The Mitre Easter Term 2019

THE MITRE EASTER TERM 2019

Tel: +27 (12) 348-1221 | Fax: +27 (12) 361-1917 | Twitter: @thegreyandblue | Webpage: www.stalbanscollege.com

Editor: Mark Stenhouse
Sub-editors: Kath Lowe

Ilse Marlow
Chairman: Sebastionos Papavarnavas

What’s Inside?

From the Headmasters’ Desk
Academic News
Clubs and Societies News
Cultural News
Sports News
Chapel News
Community Service News
General News
Staff News

TheMitre // EasterTerm2019 1

Headmaster’smessage

From the Headmaster’s Desk nity for his peers to see him compete. Nevertheless, it
was wonderful to watch this young man run his personal
Dear Parents best in the 200 meters, break the Gauteng record in the
long-jump and sprint into the top three in the world in
I write this newsletter sitting at a small café on the Port his age-group by running a 10.25 100m sprint. I have
Elizabeth beachfront contemplating my experiences in no doubt that his focus, passion, never-say-die attitude,
the last week at St Alban’s College. It has been exhila- resilience and optimism will propel him forward signifi-
rating and exhausting but always fulfilling and I am re- cantly into the future.
minded how I always need to be open to learning from
the young, energetic, motivated and focused young I referenced a piece written by John Schatter in my 2018
men of St Alban’s. Prize-Giving Speech entitled: I am a teacher. He says:
I am the most fortunate of all who labour, material wealth
Our country finds itself at a time in its history where anx- is not one of my goals, but I am a full-time treasure seek-
iety amongst its citizens is increasing. The political tem- er in my quest for new opportunities for my students to
perature has been significantly raised at the present mo- use their talents, and in my constant search for those
ment. Opposition parties are taking the ruling ANC to talents that sometimes lay buried in self-defeat. I am the
task on a number of issues but particularly with regard most fortunate of all who labour. A doctor is allowed to
to load-shedding. Tempers are running high and there usher life into the world in one magic moment. I am al-
is lots of blaming and finger pointing. Parliamentarians, lowed to see that life is reborn each day with new ques-
in my opinion, have lost focus, focus on their most im- tions, ideas and friendships. An architect knows that if
portant duty: serving their constituents. The debacle has he builds with care, his structure may stand for centu-
definitely caused angst amongst ordinary citizens like ries. A teacher knows that if he builds with love and truth
you and me and in times like these it is important to what he builds will last forever. I am a warrior, daily doing
remain positive and focused on what is important. Un- battle against peer pressure, negativity, fear, conformity,
fortunately, I see less focus and more lawlessness. I see prejudice, ignorance and apathy. but I have great allies:
more unreasonableness and blame intelligence, curiosity, parental support, individuality,
creativity, faith, love and laughter all rush to my banner
This last week I have had the good fortune of interacting with indomitable support.
with a number of boys personally, firstly by hosting Form
1’s in our home where we have spent some time inter- I am in Port Elizabeth because I have followed our rugby
acting about their first few months at the College. Gen- teams to the Grey Festival and I have done so because
erally speaking, I have been amazed with these young we have had a tough start to the season and I want the
men: they are optimistic, engaged and excited by their boys to know that I am not only interested in excellent
interactions with teachers and seniors around the cam- results but that I am interested in them showing some
pus. They are also confident enough to raise weighty fight and resilience in the face of a great challenge. I
issues with me and I have thoroughly enjoyed getting want them to know that their excellence sometimes lays
to know them. I have no doubt that the future is bright buried in self-defeat. I want them to know that they have
at the College and I look forward to walking alongside to continue to battle against peer pressure, negativity,
these young men as they navigate their way through our fear, conformity, prejudice and apathy because if they
school in the next couple of years. do, they will find strength and courage and ultimately
themselves. These young men are unrelenting – they
I also had the privilege of going to watch our up-and- have once again shown courage, faith and resilience
coming sprinter, Phatu Maswanganyi, compete at the and laughter which has given me hope for the future.
Tuks Athletics Stadium. Here is a young man who has
quietly been making waves in the athletics world and It is never easy to tour because one is away from the
it struck me that this sport can be a lonely journey in normal comfort of one’s home and the support and sta-
our environment because there is not often an opportu- bility which comes with this. As a Headmaster, I am in

TheMitre // EasterTerm2019

favour of our boys escaping the routine, comfort and Responsible parents prepare their kids for the road
safety of their homes when touring because this allows and then trust that they have the resilience to see obsta-
them to be confronted with the reality, inconsistency cles as temporary hurdles and to navigate ways around
and unreliability of the world at large. Recently I referred these hurdles. Adam Grant says: Resilience is built not
to an article written in the New York Times entitled: by eliminating struggle, but by normalizing it!

How parents are robbing their kids of adulthood. As in the political landscape, schools also have constit-
uents – our students. This is a difficult issue to manage
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/16/style/snow- because students don’t pay their school fees, their par-
plow-parenting-scandal.html ents do. Students, at times, don’t live up to their parents’
expectations and this also causes stress for parents but
This article refers to parents who are obsessed with even more so, for students. Students are sometimes
ensuring that their children do not face difficulty, com- not as competitive, motivated and focused as their par-
plexity or struggle. The article refers to these parents as ents would like them to be – teachers see this as part of
‘lawnmower or snow-plow parents’ – parents who pre- the journey of learning but parents are more focused on
pare the road ahead for their children at all costs. the here and now. Parents are generally result-focused
and this does not speak to the process of learning and
thinking. Each of our constituents grows and learns dif-
ferently. Each of them makes mistakes and excels on a
daily basis and this is cause for a ‘messy process’ called
learning, and messiness, while fantastic for learning is
not what parents generally want. Parents, including
myself, prefer cleanliness, as little disruption to routines
as possible, clear lines of communication, crisp, clear
outcomes, decisiveness, good results, trophies and ul-
timately kids who do not need much attention and who
inadvertently win at most things.

All of us who have kids know that this is not true.
Whether we like it or not, raising kids is messy and so it
should be. So as we come to the end of the first Term,
I would like to encourage all parents and teachers to
remember that St Alban’s College definitely excels in al-
lowing boys to grow and learn. St Alban’s is a happy
place for boys and all too often we, as adults, get in the
way with our egos and our own selfish, focused agen-
das. The vast majority of our boys have worked excru-
ciatingly hard to live up to your expectations as Moms
and Dads so far this year.

