get to know you” session with Ms. Dowie, where they shared quirky facts and asked thoughtful questions. They dove into financial literacy with Mr. Cofer, learning practical skills around budgeting, saving, and spending…lessons that will serve them well in the years ahead. To round things off, they met with Ms. Megan, our university counselor, who introduced them to the journey beyond MYP and helped spark ideas for their future academic paths. It’s been a week of reflection, laughter, and looking ahead…our M5s are clearly stepping into their next chapter with curiosity and confidence.
M5 Ceremony We are so excited to see you all this Friday, May 30th, 2025 for our M5 Ceremony from 4:00 to 6:00 PM at Rafiki Hall.
Please check your email for the individual communication sent to all M5 parents/guardians regarding ticket allocations. Dress Code: Formal & FUN
Let’s celebrate our amazing students together!
M2 Art
The M2 Stop Motion projects are officially complete and ready to be shared! This unit, described by Mr. Ramy, as “one of the funnest we’ve ever done,” was a wonderful blend of creativity, collaboration, and technical skill. Students combined their visual arts knowledge especially in origami and character design with storytelling and digital production techniques to bring their miniature scenes to life. From folding paper to framing shots, they explored how movement, patience, and imagination can turn simple materials into animated magic.
Please click this link to watch their final videos—we hope you enjoy them as much as we did!
M2 Language and Literature English As part of their ongoing unit based on “Omar Rising” the M2s went to Simba Footprints to understand Education Equity. Educational equity aims to ensure every student has the resources and support they need to reach their full potential, regardless of their background or circumstances. It’s about creating a fair and just system where all students can thrive, with individualized support to address diverse needs. Simba Footprints as an organization is primarily rooted in empowering children /youth in finding their feet through different programs. This trip was a lesson in situational awareness of how small steps can create a big difference.
MYP Dates to Remember
May 26th to 28th – M5s Work Experience
May 30th – M5 Ceremony (Please make travel plans according to Mr. Adnan’s reminders)
June 9th to 12th – M4 End of Year Assessments Week
June 13th, 16th & 17th- Days of Giving Back for M1, M2, M3 & M4
June 19th – Classes End
Have a wonderful week ahead! Farah Fawaz – MYP Coordinator
Residential Life
Dear UWCEA Community,
It’s one of those weeks, the kind that holds a quiet weight. A week of reflection, of looking back and leaning forward. A week where M5s begin stepping into the shoes of D1s, D1s begin feeling the edges of D2, and our D2s… well, they begin stepping out into the world.
To support all these transitions, our M5 students have spent the past week reflecting on their MYP journey. Their insights and feedback have been both thoughtful and generous, helping us grow not just as a program but as a community. We’re committed to listening closely, learning from their experiences, and continuing to shape the residential and academic life of the MYP with intention and care.
This week also saw the Wellbeing Committee team up with the Tanzania Medical Students Association – KCMC Chapter to host a Mental Health Awareness Night. It was a meaningful evening of learning, dialogue, and connection with experts from our wider community. We’re excited about this new partnership and hope it’s just the beginning of many more shared initiatives ahead.
And now, just like that, the cycle turns again — as it always does. One group arrives, filled with curiosity and energy, and another prepares to leave, carrying with them stories, friendships, lessons, and the kind of memories that don’t really fade. There have been moments of joy, chaos, growth, laughter, and even heartache. And through it all, something beautiful was built.
To our M5s: Keep choosing courage. You’ve done it before, and you’ll do it again.
To our D1s: May you grow into the kind of presence your D2s were for you — steady, inspiring, and full of heart.
And to our D2s: You already know this, but I’ll say it anyway: we’re proud of you. Take everything you’ve learned here and carry it forward. Be brave, be kind, and above all, be joyful. You’ve left a mark, and you’ll always have a place here.
Congratulations, and farewell for now.
Adnan Mackovic – Head of Residential Life
Sports Update
Leopards on the Move!
