Closing Function (20 Sept 2005)

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Honoured guests, Ladies and Gentlemen

At the outset I would like to stress how very much we, as a school, value your presence here this evening. My parents came to my school prize-giving twice in my school career. Once when I won the scripture prize in Std 7 and once when I was a tree in a Std 3 item on Robin Hood.

As Eunice and Grey celebrate milestones, I ask what it is that we value, what do we need to value and I offer appreciation to those whose commitment adds value to our quest to make this school a place of opportunity and growth for each and every one of our girls. My wife is a Eunice old girl and my greatest critic. Her advice is always: stand up straight so they can see you, keep it brief and keep them awake. Thanks Moira, not only for that advice but for your love and understanding, support and sacrifice.

For all principals and especially for those who have been around for a while, the prize giving speech poses a considerable challenge. My forthright secretary dared me “Just skip the speech this year. Everybody will love you.” No doubt, she is right. But I couldn’t disappoint Mr Gordon, Headmaster of Saint Andrew’s who has come to each and every one of my 19 speeches so that he can steal a joke or two, get some tips about top schooling and pass a few nasty remarks about yet another Eunice academy award backslapping exercise. I will go to the Saints prizegiving on Thursday and I’ll be on the receiving end.

We have been healthy rivals for years. Not long ago we were lost and tired in the bushveld together. While taking a rest we were petrified to see a lion in the distance heading towards us. “We’ve had it!” said Mr Gordon to me as I quickly laced up my new Nike running shoes. “What are you doing little man? Do you think you can outrun the lion?” asked Mr Gordon. “No, Mr Gordon,” I replied. “I don’t have to outrun the lion. I just have to outrun you!”.

Mr Gordon has been a principal for nearly 30 years, 21 of them at Saints. Thank you, Roy, for nearly 20 years of collaboration and camaraderie. I have no doubt Saints values you and that you add value to Saints.

In my first term as headmaster I went across to Dr Heyn’s office at Grey and sold him a ticket for the Eunice raffle. I made him fill in the answer himself. The question was: “Alongside which distinguished school is Grey College situated?”.

Well since taking up residence next door we have increased the property value of the neighbourhood and in just over 20 years we have come a long way and taken our place as the province’s undisputed top school. So Grey really does have a distinguished neighbour although in practice they prefer to see a Grey ‘tinted’ world which comes to an abrupt end at the Grey fence. The only thing is – and if you look carefully – the fence aint grey – it’s Green. Eunice green. It’s been a pleasure for Eunice to support Grey from next door, even though they won’t open the gate. It is easy to like them when you don’t have to play against them like St Andrew’s and St Traal. But we can match them and beat them at Maths and Science which are nearly as important as rugby and cricket.

I love the striking simplicity of the Grey celebratory logo. The bell and the hand shake: two symbols special to Grey boys. They capture their feeling towards their school and to each other. It’s a winning school recipe: instant belonging. Even the Grade 1s have it. Attitude with just a hint of arrogance. We’re good and we know it and, boy, are we going to show it!

What is it Eunice values? Well for a start we don’t shake hands. We shake our booty. But seriously, as parents I am sure you value our proven record as a top school, our five year run as performers at Mathematics and Physical Science, our commitment to a disciplined environment, our willingness to make school a happy and a fun place, our undoubted school spirit, our balance of activities, our busy calendar filled with opportunities, with character and colour and enterprise, our long standing and ground breaking dedication to making theatre central to education, our emphasis on mass participation whether it’s a team sport, Thaba Nchu mountain or a Midmar medal, our pioneer work in attaining world class computer literacy standards for every single pupil, our determination to ensure that our complex in all its facets : roads, grounds, gardens and quads – looks increasingly like a top school, our unswerving pledge to make this hall a window into the world through expert speakers, celebrity visitors and old girls who inspire us so regularly, our advice to girls to question critically, to express an independent point of view and to promote initiative, creativity and enterprise whether it is staging a Christmas market or undertaking an ambitious tour and, definitely not least, our consistent commitment to community outreach through some high profile remarkably special Leader Projects and Interact / Sanca initiatives year after year. Each and every Eunice girl will recognise all of these trademarks which constitute what it is we value as a school.

Schools, ladies and gentlemen are people places. People are the fabric of this school. Where you see success this evening there is a dynamic member of staff; where you notice a real work ethic, there is a member of staff making demands; where there is concern there is a compassionate member of staff; where there is organisation there is discipline; and where there is improvement, there is encouragement. And if there is anything which makes people succeed it is a team of staff who have high expectations. It is uncanny how often the opposite is true; how teachers and principals are inspired and encouraged by imaginative, eager pupils who participate with liveliness and endeavour and who lead their teachers to higher standards.

What we need to value as a school was clearly brought home to me by my own introspection when an Australian principal asked me in July “What’s your greatest challenge at school?” It was an easy question. The answer is not making a new curriculum work or fighting for funds for resources. It’s a much more critical issue: it’s attracting, retaining, motivating and inspiring our top teachers at a time when committed, energetic and talented professionals are in short supply.