Shane Kidwell Your sons are feeling all sorts of emotion at the present
time. They are feeling the pressure of ensuring great
results in the classroom and out but they are also be-
ginning to realize that the Term is coming to an end and
they would obviously like to do the best they possibly
can. Your reactions and interactions, as a parent, are
going to be paramount if they are to cope with the highs

3

and lows of the days ahead. Your sons will be feeding I have even had a parent ask me to ‘improve’ the Grade
off your reactions about teachers, about tests in which 11 Maths mark of his son to ensure that he will be bet-
they may have done well, or not! They will be download- ter placed in this competition for places at University.
ing their emotions, fears and frustrations at home and Survival of the fittest is not a pleasant script - it finds
your comments, facial expressions and reactions will ei- us compromising our values and raises the level of
ther encourage or scare them. There is but one moment anxiety in families’ way beyond normal, acceptable
to show your first reaction. The image of that reaction levels. As I indicated earlier, our children watch our ev-
can last a lifetime. You will often hear the excitement, ery move. They listen to our interactions, they monitor
flatness, delight or uncertainty in their voice. There are our reactions and in the split second when we make a
seconds to tune in and your first words will go straight to poor decision because of these high levels of anxiety,
your sons’ heart. That means that the days ahead pro- they learn and model what is deemed to be acceptable
vide an opportunity to show your son what is really im- and what is not.
portant to you as a parent. It is a time to consider your
views about South Africa, education, young adulthood Our anxiety levels are also raised because of our finan-
and whether your expectations are optimistic, pessimis- cial situations. Parents are traveling more for work and
tic or realistic. It is a time to consider whether there is families are split at a crucial stage of children’s develop-
already lingering annoyance, anger or disappointment ment. This anxiety is furthermore exacerbated by the
with regard to your son’s application and diligence over political uncertainty in our country, and trust me, our kids
the course of the Term. pick up on these conversations and deliberations more
than we think. I would like to encourage you to take
Mothers and Fathers often hold different views about cognizance of the fact that it is important to maintain
academic performance – what pleases one may disap- the structures and accountabilities you have created as
point the other. It can be difficult for a young boy or parents. Be aware of the outside factors which impact
adult to deal with delight on the face of one parent and on your actions and reactions, and most of all, please do
disappointment visible on the other. All the research not make assumptions about issues at school - we have
on academic results shows that parental reaction is the an open-door policy here and I would encourage you to
most important reaction. This is the moment when your interact with us honestly and openly if you have an issue
son or daughter says in essence: “Look at what I have you feel needs our attention.
done. See where I am going. What do you think of me
now? Are you pleased? Will you help me? Will I be OK?” I would also like to inform you that our Head of Depart-
ment Science, Rob Lodge, has recently had a rather se-
We live in a society which is driven by competition. You rious procedure done to rem ove a benign tumour which
have to be the best - coming second is just not good was sitting on the right hemisphere of his brain. I am
enough and this philosophy drives a wedge between re- pleased to inform you that the operation went well and
lationships. There are times that a parent’s expectations that Rob is currently in hospital for rehabilitation. Should
exceed the capability of the child and when this hap- you wish to make contact him, please do so through my
pens we follow the stereotypical reaction of society and PA, Bev Gould, who will gladly pass on your message
try to place blame. It must be the teacher’s fault, or the and/or gift. Rob will certainly not be returning this term
school’s, but rarely do we see that our own competitive and we will follow his progress in the next few months.
attitudes are fueling this ‘blame’ culture. Why are we so Please keep Sandy, his wife, and him in your thoughts
competitive you may ask? In my opinion, simply because and prayers at this difficult time.
we are intuitively realizing what is fast becoming fact.
That there are 60,000 students trying to obtain 4,000 Yours sincerely
places at UCT in Cape Town. That unless you achieve
9 ‘A’ symbols for Matric you have very little chance of Shane Kidwell
becoming a medical doctor or engineer. These are anx- Headmaster
ious times for parents and our survival instinct kicks in.

TheMitre // EasterTerm2019

Academicnews

IEB Matric Results 2018 National Achievements

We congratulate the Matric Class of 2018 on producing an The following candidates achieved marks that were in the Top
excellent set of results. They achieved a 100% pass rate, 114 1% of candidates for a specific subject in the IEB: Matthew
out of the 124 candidates (91.9%) achieved a Bachelor Degree Field for English (Top 107 out of 10717 Candidates), Life
Pass, 9 candidates achieved a Diploma Pass and 1 candidate Sciences (Top 56 out of 5595 Candidates) and Life Orientation
achieved a Higher Certificate. The Class of 2018 achieved 189 (Top 115 out of 11511 candidates), Gabriel Dos Santos for
distinctions in total, which translated into 1.52 distinctions per English (Top 107 out of 10717 Candidates), Louis De Jager and
candidate. Reinhold Hulme for Afrikaans (Top 83 out of 8332 Candidates),
and Keroshan Pillay for Business Studies (Top 46 out of 4592
Top Achievers Candidates)

Two candidates achieved 8 distinctions: Matthew Field who Scholarship Honours
was recently named as one of the 100 young Mandelas of the
future, achieved the highest aggregate, and Aydin Geeringh. Scholarship Honours were awarded to a further 4 candidates
Five candidates achieved 7 distinctions: Louis de Jager, bringing the total to 17 from the Class of 2018. The new
Gabriel Dos Santos, Keroshan Pillay, Galen Schrempel, and recipients were Kian De Gray Birch, Dillan Laubscher, Nicholas
Thomas Stern. Five candidates achieved 6 distinctions: Max Elias and Liam Smit.
Berry; Cameron Davis, Kian De Gray Birch, Dillan Laubscher,
and Keegan Robus. Eight candidates achieved 5 distinctions: Our heartiest congratulations to the Class of 2018 on these
Daniel de Villiers, Nicholas Elias, Vium Grönum, Reinhold fine results. You did yourselves and St Alban’s College very
Hulme, Bradley Johnston, Sungkwang Park, Liam Smit and proud indeed.
Luke Texeira. Two candidates achieved 4 distinctions, Henry
Lamprecht and Gregory Kirkcaldy. A further three candidates Magalan Pather
achieved 3 distinctions, eleven candidates achieved 2 Deputy Head: Academics
distinctions and 67 out of the 124 candidates achieved at least
1 distinction.

Matthew Field Aydin Geeringh Louis De Jager Gabriel Dos Santos Keroshan Pillay Galen Schrempel
(8 Distinctions) (8 Distinctions) (7 Distinctions) (7 Distinctions) (7 Distinctions) (7 Distinctions)

Thomas Stern Max Berry Cameron Davis Kian De Gray Birch Dillan Laubscher Keegan Robus
(7 Distinctions) (6 Distinctions) (6 Distinctions) (6 Distinctions) (6 Distinctions) (6 Distinctions)