Congratulations to the U13 girls and boys football teams. They hosted 4 Moshi schools here on campus for some exciting games. Both teams showed impressive growth and improvement with their play. It was a fun afternoon!
Special thanks to Mr. T for organizing this event!
Coach Pickell
New UWCEA Stickers
Dear UWCEA community,
We have brand new UWCEA stickers in stock and they’re perfect for showing off your school pride wherever you go! Stick them on your laptop, water bottle, or notebook and carry a little UWCEA story with you every day.
Sticker prices are: 1 for 5,000Tsh or 3 for 10,000 Tsh.
Stickers are available now at the reception, but hurry, they will be going fast and we only have limited stock.
PYP News
Mr. Morley commented to me this week that whilst some of the year groups in the MYP (M5) and Diploma (D2) are winding down, the primary school is gearing up. It’s true that we still have a lot to do as you can see below!
May 28th & 29th – P6 Overnight camp
May 30th – Gathering of Gratitude
May 31 – Learn to play rugby festival U11s (boys and girls)
June 4th & 5th – P2 camp
June 6th – EC/P1 day camp
June 10th – P6 student led conferences (only for P6 – the other year groups will continue with classes as normal)
June 11th – Picnic to say farewell to leaving primary staff – a separate email with details will follow
June 12th – P6 Leaving ceremony and PYP move up day
June 12th – Final whole school assembly of the quarter at 10:30am
June 13th – Benchball and football house competition – more details to follow
June 18th – Primary Gathering – a brief farewell to our departing students followed by a fun sports day for all of the PYP.
Congratulations to the P6 class on their wonderful performance as surprise guests supporting Mr. Morley’s tribute and farewell song at the D2 graduation on Friday (see photo). We were very proud of you.
Mr. Baden is running a rugby workshop on May 31st 10:00 – 12:00. This will be for girls and boys, aged 8- 12, who are interested in learning contact rugby. The day will be dedicated to learning ball skills, safe tackling, rules, attacking and defense structures of Rugby. Karibu sana. Please note that all are welcome but, by its nature, rugby is a rough and tumble activity. Participants can expect to get muddy! Some children from local schools will also be attending. Please contact badendowie@uwcea.org for further details.
Lily and Alvis, the D1 coordinators of the South African Math Challenge, asked that the following be shared:
“On Thursday, a few of our very own math enthusiasts—Adrian and Eliza from P4 and Anne from P6—took on the second round of the South African Mathematics Challenge(SAMC). Getting to this stage is incredibly impressive, especially considering how challenging the first round was. Not many participants make it this far, and the fact that all three advanced is a huge accomplishment in itself. We’re incredibly proud of their dedication, effort, and courage to take on such a demanding challenge. While we don’t yet know the results, we truly believe they’ve done their best and represented our school with excellence. We wish them the best of luck and hope they feel proud of how far they’ve come!”
Thank you to Lily and Alvis for initiating and supporting this wonderful opportunity for the children.
Deborah Mills – PYP Coordinator
EC/P1 Class
We learned about time this week. EC1s explored what they do at different times of the day. EC2s and P1s explored how to tell the time to the hour using the analogue clock. They learned how to read and write the time to the hour. Next week, P1s will look at reading the time to half past. ECs will explore what activities happen at different hours of the day. Please be sure to look for a home learning activity concerning this on Monday.
Our annual day camp is coming soon. Please save the 6th of June for that special day. A letter explaining the trip and all the specifics will be sent home this coming week. It will include a permission slip for you to fill in.
A big thank you to everyone who made my birthday so special. The children were so excited, and we had a lovely celebration together. Thank you very much.
The picture shared shows the children following musical rhymes as they played different instruments.
Mboka Mwasongwe
P2/3 Class
This week flew past. The highlight on Monday was when the P2s took the P3s to the community chicken coop! It was fun for the younger students to be the experts! This week, we’ve also enjoyed our study of fractions. The students have laughed that talking about fractions means that we talk a lot about food, especially pizza!
