Eunice 130th Thanksgiving Service
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Headmaster's Message When my family want to get my
attention they simply and surreptitiously place the word “Eunice” in
the middle of their sentence. My reaction is instantaneous. My mind
is back. I’m there. It works every time. So I have got green blood
in my veins. Like many of you. We’re special. Mr Volsteedt has red
blood. How boring. Mr Gordon thinks he has blue blood. What’s new?
My challenge this morning is to grab your attention. We have
consciously moved this service away from our place, from Eunice, to
Gods place. We have come to give thanks, to celebrate. It is fitting
that we should be here. Eunice had its origins in the Synod of the
Dutch Reformed Church. Those early founding Fathers gave Eunice a
special spirit on the day they laid the foundation stone on 05 June
1875 exactly 130 years to the day, probably to the hour. That spirit
is rooted in the scripture verse selected for that corner stone. It
is the oldest foundation stone of any school in the Province and it
reads simply – AD 1875 Ps 144 vs 12. The verse reads “That our
daughters may be as corner stones, polished after the similitude of
a palace.”
Why that particular verse? Mrs Mary Eve, past Headmistress of Eunice
Primary, put it this way. She explained that marble, commonly used
in biblical times for the building of palaces and temples, was
selected for its strength, its purity and its ingrained beauty,
visible only once the stone had been fashioned and polished. Corner
stones come in many shapes and sizes, and are used in many different
positions, some more prominent than others, yet each performing the
same basic function of holding together and supporting the framework
of the building. Our Grade 00s arrive at teacher Moira’s class as
unprocessed blocks of marble, some a little more rough than others,
believe me! The tools used to shape these potential corner stones
are our teachers, who see beyond the rough exterior to the quality
therein and who chip and chisel away in the absolute belief that
beauty is to be found in each and every block. The polish needed to
bring out the innate beauty of each piece, is our school motto -
Vincit qui se vincit – “she conquers who conquers herself”.
What a symbolic image a corner stone is and, in association with the
verse it emphasises spirituality, steadfastness, direction,
refinement and individuality. What a clear and practical set of
values to which young and old can aspire. I repeat them -
spirituality, steadfastness, direction, refinement and
individuality.
After 130 years, we can with confidence claim that your school has
firm roots, a lasting corner stone which give it steadfastness and
generations of Christian tradition. Nothing confirms Eunice’s
character more than this service in this church this morning. Our
celebrations serve to strengthen our roots, our connection with that
corner stone, to respect our traditions, to highlight our strengths
and, most significantly, to plot direction.
Individuality and refinement – the polishing of that corner stone -
are the essence of conquering ourselves, or realising potential, or
developing creativity and doing justice to our talents.
“She conquers who conquers herself” strikes me as a bit of a
struggle; a struggle against oneself; getting the better of oneself.
I like to see conquering oneself by using a more modern metaphor. I
like to see it as PUTTING SELF SECOND. Life tells us always : Put
yourself first. We often take the message literally and put
ourselves first at the expense of others. Sure, we need to look
after ourselves. We’re told nobody else will.
When we put ourselves second, we put something else first. First
things first. Conquering ourselves is all about self control, self
examination and personal growth. More especially, it’s placing self
second and God first, placing family first, placing those who need
us first. As scholars, teachers, governors we often have to put
Eunice first.
The New Testament is strong on placing self second, on humbling
oneself, on the first shall be last.
So it’s the cornerstone that gives our school its roots, its
steadfastness. It’s that verse and that motto which provide our
school with a special spirit. But it’s our girls that give it life.
That’s Gods gift to us : the gift of life. There is no better place
to see life – God’s creation in action than at school. To be a
teacher is to be a lover of life. We have a deep respect for life,
for nurturing young lives. The Christian teacher feels God’s
presence in school as a place of life, a place of vitality, of
energy, of laughter, of promise, of commitment, of achievement, of
friendliness and fellowship, of camaraderie, of understanding and
tolerance and of diversity.
Just two weeks ago one of our netball girls had a narrow escape when
she stopped breathing after knee surgery. That night in ICU for
Melinda, was a reminder to her family and friends of just how much a
gift life really is.
One of the most basic acts of faith that we make is to recognise
God’s presence in creation, in those around us, in our own lives.
What a simple yet powerful realisation. The presence of God in our
daily lives, in the love we share; in those who are in need of our
love, in those we are least likely to love. That is the basis of all
prayer and worship – being aware of God’s presence.
As a Eunice community we recognise God’s presence in our school. We
feel his spirit in our classrooms, at Eunice House and throughout
our school. But our school motto is a personal one - “she conquers
who conquers herself”. So, in the same breath we emphasise that our
connection with the Creator of all things, our feeling for God’s
presence within us is an intensely personal relationship for each of
us – a journey of faith.
One of my hobbyhorses is leadership. I don’t see leadership as that
special talent that a chosen few have which causes others to follow.
I see leadership more as a skill which each of us needs to lead our
own lives. We need to lead ourselves. Leading one self is
recognising that life is a gift. It’s a respect for life, an
appreciation, an awareness. Without this leadership, life passes us
by.
So how do we lead our own lives? I am a great believer in the
concept of Grace; that divine capacity which works through and
within us despite our hardened hearts, our unworthiness, and our
blindness to God’s presence. That’s it. We need to allow God to work
within us. Putting God first, putting self second is about welcoming
Grace into our lives, welcoming God’s presence. Acknowledging Grace
is a difficult concept because we live in a society which puts self
first, which rewards personal achievement and which despises
weakness. Grace is what fills our gap, what allows us to be humble
junior partners with God, co-operative members of the Body of Christ
and willing servants to a world that needs our efforts blessed as
they are by God’s presence, by his Grace. People who believe that
they are creations of God believe that they are special – not
because they deserve it but because God works within them.
Our founding fathers took that motto “she conquers who conquers
herself” and gave it a special name – Eunice from the Greek work
Eunike meaning ‘happy victory’. That simple Greek word is the
essence of the Eunice spirit. Let’s make this school special, let’s
make teaching and learning special by making successful education
happy, by making school a fun place, by giving our calendar colour
and character and style and opportunity. What makes a happy victory
more possible than Gods presence? So we chip and chisel away in the
absolute belief that beauty is to be found in each and every block.
When we leave Eunice at the end of matric we have added a deeper and
more lasting lustre to our own particular stone, to ourselves. We
have taken on form and glow and we are ready for our particular
place in life. But no matter how perfect the finished product, the
rough elements – the wind and weather of life – will erode and
destroy that beauty unless the polish of our motto is applied daily
and becomes a way of life. I love that expression – a way of life.
Teaching at a school like ours, leading a school like ours is a way
of life. That’s what conquering ourselves is all about. Developing a
way of life.
Eunice has been a cornerstone for generations. Let us give thanks
for founders with initiative, for teachers who set early standards,
for parents who made sacrifices, for girls who gave of themselves,
who contributed to the Eunice spirit, who have left a part of
themselves and who have taken with them a part of Eunice.
Let’s carry on that rich tradition of a happy victory. Let’s look
forward to a brave new future. Let’s walk with God. Let’s put self
second. Let’s put God first. We embrace that future with confidence
because we, as a school, move forward with God at our side.
Paul Cassar
Headmaster
05 June 2005 ◄
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