5

TheMitre // EasterTerm2019

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TheMitre // EasterTerm2019

9

Junior Curriculum Robotics2019
2019

Our vision, Preparing Young Men For Life, entails schools going In the future, most occupations will see the likes of robots
beyond the mainstream curriculum and exposing students to taking over normal human functions and it is already well
skills that will edify their function in society. We do not know, underway, especially in the manufacturing sector. However,
neither can we imagine our students’ future careers, but we someone will need to be able to build, programme and
are aware that whatever they will do, they will need to think maintain the robot to do its said function. Young boys,
and solve problems. in this day and age, need to be able to keep up with the
Fourth Industrial Revolution, as it will mostly affect them
In tandem with this and guided by our framework for an going forward through university and thereafter.
Innovation Working Document, we introduced a Revised
Junior Curriculum that continues to be academically rigorous, This year was the first year we introduced Robotics as a
preparing boys adequately for the FET phase of their schooling, subject to the Form 1 group. This endeavour was brought
but also to meet the need to develop foundational literacies to the attention of St Alban’s by the Head of Robotics at
(literacy, numeracy, ICT literacy, scientific literacy, civic and UNISA. It was decided that we would go ahead with the
cultural literacy, and financial literacy), critical competencies Lego Mindstorm EV3 robot kits, as most boys are familiar
(critical thinking, creativity, problem-solving, communication with Lego and because they are incredibly adaptable.
and collaboration) and important character qualities (curiosity,
persistence, leadership, initiative, adaptability, and social and The purpose of this course was to converge several
cultural awareness). concepts from a number of subjects, such as maths, basic
programming and science, as well as to improve on the
These skill sets will be, amongst other things, rigorously boys’ general problem solving and analytical skills.
engaged in the following modules: Africa Connection, Robotics,
Introduction to Coding - Digital Literacy. Three experiential Each boy had the opportunity to form small groups and
learning offerings were also introduced to include Outdoor take on the GEAR (Get Excited About Robotics) Challenge
Education & Orienteering, Information Literacy and The Young for a term. The competition is a global challenge with the
Investors’ Society. Life skills 101 and Gender Studies are also theme and challenges changing each year. As it was our
new modules in which boys’ personal and interpersonal skills first time going ahead with the program, we decided to opt
will be developed. To embrace the diversity of our rainbow in for internal competitions between the different classes
nation, the boys are also being exposed to different languages over the three terms before taking on the global stage.
through the conversational language modules namely French,
IsiZulu and Sepedi. The 2018 theme was “Wild Things”, based around wildlife
conservation. The teams had 150 seconds to complete
Much work has gone into the development and initiation of as many challenges as possible, each challenge being
these modules. There are some other conceptual modules in worth different points based on its complexity. Teams
development, too. There has been positive feedback from both had to build and program their own robot to complete the
the boys and staff involved and we hope that this becomes the necessary challenges. The great thing about this is that
baseline for building intrinsic motivation for learning. Through no two robots were the same nor were their programs, or
these modules, boys have been seeking to answer some of ways of addressing the various tasks.
their curiosities such as: How to maintain grip on the rugby
ball; Why do young successful musicians end up doing drugs; We are going to improve the program for the Form 2 group
Why do people have tattoos; and some have innovated board of 2019, increasing the complexity of the challenges their
games. robots will face, which will in turn require better group
work and building/programming skills. For the Form 1
When students are given the opportunity to learn for group, we will continue with the GEAR Challenge with the
themselves, rather than marks, the possibilities are enormous. new theme of “Cruise Control”, being focused towards
The intention is that this aspect of our curriculum will make ocean and water conservation.
us stand out as a school of choice and that we will be able to
develop and maintain this. As a learning organization, we will
continue looking at our processes, identifying mistakes and
correcting and learning from them.

We will also be looking for expert intervention from our
communities out of the firm belief that schools are built and
developed by communities. Please chat to your boys and be a
part of the conversation that will make our school better.

TheMitre // EasterTerm2019

Physical Science Trip To CSIR

On Friday 15 March, the Form 4 Physical Science boys as a barrier to air and water) can be improved. The
had the privilege of visiting CSIR. We are so fortunate to nanoparticles (e.g. very fine clay particles) are added to
have this world class research facility a mere five-minute the plastic raw material. The plastic items are created
drive away from us. The boys were divided into groups and then their properties are tested.
and allocated an expert guide to learn about three of the
many ongoing projects. The most impressive part of the visit was seeing the
huge wind tunnel which is used for testing precise scale
The UAV division is developing and building fixed wing models of new aircraft by private companies and coun-
“Unmanned Air Vehicles” which have many applications, tries around the world. A 20 MW motor (for comparison,
such as surveillance, border patrol, and search and res- a town the size of Nelspruit uses 100 MW) powers the
cue. The bodies of the aircraft are made from a mixture fan to create wind speeds in excess of 1500 km/h in the
of fibreglass, Kevlar and carbon fibre and the boys were tunnel.
able to handle these materials.
We would like to sincerely thank John Monk and Hul-
The Nanotechnology Project involves adding nanopar- de Fischer from the CSIR for facilitating this fascinating
ticles to plastic materials to see if the properties of the visit.
plastics (e.g. the effectiveness of polythene wrapping

11

Clubsfair

With the institution of the new timetable came new challenges offer and to help them decide which Clubs they would like to
for the Chairmen of the various Clubs. The Clubs Fair was no join this year.
exception. The Chairmen had to work hard under pressure to
set up good exhibitions in order to promote their Clubs. As New Clubs on display and their coordinators included:
always, though, the boys rose to the occasion and tackled it
with great enthusiasm and creativity. Yoga Club (Ms Preussler), Cuisine Club (Mr Christian), Drone
Club (Mr Khuzwayo), Table Top Club (Mr Smith, Mr De Lange,
There was a festive atmosphere as staff and boys displayed Ms Bossenger, Mrs Schwartz and Mrs Knoetze) and the Field
their Clubs in innovative, fun and entertaining ways at the Fair. Guide Club (Mrs de Kock).
It gave the boys a wonderful opportunity to see what was on

Culturalnews Music Department
review
ADAMS Club
According to recent research, skills like creativity,
Rehearsals for our Drama Society’s first 2019 showcase empathy, self-awareness, accountability and teamwork
are currently underway. Our boys are working tirelessly in are becoming increasingly important in the 21st Century
preparation for the production early next term, which will job market. This year for the first time, Drama is offered
feature works by Nigerian and British playwrights respectively. as a subject at St Alban’s College, and The Arts is a
The two one-act plays staged will afford the Society’s current compulsory subject for the Form 1’s. By choosing either
twenty-four members the opportunity to strut either their Music, Art or Drama as a Module, the boys are able to get
performance or technical (backstage) skills. more in touch with their inner self by focusing more on
these soft skills. We are well on our way to further develop
The showcase will also serve as a preamble to the annual these skills in our future generations: what a privilege to
FEDA (Festival of Excellence in Dramatic Arts) play competition have so many musically-talented New Boys, with high
held at the Johannesburg Theatre’s ‘Fringe Stage’ on 7, 9 and playing standards and equally high expectations for the
25 May. The two ADAMS casts include: Anjola Adejuyigbe, year ahead, entering our school.
Sibu Akromah, Michael Butcher, Aedan Cope, Anthony Ellis,
Ethan Groenendyk, Andre Inwani, Matt Kendal, Lonwabo At our first Music Staff meeting on 15 January, we welcomed
Kwitshana, Sabian Lau, Oratile Madisa, Sayola Makhohliso, Loïs Boshoff (Cello) and Nanette Ras (Contemporary
Thabo Masilela, Ofentse Masa, Hloni Matseba, Matsemela Voice) into our midst. Later on in the term, Daniel Verster
Moloi, Tautona Moloi, Loato Molotlegi, Alex Robins, Onthatile (Classical Voice) and Daniella Hart (Jazz Piano) also joined
Tladinyane and Jack Tuffek. our staff contingent.

We are very fortunate that our cast also showcases the talents With Band, Choir and Barbershop auditions in the first
of one of St Mary’s DSG’s senior dramatic arts students. In this week of term, we were able to finalise membership of
regard, the College would like to thank Kerryn Moore for her these groups before the weekend workshops kicked off.
invaluable contribution to the production. The Barbershop Boys had a great start to the year, working
on their African Music Programme with guest conductor,
Mr Mzwandile Mabuza, on Saturday 19 & Sunday 20
January. Similarly, the St Alban’s College Choir also had a
wonderful start with its workshops on Sunday 27 January.
Finally, the Band started working on their repertoire for the
term ahead on 3 February. This gave the three groups
an opportunity to cover a lot of ground ahead of their
performances this term.