We’ve continued with our study of geography and had lots of fun making 3-d topographical maps of Tanzania using salt dough. Hopefully, the dough will dry despite it being rainy season and we’ll be able to paint the maps next week. I know the rains make planning complicated but please do send in swimsuits on Tuesdays. It’s a shame to miss out on lessons with Coach Sabini!
Our wrap up of the beloved Wild Robot series was a milestone for the school year. We have loved these books during our read-aloud time. I wish you could see how engaged your children have been while listening. We all have favorite characters and parts of the stories. It was fun to begin watching the movie together on Friday. We will work that into a comparative study next week! We have also started letters to the author, Peter Brown, with suggestions for Book 4. I intend to send them to Mr. Brown this summer.
Kacey Buckley
P4/5 Class
Our new unit of inquiry, “People have rights and responsibilities that develop and protect their well being and the well being of others,” is well underway:
Mrs. Dhani has been working in class with us and guided the class in exploring the difference between wants and needs. The children then made connections between their needs and their rights, examining both personal and human rights. Following this, they began to investigate the link between rights and responsibilities.
Next week, the students will consider the experiences of children who do not always have access to their full rights—such as those unable to attend school, child soldiers, and individuals with albinism. We will also explore organisations that work to protect children’s rights and identify a local organisation that we can support in the future, possibly through a clothes or food drive.
A highlight of the week was Ms. Mika (secondary science department) leading the class in a heart dissection. All of the children were huge risk takers – even those who were not 100% keen on the activity, persevered. We all (teachers too!) learned so much. Thank you to Ms. Mika and Mr. Justine for giving up their time and sharing their expertise.
Deborah Mills
P6 Class
We have had a lively week in P6. As you can see from our photo, Mr Emmanuel shared some wonderful insights about his Maasai culture, particularly the traditional ‘jumping celebration.’ He explained that this joyful display happens when friends of the same age group come together, or during weddings and other special occasions. The longer someone jumps, the more energetic they are seen to be. High jumps with shoulder shakes are recognised as the sign of the best dancers. A big thank you to Mr Emmanuel for sharing this with us.
Our Unit of Inquiry brought out some great discussions this week. In small groups, P6 were given the challenge to build the tallest tower using only paper – but with a twist. Each group had to follow a different political system. Interestingly, the dictatorship group won! In Maths, we have been exploring translation, rotation, and reflection of shapes.
Next week, we are off on our much-anticipated camp. Thank you for returning all the forms. On Monday, we will be borrowing gear from the OP store. Please send your child’s main camp bag, sleeping bag, and any other gear to school on Tuesday so we can load the bus. On Wednesday morning, your child should arrive with a small backpack containing a morning snack, lunch, and drink bottle, and be at school by 7:10am, so we can leave by 7:30am.
When it comes to the weather, we are thinking positively and planning for a happy few days under the canvas.
Natasha Berri
Outdoor Pursuits
As the Diploma students geared up to summit the stage this week, the OP team took a quick hike through the record books to see how many of our adventurous grads have been out in the wild with us. Since August 2023, we’ve had 192 participants across 28 OP trips – averaging 2.2 trips per student. That’s a whole lot of boots on the ground, wheels on trails, fins in the sea and minds on the moment!
Among the graduating expedition party, 10 students will dive into their future as fully PADI-certified divers, while 30 brave souls (35% of the class!) attempted to reach the dizzying heights of Mount Kilimanjaro. Talk about peaking in high school – in the best possible way!
But let’s be honest: while the stats are impressive, it’s the memories, the muddy boots, the sunrises, the mosquito bites, and the slightly over cooked pasta that really stick with you. The laughs, the friendships, the shared snacks, and maybe even a few epic wipeouts on a bike trail – those are the real treasures.
