It’s not every day we approve of a heist, and it’s not every day a heist involves an elephant! But sometimes, you have to do what you have to do to help keep your city clean:
Pietermaritzburg, South Africa (28 May 2024) — A heist, school students and an elephant held for ransom. What you’d be forgiven for assuming as the plot to a Hollywood big-budget movie is actually a heartwarming, real-life tale involving everyday heroes, a community initiative and a promise to beautify Pietermaritzburg!
Recently, Wykeham Collegiate School for Girls ‘raided’ Cordwalles Preparatory School for Boys, masked and on a mission to claim their bright blue elephant. With a getaway driver ready to make haste in the school’s minibus, the girls successfully grabbed the Ellie, leaving behind only a ransom note with demands that, if not followed, would lead to the elephant receiving an additional makeover in Wykeham yellow (including but not limited to, a pair of yellow floral pyjamas).
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While the list of demands has not been revealed, the overall theme of the mission is clear: Wykeham Collegiate has taken on Keep Pietermaritzburg Clean Action Group‘s ‘Create and Ellie and Fill His Belly’ in an epic fashion; a challenge they have taken on to help keep their City (the ‘place of the elephant’) clean.
The Ellie Challenge is an effort by KPCA Group to get learners to jump on the train of eco-consciousness while helping fundraise for the organisation. By virtue of the Ellies, schools get to create their elephants (like the Epworth’s elephant, Eppie) before filling their bellies with items that generally end up taking space in landfills, like aluminium cans and kitting the elephant mascot out with a little bank to collect fundraising money.
Few things get kids ready to spring into action quite like a little prank and a lot of laughs, and so Wykeham’s way of taking on the challenge was as clever as it was unique.
We can’t wait to see more schools get their Ellies ready, and those looking to keep up with the Challenge here.