The final results of the external October and November
music exams arrived early this year and we congratulate
the following young men on some excellent achievements:

Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music:
Tumi Pare (Theory of Music Grade 4) (Merit)
Tumi Pare (Piano Grade 4) (Pass)
Tshego Mosupye (Theory of Music Grade 4) (Merit)
Tshego Mosupye (Violin Grade 5) (Pass)
Sahil Govind (Cello Grade 5) (Merit)
Neo Pono (Cello Grade 5) (Merit)
Jacob Christoffels (Theory of Music Grade 6) (Pass)

International Rockschool:
Rowynn Davies (Voice Grade 6) (Pass)
Julio Mamabolo (Voice Grade 7) (Merit)
Andile Nzama (Voice Grade 7) (Merit)

Trinity College London:
Tautona Moloi (Saxophone Grade 4) (Merit)
Vaughn Bauser (Saxophone Grade 5) (Pass)

13

Max Stern (Violin Grade 5) (Pass) Alexander Mokhtari: Honours for Music Performance
Latir Grey-Johnson (Saxophone Grade 6) (Merit) The Barbershop Boys had a very busy term with several
Sebastian Chowles (Voice Grade 6) (Distinction) performances. They serenaded the young ladies of Pretoria
Michael Watkins (Saxophone Grade 7) (Distinction) High School for Girls, Afrikaans Hoër Meisieskool, and our sister
Ntsako Lekula (Voice Grade 7) (Distinction) school, St Mary’s DSG, for Valentine’s Day on 14 February.
Tiago Teixeira (Violin Grade 3) (Pass) They were a hit at each school and brought the houses down
with their well-rehearsed and entertaining performances. On
UNISA: a counter visit, the young men of St Alban’s College were
Tiago Teixeira (Theory of Music Grade 4) (Distinction) (98%) serenaded by Rhythmony, an exceptional Vocal Ensemble
from Pretoria High School for Girls. They were incredible and it
The overall combined average for all the October/November was evident that the boys loved their performances from their
examinations was 81%. We are thrilled for the boys who hearty applause and loud cheers. The visiting young ladies
achieved these excellent results. each received a rose from the Barbershop members.

The following awards were bestowed at the start of the term: The Barbershop Boys were also invited to perform at the
Prestigious Junior Mayor of Pretoria’s Function held at
Sahil Govind: Half Colours for Service to Music the Choose Life Church in Moreleta Park on 27 February.
(Band and Choir) They gave a sterling performance and raised the roof with
Ruben Grobler: Half Colours for Service to Music their African Reflection programme. The aim of the concert,
(Choir and Barbershop) which featured a number of excellent musicians, was to raise
Farai Mhlanga: Half Colours for Service to Music funds for the benefit of the Gracia Safe House and the Hanna
(Choir and Ensembles) Charity and Empowerment Foundation. What an honour and
Nicholas Jenkins: Half Colours for Service to Music a privilege it was for these young men to be a part of such a
(Choir and Band) magnificent event.
Shingai Dzinotyiweyi: Half Colours for Service to Music
(Choir) Another excellent performance of the Barbershop was at the
Glodie Lwamba: Half Colours for Service to Music (Choir) Ash Wednesday Chapel Service on 6 March.
Oratile Madisa: Half Colours for Service to Music (Choir)
Adrian Marais: Half Colours for Service to Music (Choir) The Form 1 and 2 Music, Art and Drama students (170 in total)
Simon Miller: Half Colours for Service to Music (Choir) had a full day of culture and creativity at the National School
Maidi Modiba: Half Colours for Service to Music (Choir) of the Arts Festival 2019 in Johannesburg on 17 March.
Dylan Vermaak: Half Colours for Service to Music (Choir) The students started off the day with the wonderful musical
Sebastian Chowles: Half Colours for Music Performance production, Too Late, at the Johannesburg Theatre. This was
Ntsako Lekula: Half Colours for Music Performance followed by the boys visiting several set-ups at the National
Julio Mamabolo: Half Colours for Music Performance School of the Arts: the Painted Guitar Installation, the Pop-Up
Michael Watkins: Half Colours for Music Performance Art Gallery, Hydroponic Set-Up and The Bramble Food Forest.

Choir and Barbershop Boys Workshops
TheMitre // EasterTerm2019

Curtain Raiser Concert

Thereafter, the boys enjoyed the African Guitar Workshop, the such collaborations in the future, and to performing together at
Stage Combat Workshop, the Focus Tech Workshop and a various events during the course of the year.
visit to the Art Gallery. The day ended off with the thought-
provoking, but humorous, drama production, Evil, at the The annual Curtain Raiser Concert on 27 March, the Music
Lesedi Theatre. Department’s first Major Concert of the year, featured a number
of items by the St Alban’s College Band, Choir, Barbershop
The Barbershop Boys once again delivered excellent Boys, Drum Circle, Gumboot Dancers, Instrumental and Vocal
performances for Prospective Boys and Parents in the Soloists. It was a special evening, which truly celebrated the
Auditorium at our Experience St Alban’s on 7 and 8 March. incredible talents of our young men and their teachers.
The Band and Choir also performed superbly and energetically
for the visiting boys and parents on Friday afternoon, 8 March. The Music Auditions for our shortlisted Music Scholarship
candidates were held on 1 April. We are very excited about the
The aim of each Platinum Day is to collaborate and lend a hand new talent entering our school in 2020.
to members within our community. Our Choir, Barbershop
Boys, Drum Circle and Gumboot Dancers came together in The Music Department activities came to an end with the
song, rhythm and dance with the St Augustine’s Leap School Subject Music Recitals on 3 April, and the termly Practical
from Ga-Rankuwa. It was a day of forging friendships, sharing Music Examinations during the last two weeks of term.
talents and making music together. We look forward to further

Experience St Alban’s

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TheMitre // EasterTerm2019

Junior Mayor’s Function
Leapschool Collaboration
NSA Arts Festival

Valentine’s Day

17

Culturalnews Sportsnews

Art Department News Athletics Club Review

The Art Department had an early take-off into creative The first term athletics season was highly anticipated by the
space. The Form 1 boys are practising their drawing boys, although our Inter-House Competition is not run in this
and collaging skills. The Form 2 boys are creating a term. The AGN League Meetings, Puma School of Speed and
diversity of spectacular sculptures by using recycled Prestige Top 10 competitions have been entertaining to say
items and anything they can find from trash cans and the least.
the St Alban’s kitchen. The senior students attended a
fantastic exhibition at the Standard Bank Art Gallery in In the 1st League, we saw an impressive 51.25s run in the
Johannesburg, celebrating Black South African Artists’ 400m by Phatutshedzo Maswanganyi, to set a new school
work between the period of 1970 and 1990. record. The previous record was set in 2004 by L Groeneveld
(51.3s). Tshiamo Motlogeloa, not to be left behind in the
World of Art Club record-breaking stakes, has broken that same 400m record
on 2 occasions, running 51.17s at a league meeting and then
Our proactive Chairman, Yandisa Qata, is teaching an impressive 50.46s. We are looking forward to watching him
members to do stencilling and murals. The World of Art continue on this path to success.
Club was also responsible for creating a collaborative
artwork with visiting prospective students during the The following 8 boys are all running under 12 seconds:
Experience St Alban’s. Phatutshedzo Maswanganyi, Tshiamo Motlogeloa, Mashudu
Muleya, Oreneile Serote, Chulu Peter, Benjamin Vipond,
Anime Club Tumisho Legodi, Mogale Tsebane – a great achievement, and
they have all shown great form this season.
The Anime Club is currently watching Japanese animations
and they are planning to create their own animations Phatutshedzo Maswanganyi has continued his impressive
during the course of the year under the supervision of form, running a world class, personal best time of 10.34s in
Yandisa Qata. the 100m, and cruising to the finish line in 21.47s in the 200m.
As the season draws to an end for our head of sport, we wish
him all the best for the future.