From the Plains, where students explored Tanzania’s rich landscapes, diverse wildlife and local culture without needing to break a sweat (except maybe from the sun), to the Peaks, where legs burned, lungs gasped, and self-confidence soared – every trip was a new altitude of awesome. The Rides program had students pedalling through wildlife-rich terrain and scenic routes that wheelie took their breath away. Meanwhile, Reefs plunged students into the underwater world, where they didn’t just float around – they got hands-on with coral conservation (no clowning around with those clownfish!). And for those in need of a pause button, Mindfulness helped students disconnect from their screens and reconnect with their inner compass.
At UWC East Africa, the OP program isn’t just an add-on – it’s part of the educational landscape. We aim to include everyone in outdoor learning that’s as enriching as it is exhausting (in the best kind of way). We hope every graduate walks away with a backpack full of memories, a deeper connection to this incredible place, and a few good blisters to prove it.
The OP team wishes you all the best as you blaze new trails and may your future be full of summits, smooth rides, calm waters, wide-open spaces, and the occasional mindful moment.
Adventure on!
The OP Team
Sustainability Committee
Environmental Systems and Society
This week the D1 ESS 3 class rolled out the seminal component of the evolution and conservation unit. They entered the class shark tank as entrepreneurs with seeds of knowledge relevant to their learning. These seeds came in the form of children’s book storylines, completed children’s books, board games, simulations and even an interactive story book!
They reflected through the perspective of teaching 8- to 10-year-old students about their learning. The ideas were engaging and beyond expectations, cohesive, engaging and informative. Four ideas were ‘invested in’ through a weighted vote. Congratulations to Andressa, Austeja, Henry and Zachariah for moving their products to the production stage. P2/3 and P4/5 look out! The start of next year these entrepreneurs are coming to share their products with you!
Sustainability Committee As we send off our D2s, it’s a fitting moment to reflect on the legacy they contribute to.
The sustainability committee of the Class of 2025 faced their share of challenges, but our 10 members put in the hard yards. Their hands-on approach to composting and waste sorting set a powerful example. The system is not perfect, but thanks to their efforts, we now have higher standards and a stronger foundation for the future.
Despite setbacks in not hosting a second consecutive climate summit with the Tanzania Students’ Coalition on Climate, the class of 2025 laid vital groundwork. Though the event didn’t go ahead as planned, they ensured a smooth handover to the D1s—enabling them to carry the torch and host Tanzania’s first virtual youth climate summit.
This year also saw the school’s first-ever public Project Sharation event, a showcase of environmental and sustainability-focused services and initiatives. In collaboration with the D1s, the D2s presented a vibrant vision of how service can contribute to a peaceful and sustainable future. From cutting-edge design concepts to seeds growing for change, smokeless kitchens, and even the launch of a sustainable fashion line, it was a celebration of student-led innovation. We look forward to making this event a lasting tradition. Feel free to explore the digital displays from the event via the QR code!
From supporting MYP-led clothing swaps to driving a broader long-term change, our D2s will be remembered for their tangible impact. In environmental service, they stepped into big shoes. With depleted soils and the absence of two dedicated green thumb teacher leavers of last year, they rose to the challenge.
Improvements are clear: our garden, chicken project, and more are now poised to thrive. Though tree planting service began slowly, the D2s nurtured the knowledge needed to sustain native species on campus. Today, D1s have already planted over 40 native trees. The clean-up service has been essential and in many ways under the radar. Dedication and direct action in motion, they too have made strides to normalizing the fact that nobody is above the waste we create.
Personally, I am grateful to continue to work in a school community that aims to empower students like these, providing them space to sow seeds for positive change. Thank you D2s for your efforts, patience and perseverance in your endeavours. Wherever you stand in the years to come, remember the power you have to be the force for positive impacts on the earth you stand on, the water your community depends on, the air that you breathe, and the food shared in your community.
><> ><> <>< <>< <>< ><> Best fishes! <>< ><> ><> <>< ><> ><> Mr. Will Taylor