You know, countries that value their teachers and give them a high status in society are the world’s top performers. Finland, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan and South Korea are the world’s top countries as measured by their teenagers’ skills. They attract their countries’ top students to become teachers. South Africa is so far from achieving that critical necessity

What is it we need to value? Well in a school sense Bloemfontein is blessed with among the finest public schools in the country. As a community we need to recognise this value through quality support in term of practical parental involvement, 100% responsibility for fees which will be crucial in the years ahead and a rigorous commitment to standards across the board.

As a modern community we need to make values a corner stone of our decision making in a world which is becoming increasingly valueless. It was John Burroughs who said that “For anything worth having one must pay the price; and the price is always work, patience, love and self sacrifice! – no paper currency, no promises to pay, but the gold of real service.” We need to guard against the preoccupation of knowing the cost of everything but the value of nothing.

Our girls need to value the multiple opportunities this school offers. Don’t let them pass you by ladies. Remember it was Thomas Edison, the inventor of the light bulb, who said “Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.”

In this respect our girls need to appreciate the value that Eunice’s varied programme of activities offers in helping us to learn about ourselves. It is Tom Hamilton, headmaster of St Alban’s who puts it best: “Living and learning in the post modern world, the one thing that rings with absolute clarity is that knowing yourself has never been more important. The girl who can reach her 20s knowing her passion, her strengths, her weaknesses, her dreams, her freedoms and the extent of her own selfishness will be in pole position for success personally and professionally in the new global economy.”

Tonight we show the way by offering a member of our valued staff the chance to value the achievements of our students. Our guest of honour, Dr Don Paine, turns 60 today after 15 years of service to Eunice. A former headmaster and schoolmaster in the classic mould, Dr Paine has combined a lifetime’s experience with an in-depth knowledge of the latest educational innovations and a flair for school administration. A scientist by training, he is an excellent classroom practitioner who has a natural feel for technology. Our senior girls, in particular, enjoy his academic style, his expert knowledge and his daily use of multimedia. He lives up to WB Yeats’s description of education as “not the filling of a bucket but the lighting of a fire”.

He loves leading Midmar from the safety of the shore but he braves Dr van Niekerk’s stage where he has developed from an onlooker to a character to a dancer and, rumour has it that in next term’s pantomime, he is a fairy Godmother. I am dying to see that costume. The bottom line is that Don’s a sport, a schoolman to his fingertips and our girls love him. I mentioned to you today, Don, that in South Korea one can only become a principal when one’s 60. That’s what 60 is – the beginning of a new chapter.

Everything we value was given substance in the celebration of our 130 anniversary. Our Art exhibition, our brand new museum, our services both in the Eunice House quad and in the Trinity Methodist Church, our old girls cocktail party, our sports festival and our unforgettable banquet showcased the wealth of treasure and tradition which Eunice girls have cherished for the last 130 years. The celebrations surpassed even our 125 milestone and we are indebted to my fellow committee members: Mr Pat Uys, Mrs Maureen Botha, Miss May Taylor, Mrs Maureen Dale and Mrs Larian Wiesner. Dr Niel van Niekerk was an indispensable member of our team whose flair for giving our functions character and whose two shows: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Steel Magnolias set such a high standard for our brand new theatre which has, in a very short time, become a focal area in our school. Our new block has an energy all of its own.

Our hockey girls showed their class on the national stage surprising the county’s top schools at the prestigious St Mary’s Festival and by winning the Free State Director’s trophy. Our swimmers came 2nd at the National Girls’ Schools’ gala and won all trophies at Inter-high.

I have stayed clear of the summary of the year’s many calendar highlights and, especially of its rich sporting, cultural and service activities. These are chronicled in great detail both in my long newsletters and in the extensive record of achievements which you will see reflected on stage through our girls this evening.

Suffice to say that our 2004 matric results with our 148 candidates, 100% pass rate for the nineteenth year in succession, 134 university exemptions. 51 A aggregates and 357 subject distinctions earned us those two trophies which gave our new year such a silver shine with the Top Schools’ Trophy and the Top performance in Mathematics and Physical Science. Congratulations Mrs Emsie Bouwer, Mrs Antoinette Steenkamp, Mrs Anmaré Harris and Mrs Karin Kok. Your senior departments do us proud. But I emphasise this. While we provide encouragement and incentive to our top achievers and our board medal winners, it is the manner in which we support and actively help the weakest and the less secure among us that remains the real measure of a top school.

I have gone out of my way to thank those teachers who go so far beyond the call of duty both in and beyond the classroom. They say that the three most critical issues in ensuring successful schooling are: Teachers, Teachers and Teachers. Thank you to all who share in Eunice’s top schools’ triumph. This particular matric class is our first Eunice Pre-primary class and, in honouring and appreciating our teachers, we go right back to our foundation, to primary schooling and to our middle school teachers. We all share in the pride of our matric achievers.