In Long Jump, Nyiko Mabuza has jumped 6.00m, which he
has worked so hard to achieve and Tino Makunike, our young
high jumper, is still challenging all his opponents, with jumps
over 1.80m.

The following athletes are commended for being selected to
compete at the District Championships at Zwartkop Hoërskool
in Centurion on 1st March: Phatutshedzo Maswanganyi,
Tshiamo Motlogeloa, Franco Uys, Tanaka Ndabambi, Mogale
Tsebane, Nicholas Kirkcaldy and Tino Makunike.

Phatutshedzo Maswanganyi and Tino Makunike further
competed at the Gauteng Schools Provincial Championships
and are to be congratulated on their inclusion in this meeting.
Phatutshedzo Maswanganyi and Tshiamo Motlogeloa then
competed at the Athletics Gauteng North AGN Championships,
which was held at the LC De Villiers Stadium University of
Pretoria. Well done to them!

It has been an exciting term and our athletes have worked hard.
As we approach the end of the season, we wish those who
will be continuing with their athletics all the very best in their
endeavours. We also look forward to our athletes excelling in
their respective winter sports.

TheMitre // EasterTerm2019

Basketball Club Highlights The U14As have also played extremely well, with most of them
playing the sport for the first time. At this stage, we like to
The Basketball Club has had an excellent start to the year, with focus more on learning the skills associated with the sport
many boys choosing Basketball as their first-choice sport. The rather than game results. Results will come once the boys
1st Team has played really well, continuing where they left off have gained insight and experience.
last year with good wins against the likes of CBC, St David’s
and, one of the main highlights, their away victory against our In closing, the main highlight of this term was competing at the
city rival PBHS by a huge margin. St John’s U19 International Tournament, where we played 11
matches and only losing to the winners, St Stithian’s College,
With the 1st Team performing so well, this has filtered down to come 2nd. Out of 32 top schools across the continent our
through the whole Basketball Club, with other teams also players, Thendo Magugumel and Reinhard Venter won “All-
achieving good wins. Notably, the U16A victory against St Stars Awards” for their outstanding performances.
Stithian’s in the last minute of an intense match immediately
comes to mind. The U15A side has also registered great wins Term 2 promises to be an exciting one, with our main ambition
against St David’s and CBC. being to retain the Pretoria Schools’ League title.

19

Sportsnews

Bounds News who was dominant as a Junior, led most of the race to
finish in a time of 13:01. Ruben Grobler, from De Beer
So far this year, Bounds has proved to be very exciting. House and Josh Alison, from MacRobert, who have
The first Goldblatt Bounds was run on 22 January 2019, both been impressive over the last few races, came in
and the boys were in high spirits. The new boys were in- 2nd and 3rd place respectively, with times of 13:17 and
troduced to bounds at the New Boys’ Camp and, during 13:26. The first 9 boys to start all finished within 14 min-
the first week of school, the boys readied themselves utes.
with early morning runs.
It was also great to see staff taking on the challenge and
Just as the academic day ended the boys received their running the bounds as well. Mr Sean Smith ran with both
tags and were ready for their first showdown. The Ju- the Juniors and the Seniors. Mr John Hunter cruised
niors ran first, with Neil Olivier from De Beer House lead- through the race and Mrs Elzaan Cook provided great
ing the Juniors comfortably to take 1st place in a time motivation for the boys, as they do not like being passed
of 14:33. Brett McLachlan came in 20 seconds later in by her.
14:53, and Azile Mningizane was a close 3rd place in a
time of 15:07. The Boarder Houses are still dominating overall and
have a good time average per boy. However, the Day
Shortly after the Juniors’ race started, the starter, Tra- Boy Houses have some top athletes and are not backing
cy McKenzie, started off the Seniors. This was a tight- down from the challenge. We look forward with interest
ly-contested race, with Roelof Smit from Murray House, to the next Bounds.

TheMitre // EasterTerm2019

Sportsnews

First XI Cricket Review Saturday fixtures. Our coach reiterated to us that we
had to get ourselves in a good space if we wanted
Our annual tour to Grahamstown at the start of the year to perform at our best and that showed with our first
was a highlight for the team, as we won three matches two home games against Trinity House and St David’s.
(Cambridge High, Kingswood College, and Hellenic We also had a good draw against Pretoria Boys’ High,
Academy) and drew against St Andrew’s College, which was interrupted by rain. During the Independent
which gave us much-needed momentum going into the Schools’ Festival, which was hosted by St Alban’s, we
season. There were some notable individual milestones had high hopes, despite losing two games and drawing
as well, with Jonathan Barwick and Jordan Proudfoot one. One element that kept the team going was how
scoring centuries for the team. Owen Devadas took a well we gelled as a team, both on and off the field. It
5-wicket haul on the bowling front. was a good experience staying over at the Festival, even
if we were the hosts. We also had plenty of support from
Mr Dave Pryke took over from Mr Shaun Thompson as our parents and staff, for which we were very grateful.
our new coach. Mr Pryke was the previous coach of
Maritzburg College and he brings with him a new style The following 1st XI cricketers reached capped
of coaching, with plenty of energy and purpose. He has milestones: Jordan Proudfoot for playing in his 50th
also created a new tradition with the introduction of a match against St Charles, as well as Arnaud du Plessis
mascot. Our new mascot is a furry gorilla that wears and Jonathan Welch for receiving their 1st Team caps
the 1st team cap and has the Glave on his lap while he during the Independent Schools’ Festival. Well done,
watches over our matches. gents!

Our T20 Schools’ Campaign was not as successful as Musa Twala
last year, when we played in the school T20 National 1st XI Captain
Finals. However, it gave us a renewed focus for our

21

Dainfern National College Golf Championships Kyle Campbell finished the tournament with 7 over par,
2019 Results shooting 73, 77, 73 to come 6th in the individual competition,
while an outstanding 4 under par secured Warwick Purchase
Congratulations to the St Alban’s College A-Team pairing of the Individual Championship title, shooting 70, 71, 71 over the
Warwick Purchase and Kyle Campbell, who defended their 3 days.
2018 Championship title at the 2019 Dainfern College National
Golf Championships. They finished on +3, which was 9 shots The College made history by winning back-to-back
clear of Dainfern A, who finished on +12. tournaments while claiming the Individual title and the Team
title at the event. This has never been achieved before. What
The St Alban’s College B Team (Max Morhart and Reece an outstanding achievement and our heartiest congratulations
Jackson) finished 28th out of the 36 participating teams. go to the boys involved.

