10 – 12 years
My New Year Resolutions
New Year resolutions are goals that people set at the beginning of a new year to improve their lives. They can be related to activities such health, fitness, education or personal growth.
My New Year resolutions are, to keep in touch with my close friends who have left school and gone abroad through online platforms such as WhatsApp and Viber, and keep up my diving status.
My close friends Ranpath, Sasrutha and Kavindu have gone abroad one by one from our motherland Sri Lanka to the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia. We used to send each other postcards but now we connect through social media, once a week. We discuss the weather, the trips we have gone on, and we share photos and videos to each other. We play games online together, such as Rock – Paper - Scissors and Chess.
And my other resolution is to maintain my level in diving. I have started doing diving since last year and I was awarded a gold medal. This year I have decided to continue to improve my dives and to collect more medals and certificates.
In my school St. Joseph’s College, we have a swimming pool and we have three diving boards. Two springboards: 3m springboard and 1m springboard, and one platform with a height of 5m. At first I was afraid but now I enjoy diving from these boards. For 2 – 3 seconds I feel like I’m flying when I dive from these high boards. My favourite dives are back half-twist line-up, forward pike and sitting tuck line-up.
It is very good to make New Year resolutions because it can help us to make the New Year productive and organise ourselves.
Yonal Batuwita (11 years)
St Joseph’s College, Colombo 10
13 – 15 years
Ushering in 2024
At midnight on December 31, New Year’s Eve lights up the world with excitement. It is like a symbol of making fresh starts for everyone. As the year comes to an end, everyone gets ready for a big night of fun. It is like a big party that everyone in the world joins. It’s a special time when we say goodbye to the old year and welcome the brand new one with excitement. The New Year is like a magical reset button. It encourages us to start fresh, try new things and brings more happiness into our lives. In the New Year, we look back at the things we did in the past year and learn from them.
Everyone puts on new clothes, congratulates one another and engages in many activities such as fireworks, dancing and singing competitions. It is a time for people to put all of their bad experiences into the past and take a positive step into the future with their memorable experiences. Every one wishes their relatives and friends, happiness, health and prosperity in the coming New Year.
As the New Year starts, I promise myself to try new things, find happiness in small things, take care of myself and learn lots of new things. I’ll be kind to everyone and try to make people smile. This year, I’ll work hard and have fun. I’ll explore new places, make new friends, face challenges and never stop trying. I try my best to keep and make this year a fantastic one. I embrace this New Year 2024 with enthusiasm and positivity.
Nipunika Tharangani (14 years)
Swarnapali Girl’s College, Anuradhapura