As always allow me to share with you some of my special moments this year:

• The kneeling lady in our quad fountain was a fixture at the old school. There she saw the boys on the kopje catching a quick visit. Here she listens to our girls’ animated conversations, their inner thoughts and wishes. I took my tea there recently and sat with the Grade 11s only to have my daughter tap me on the shoulder and ask “Don’t you have your own friends?”

• Some of my best memories this year were at the side of the sports field. I will never forget the youngest member of our 1st team, Miss Nel in Grade 10 scoring that Maruvellous one and only goal to win us the prestigious St Mary’s Festival. I won’t forget being served pampoen fritters by Robyn-Lee before the Oranje game. Our hockey and tennis tour to the UK was filled with so many magical moments, not least among the victory over Wales U/18 and the UK’s top sporting school , Millfield. They have 3 astros, an Olympic indoor pool, a golf course and an equestrian centre. But we had 3 goals!

• How will I ever forget leading 300 girls across a busy Pretoria intersection from Boys’ High to Girls’ High. Both schools border on Loftus and the Bulls had just thrashed Stormers. The wisecracks were priceless. “Dit is a helse familie Oom. / Is Meneer mal of net dronk?” / Meneer ek sweer die helfde van hierdie kinders is dronk.

• I remember the Sub A Grey boy with whom I shared a joke. “You tell Mr Mould”, I said “that you saw Mr Cassar and he is much bigger than you, Mr Mould”. “Rubbish” said the boy, “Mr Mould is much fatter than you, Sir”.

• I loved the Grade 9 Power Point presentations on “Life at Eunice”. The first few weeks featured not a single photograph of me or Dr Paine or Mr van Rensburg. But nearly all had very clear images of Marco Magraaff and Graeme McLaren.

I would like to single out the members of our senior management team.

My thanks to my senior Deputy, Mr Leon van Rensburg who heads our Sports Programme and who takes care of disciplinary issues with a listening ear, necessary firmness and loads of common sense. I don’t think he realises how much he lightens my load.

Mrs Maureen Botha is a Eunice old girl herself who devoted her efforts this year to ensuring a memorable 130th celebration. She personally took responsibility for nearly all the functions.

I am thankful to Antoinette Steenkamp for delaying her retirement for another year. Our Science girls are fortunate to share in her expertise.

Mrs Marais, who was promoted to Deputy Principal in January, continues to develop her major extra curricular challenges. Our Christmas Market, in particular, is a painstakingly planned entrepreneurial initiative which is characterised by creativity, class and style. Her Leader Project has broken new ground as an innovative and exciting community outreach life skills exercise.

Mrs Sarah Musgrave is one of the province’s leading IT education specialist with a flair for applying technology to teaching and to school administration.

Mrs June Norval is in the throes of organising her umpteenth matric dance having already given every spare moment to her part in her subject’s new textbook.

Mrs Karen vd Merwe is a hospitality specialist whose catering skill and flexibility are complemented by her being a teenage specialist too with both her own daughters in high school. Thank you to you and to your staff for managing a key area of strength at Eunice.

As an old Saints boy, Mr Uys has always been interested in Eunice girls. He dated a couple, married one and fathered another. He knows more than most that to provide for Eunice girls is a financial challenge, but it’s a labour of love. His friendly, fun-loving sparkle belies a clarity of purpose, a skill for marketing and a thousand contacts willing to support the top school.

Mr Cairns, thank you for your loyalty and leadership, your faith in our ability and your dream of a classroom block. My thanks to our committee chairmen, Mr Paul Azar, Mr Johan van Zyl and Mr Andries Bester and all our members. Mrs Zonia Alexander, District Director of Motheo and Mr Tebs Lioma, Deputy Director General, of the Departments most senior officials present. Please pass on our sincere thanks to District and head office officials.

Mr Andries Bester drives from Ladybrand to lead our PA and does so with generosity and energy.

I cannot but highlight our support staff – Mr Rory Hoareau, Mr Francois Esterhuizen and Mr Tobie Wiese on our grounds, Miss Taylor, Mrs Pautz, Mrs Smith, Mrs Paine, Miss Mayiyane in our financial department and our secretaries Mrs Myra Wienand and Mrs Sharon Nelson.

Our new matron, Mrs Daisy Munro is a skilled and compassionate addition to our team. Oom Jan and Paul and Charl remain the most popular men on the property although Mr Ferdi van Wijk is catching them fast

Eunice has had three principals in the last 63 years. Next term I will become the second longest serving head in the school’s history. I don’t feel I am History yet. An old girl whose wedding I will speak at in Scotland in March gave me a book when she matriculated fourteen years ago with an inscription about Endicott Peabody a man who was headmaster of America’s equivalent to Eton called Groton, situated in Boston, for 51 years. That will make me 86 when I retire. I am grumpy and irritable already.

My last word is to the girls in green. It’s hard work being a teenager these days (as you girls know), it’s hard work being the parent of a teenager (as you parents know) and, believe it or not, it’s hard work teaching teenagers. That may be. But, no matter. You are the reason I come to work each day. The reason that I feel proud and privileged to be the Principal of this outstanding school. At last my speech is over. How do you feel ladies? (We feel good, oh we feel so good, oh). So do I.

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