TheMitre // EasterTerm2019

Inter-House Gala 2019 the eventual winners of the Spirit Trophy. The swimming
was closely contested, with the top three teams only being
Once again, the Inter-House Gala got the year off to a fantastic separated by 7 points. In the end MacRobert House took the
start. Each and every House went full out, by not only trying honours and was victorious.
to win the Gala itself, but also the highly-coveted Spirit Trophy.
Special mention must go to the swimmers who were awarded
With the Gala starting a little later in the afternoon to allow the following trophies:
as many supporters as possible the time to be present for
the House entrances, the stands were packed for the start of Van der Merwe Individual Medley A Viljoen
the Gala. The boys did themselves proud and the spirit and Pirow Cup – 1000m Freestyle MA Carstens
competition amongst all the Houses was very fierce. Schmulow Cup – 200m Freestyle A Viljoen
Buchholtz Cup – 100m Freestyle A Viljoen
In the pool it was wonderful to see the top swimmers getting Marshall Cup – 100m Backstroke C Burger
to showcase their talents but, just as rewarding, was watching Cramer Cup – 100m Breastroke B Hooker
a few boys just trying their utmost to get to the other side of MacLean Cup – 50m Butterfly R Fulford
the pool for their respective Houses. The strength and pride
of the School is very evident when one sees boys, who are U/14 Age Group Champion A Yeatman
not naturally trained swimmers, dive into the pool and do
everything in their power to finish strongly. Richards Trophy – Junior Victor Ludorum S Viljoen

Congratulations must go out to De Beer House, who were U/16 Age Group Champion C Robertson

U/17 Age Group Champion C Fox

Harding Trophy – Senior Victor Ludorum A Viljoen

23

Sportsnews

Rowing Club Highlights U15 Scull – Bronze Medal; U16 Scull – Silver Medal; U16
Quad – Gold Medal; U16 Double – Gold Medal; 1st Quad -
Rowing is not a sport it’s a lifestyle, or at least that’s Silver Medal and 1st Double - Silver Medal.
what all the athletes at St Alban’s College have come
to know. Throughout the season, our Open Age Group After the Buffalo Regatta, we had a mere two weeks to
trains incredibly hard every week, starting in October and prepare for the South African Championships. We had a
continuing all the way through to March, in preparation rowing camp where we were pushed to our limits for the
for the South African Championships. last time before cooling down for the big one.

The 2019 season started out with our first rowing The South African Championships was an emotional ride,
camp on 9 January at Roodeplaat Dam, where we are as our 1st Quad, who were holding a 14-year winning
fortunate to own our own clubhouse. After having a long streak, finished in the Bronze Medal position. What the
break over the festive season, it took blood, sweat and finishing time does not say is what a remarkable race it
some tears out of all the rowers to get physically and was. The race witnessed the youngest St Alban’s 1st
mentally fit again. But in between all the training, there Quad battle it out with absolute determination. It was
was always some fun to be had, whether it be boys an exhilarating, exciting and tense race and we are very
carrying trees into the Clubhouse to give some unaware proud of the team.
napping rowers a fright, or people having to wear the
“yellow jacket” for being the late one for the club run Highlights included:
every morning.
U14 Double – Gold Medal; U15 Double and Single Scull –
After the camp, we moved into the normal rowing Silver Medal; U16 Single, Double and Quad scull – Gold
season, with each boy being driven by a passion for Medals in all events they entered. 1st Doubles – Silver Gold
his sport, and rushing almost every day after school to Medal; and1st Quad – Bronze Medal.
catch the bus to Roodeplaat Dam, in order to train for
the upcoming regattas. St Alban’s College were announced the top sculling
school and were placed 3rd overall at the South African
In the build up to the two major events, those being the Championships. A huge congratulations to everyone
Buffalo Regatta and the South African Championships, involved on these outstanding achievements and an
the boys started buckling down and truly showed excellent season.
that they wanted to be the best rowers they could be.
Finally, after a hard couple of the weeks of training, the Neal Botha
time finally arrived for the boys to fly to East London
for the Buffalo Regatta, which for many is considered
to be South Africa’s most prestigious and oldest rowing
regatta.

Buffalo was simply amazing! From watching 35 tri-
suited, tanned rowers play-wrestle with each other in
the pool, to Friesland’s milkshakes, to the camaraderie
under the gazebo – this is what made the Buffalo and
Selborne Regatta so special, as stated by Ruben Grobler
(Rowing Captain 2019). Overall, the tour to East London
tour was incredible and highlights included:

TheMitre // EasterTerm2019

25

Sportsnews

Inter-House Water Polo 2019 On the Seniors’ afternoon, there was an additional
match where the 1st Team took on the coaches. It was
The 2019 Inter-House Water Polo matches saw many a fun-filled match, with boys getting their own back on
boys, both Seniors and Juniors, trying out the sport for certain coaches. It was a nail-biting match, but in the
the very first time. This was due to the fact that each end, experience prevailed and the coaches managed to
team had to comprise 7-13 players. pull off the win.

Surprisingly, MacRobert House has a vast number of The results for the Junior Section were:
Senior Water Polo players, where almost every member 1st – De Beer, 2nd – Ochse, 3rd – MacRobert, 4th –
in its side plays the sport. However, Murray House and Knoll, 5th – Murray, 6th – Knapp-Fisher.
Knapp-Fisher House had to pull players together from all
other sporting codes just to meet the minimum number The results for the Senior Section were:
required to participate. 1st – MacRobert, 2nd – Ochse, 3rd – De Beer, 4th –
Knoll, 5th – Knapp-Fisher, 6th – Murray.
This resulted in two great afternoons of Water Polo,
where each team played up to 5 matches. The support And the Final Positions were:
from the Houses was amazing and the stands were filled 1st – MacRobert, 2nd – Ochse, 3rd – De Beer, 4th –
to capacity with eager spectators. Knoll, 5th – Knapp-Fisher, 6th – Murray.

TheMitre // EasterTerm2019

Sportsnews

Water Polo Club Review The Club participated in numerous Tournaments /
Festivals: 1st Team Clifton, Saints Stayers, Vides and
The Water Polo Club over the past year has shown some Reef Cup tournaments; 2nd Team Chukka Festival; U15
incredible improvements in several aspects – the size of Cup of Honour, Grey High and Indigo tournaments; and
the Club, the results throughout and the Coaching Staff. U14 Grey College, Inland Cup and Ken Short Shield
tournaments.
When it comes to our Junior sides, we do not necessarily
get the results as we have a skills and experience gap to The 1st Team started the 2018/2019 season on an
close to catch up to other schools with Junior Schools. absolute high, before having to say farewell to the Matrics.
Our Juniors have grown and closed the gap due to an Luke Sweetlove and Gabriel dos Santos led the team
ongoing mission by the young and eager players, as well to finish 4th out of 16 schools at the prestigious Clifton
as the patient and committed coaches. Tournament 2018 (having placed 15th the previous
year). The rest of the season saw Bradley Hooker and
Regarding the Seniors, our results have never been better Rhys Fulford co-captain the newly developed 1st Team
and they are showing improvements against top tier take on some challenging fixtures, having the team find
schools, as well as being more competitive at National their footing and learn to play alongside each other after
Tournaments. 2019 is the first year we have combined having lost 8 Matrics. The Saints Stayers Tournament
the U16 age group to the Opens and it has proved to was reasonably tough on the team coming away with
be successful. Not only did it increase the numbers for 2 wins and 4 losses, placing 14th overall out of 20
our Open sides, it also increased the competitiveness schools. The boys were determined to come back in the
between the U16s and Opens, increasing the strength new year to improve on this, which they did. The Vides
of all our teams. Tournament at Selborne College was host to another top
20 water polo playing schools. The team was far better
With the positive change in the Club’s culture, presence prepared after having won numerous school fixtures,
and playing standards, we have managed to resolve, and one main one being the iconic 10-6 victory over Pretoria
make new, relationships with numerous schools across Boys’ High, and ready to take on the Tournament. After
the country who have now deemed St Alban’s Water coming away with 4 wins, 1 draw and 2 losses, the team
Polo a true competitor and a Club that many would be ended 6th overall, narrowly losing the Quarter Finals to
happy to invite for fixtures and tournaments – such as Grey High.
being re-invited to the Saints Stayers Tournament. Much
of this resulted from a substantial effort from the boys’ The 2018/2019 season ended on an high note for all
side who actually wanted to change the culture and the teams. The U14 boys ended 15th out of 20 schools
perspective of St Alban’s Water Polo. at the Ken Short Shield Tournament. The U15 boys
finished 11th out of 20 schools. And the 1st Team won
the Reef Cup Tournament after comfortably beating
Grey College in the Semi Finals (after having lost to
them at the Vides Tournament), and taking the Finals 6-4
against St David’s. These results now set the tone for
the upcoming season.

Special mentions need to be made out to: Josh Viljoen

who made the Tournament Team at the U14 Grey College
Tournament 2018; Aidan McDonald who was selected

as Most Valuable Player at the 2nd Team Chukka Festival
2019; Aaron Viljoen, Bradley Hooker, Jared le Roux
and Rhys Fulford for making the All Star Team at the
1st Team Reef Cup Tournament 2019; Jared le Roux

for being awarded Goal Keeper of the Tournament at

27

Chapelnews

the 1st Team Reef Cup Tournament 2019; Bryn Ferrari Easter Term Chapel
for being named the Most Improved Player for 2018;
Thomas Varrie for being the Most Committed Player in The 2019 Academic year started off with our Easter Term
2018; and Luke Sweetlove for being the Senior Player Eucharist, the theme for the term being, The Heart of
of the Year 2018. God. Father Gradwell preached on the Gospel of Mark (1:
29-39), referring to Jesus’ healing and teaching ministry.
At the end of 2018 a large number of our boys played He drew on some reflections from the book written by
for Northern Tigers Water Polo across all age groups at Douglas Abrams, The Book of Joy, where he captured
The IPT in East London. Congratulations are in order for: some hard-won wisdom shared between the Dalai Lama
U13A – Alexander Yeatman; U14A – Johan Bothma, and Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
Daniel Chivers, Graydon Ferrari, Neo Mautsa, Joshua
Viljoen and Simeon Viljoen; U15 – Marc-Antony He highlighted the following: Eight Pillars of Joy
Carstens and Christian Williams; U16A – Chris Fox,
Luke Green, Justin Hugo, Chris Marlow and Chris Four were qualities of the mind: perspective, humility,
Rider; and U16B – Luan Swart and Michael Watkins. humour and acceptance.

In March 2019, the NTS U18 Men side took part in the Four were qualities of the heart: forgiveness, gratitude,
South African Nationals Tournament in Johannesburg. compassion and generosity.
The following boys made the team to represent the
province: Aaron Viljoen, Adam Rinkwest, Aeddan Father Gradwell concluded with the following: “Our 2019
Jones, Bradley Hooker, Chris Fox, Rhys Fulford and journey at St Alban’s must be a journey that defines us, as
Thomas Varrie. it defines our faith and shapes our relationships with one
another, in the same way as we strive for that eternal joy
We are looking forward to the upcoming season at the that we will share with our Creator.”
end of the year, especially after a number of our Junior
and Senior boys will be going on the first St Alban’s The second major service was our Ash Wednesday
Water Polo Tour to Montenegro in August which should service, ushering in our Lenten journey. The service was
help lift St Alban’s higher on the overall rankings. held in the context of the Eucharist and the Imposition
of Ashes. Father Gradwell reminded us that our Lenten
journey is not necessarily about giving up something of
Lent, as we traditionally do, but to re-centre our lives and
to “waste” some time with God in prayer.

On Shrove Tuesday, the College’s annual pancake race
was held on Moshate field. It was a hotly contested race,
with the lead alternating between De Beer and Knoll.
Knoll were eventually victorious and, for their efforts, won
pancakes for the whole House.

TheMitre // EasterTerm2019

Ash Wednesday Service
Pancake Race

Chapel

29

Communityservice

Community Service News Two new partnerships have been established: De Beer
House adopted a crèche in Ga-Rankuwa and Ochse
At the College, our boys together with the staff have House has formed new relationships with St Augustine’s
really picked up their pace have produced absolutely Leap School – they will be working together to benefit
amazing results in the community we are involved in. A both students, teachers and entire communities.
new view on Community Service as a supporting aspect
of leadership and personal growth has emerged. After School Homework Support

Community Service plays an integral part of school life Dozens of NGOs, schools and churches provide thou-
at St Alban’s College. sands of children from pre-schools with homework after
school support. The Community Club is full in swing
It helps shape well-rounded individuals like nothing else to assist children every Wednesday after school with
can. It is the most important way in which our boys learn homework and extra lessons.
to look beyond themselves, to develop the capacity for
empathy, acceptance and grace and to take an active After School Cricket Development
role in positively shaping their community.
St Alban’s Cricket boys and Coaches, together with
New Partnership the Cricket Coach from Sunnyside Primary school run
structured extra lessons for talented young cricketers in
We work with various schools, crèches, NPO’s and or- the afternoons on Fridays at St Alban’s College.
ganisations as we pilot interventions that can positive-
ly impact society especially schools who are in crisis.

TheMitre // EasterTerm2019

“You guys are truly exceptional!” – Mrs Loots from PEN

Comforters Kiddies Creche
“An education system designed to prevent intellectual development has left schools in South African
townships and rural areas poorly resourced and with sub-standard infrastructure.” Unknown

31

St Alban’s College Collaboration with St Augustine’s Leap Poverty is still a major challenge in our school and in our
Maths & Science School communities across the city of Tshwane. This is made clear
by the overwhelming attendance every Thursday. There is
This partnership created both a good learning environment a significant increase in the number of children attending,
between learners from St Augustine’s Leap Maths and Science especially between the ages of 2 and 4 years. St Mary’s DSG
School and new academic experiences. has started to become involved on Thursdays and we are so
grateful for this partnering.

Every Friday Leap School holds community
meetings with the entire school where they discuss

major societal and community issues. The boys
engage in tough conversations with the Leap
learners over racism.

There have been learner exchange programs between the two A total of 600 children are benefitting from this feeding scheme
schools as well as academic, cultural and social development and it is good to see how these children enjoy the meals
collaborations. The two schools have engaged in projects that have been prepared by our volunteers from the Good
in the schools and in the communities. The relationship has Shepherd Church.
brought changes into the lives of the St Augustine’s LEAP
learners and the St Alban’s boys.

TheMitre // EasterTerm2019

Robin Olifant and Thabo Chesane serve bread to the
children at PEN whilst Refiloe Mamabolo assists
them with homework.

PLATINUM DAY 1 Sorry, guys. It is time for my nap!

Our senior citizens are the pillars in our communities because senior citizens and the contribution that they are making to
they are filled with wisdom and valuable life skills which we our society.
can use to our benefit. It is important to acknowledge our

We are proud to be playing a leading role in this and
for the time and interaction the boys had with the
elderly. The F1’s went out of the way to put a smile

on these old people’s faces, making conversation and
really giving them the love and respect they deserve.

They played board games, make keyrings, did
beading, played ball games and even prepared bread

and cool drinks for them for tea time.

33

Wetnose you giving more animals a second chance, but the cost you
save these shelters is huge.
Overburdened shelters take in millions of stray, abused and
lost animals every year, and by adopting an animal, assisting Thank you, De Beer House, for your contribution.
with cleaning-up, you’re making room for others. Not only are

WHAT’S ON

April – May Winter Drive.

(School Shoes & Pyjamas)

June – August Soup & Bread to the Homeless

TheMitre // EasterTerm2019

Communityservice Generalnews

Ochse House - The Leap School Project Ochse House Mentor-Rookie Function

Making A Difference Mentor-Rookie Pledge

“The greatness of a community is most accurately mea- Ochse House Matrics of 2019 have embarked on their
sured by the compassionate actions of it members.” final year at St Alban’s College, but this time they will not
(Coretta Scott King) only need to look after the House, they will also need to
look after their rookies. The Grade 8s and Matrics have
Ochse House has a vision to educate beyond the class- signed a pledge, with the Matrics committing to look after
room and that is why the Matric group of 2019 has de- and mentor their Grade 8s.
cided to collaborate with St Augustine’s Leap School in
Ga-Rankuwa. This is a great experience for the Matrics, as it teaches
them how to become good role models. For the Grade 8
If the school’s vision is to prepare a young man for life, rookies it will be a great opportunity for them to be guided
then boys will have to form part of the South African in their first year at the College and assisted in their growth
community at large. St Alban’s boys live in a bubble and development at St Alban’s.
of privilege and that acts as a barrier between us and
the rest of our community. However, what if instead of Through the pledge they will come to understand the
acting as a barrier, it would act as a lens focused on our tremendous brotherhood and culture that exists within the
unjust society? walls of this fine institution.

What we wish to achieve is to grow together and to
learn from one another. With both schools being under
the Anglican Diocesan Church, it is our duty to be the
leaders that spark change in our unequal society. The
best way to do so is to gather insight from both ends of
the spectrum through interaction and conversation and
that is what we did.

On 1 March the Ochse Form 4 boys went out to St Au-
gustine’s and sparked some meaningful and insightful
conversations. As a result thereof, they returned knowl-
edgeable men, aware of the contrast between the world
they know and that of learners in Ga-Rankuwa.

But, we are not all talk and no action. We are planning
to initiate projects, such as building a soccer field and
donating computers for its new computer lab, but most
importantly for the learners of St Augustine’s, we are
planning exposure to opportunities at St Alban’s which
they can access. For example, the Solar Car Challenge
changed the way they saw education under STEM and
initiated a transformation in how they see education.
That in itself fulfils our Anglican belief as we pray the
prayer for Africa to “Heal our communities and restore
our dignity.”

Chulumanco Peter

35

Generalnews

New Boys’ Day and New Boys’ Camp 2019 from each house. The boys got to speak about sports’
choices, meet Tutors and Housemasters, find out about
The start of 2019 saw 126 new boys arrive at school on Clubs, talk Academics, do Choir auditions, have some
Sunday 13 January to start their journey at St Alban’s fun, and even did a SAC version of the ‘Amazing Race,’
College. There were 115 Form 1 boys and the remain- in an attempt to learn their way around the campus.
der were spread from Form 2 to Form 4. The energy
was amazing on the day; a mixture of fear, excitement By the time Tuesday arrived, the boys felt more settled,
and anxiety, to name but a few, got the day going. Each knew their way around the school, but they were ready
family registered, boarders checked into their rooms and for a break. What made the camp special was that the
day boys were assigned to one of the boarding houses New Boys got to see firsthand what the school is about
to stay for the next two nights. and how each part is connected. The boys also got to
do sports trials and swimming trials in preparation for
A change to the usual routine was the fact that the New the gala. There was also time to learn the school war
Boys’ Camp would be on campus, so that meant board- cries, as well as those needed for the Gala, which was
ers and day boys sharing the same space, and also that to be held on the first Friday of the term. The consensus
the boarders would sleep in their own beds from day is that the camp should stay on Campus going forward,
one at the school. so 2019 set a very good bench mark.

The first official function was that of Chapel, then it was I want to thank Mr Jackson and his staff for the catering,
off to lunch, an address by the Headboy, Ashton Frod- Mr Walters and his staff for the campus protection, Mrs
sham and the Headmaster, Mr Shane Kidwell, and final- Fredericks and her team for getting the boarding houses
ly, the dreaded “saying goodbye”. The traditional bell ready, Mr Giannone and his team for sorting out issues
ringing took place much to the delight of both boys and within the boarding houses and on the campus, Mr Hoy-
parents as they share in the significance of the event. er and his team for putting the day together, Mrs Spring
They witnessed the first of four bell ringing ceremonies for ensuring that parents and boys knew what was going
that a St Alban’s boy goes through during his time at the on during the first few days of the year, Mr Stenhouse
College. and his team for the entertainment, the Housemasters
for supporting the boys and Mr Turton for putting the
Once parents had left, the boys settled into the routine camp programme together. I also want to thank all staff
for the next two days. The camp was coordinated by Mr and senior boys for ensuring the New Boys’ Day and the
Des Turton, and supported by the Housemasters’ group, Camp were a success for 2019.
the College Prefects and a number of Portfolio Leaders

TheMitre // EasterTerm2019

37

Staffnews Staffnews

Farewell To Dear Friends Farewell To Dear Friends

Bruce Collins Craig Hoyer

Bruce, our hipster colleague, began his teaching at St Alban’s Congratulations to Craig Hoyer on his appointment as Director
College in 2011. Initially, he taught English and was Deputy of Sport at Cowan House Preparatory School in the Natal
Housemaster of Murray House. He soon moved to Knoll House Midlands. We know he will tackle this new venture with the
as Deputy and he became Housemaster of Knoll House. same passion and dedication he has shown during the last 12
years at St Alban’s College and we are sure that he will quickly
Bruce is a creative and innovative English teacher who is well establish himself as a valued member of his new team.
known for his pastoral care and the authentic manner in which
he interacts with boys. Bruce has been involved in a plethora Craig was employed as Director of Sport at St Alban’s College
of activities at SAC amongst others he has coached hockey; in 2007. His passion for the development of young men through
been the Coffee Guru of the Caffeine Club and has preached sport created an overwhelming connection between himself,
memorable sermons in Chapel. Galas will not be the same the staff, parents and boys alike and contributed to awesome
without his professional announcing skills. results over the years. His ability to tackle enormous sporting
ventures and lead his sports office team in achieving incredible
Bruce became involved in the International Boys Schools results, have paved the way for St Alban’s College to remain
Coalition’s (IBSC) action research programme in 2012. He was known as a wonderful hosting school and an outstanding
then invited to become a supervisor of other researchers in opposition to play against.
the IBSC and he travelled widely in this capacity gaining much
knowledge and building valuable connections. He is a sought Two years ago, Craig was designated to become the Director
after speaker at conferences and schools around the world of Marketing. His knowledge and love for the College have
(including the renowned Eton College). stood him in good stead in helping him grow and cement the
good relationships we have with our surrounding Prep schools
Bruce was then asked to develop the staff Professional in Pretoria and Johannesburg, as well as with fellow High
Development Programme at St Alban’s College which in his Schools.
energetic and insightful manner, he did to the extent that St
Alban’s staff have become sought after in other schools. Bruce Working alongside Craig has been an honour and a privilege
was then appointed Director of Creativity and Innovation as a and we know he will continue to succeed in this new phase of
member of the School Executive Committee which involved the his professional career. We wish him well and thank him for the
use of his creative skills, thorough knowledge of international sterling job he has done here at the College.
trends in education and amazing insights into the needs of
staff and the school as a whole in order to make St Alban’s an Good luck Craig, Tracy and Tayla. You will be sorely missed.
innovative learning space. Bruce used his visionary leadership
skills to formulate and implement ideas such as the new Form
1 curriculum.

Bruce has lived on campus for the past eight years and he
and his family are an integral part of the College. We shall miss
his quirky outfits (including Doc Martins and more recently,
floral shirts) and beard growing experiments. He is a man of
great integrity who is guided by a strong moral compass. He
is warm, compassionate and empathetic. He will be sorely
missed by boys, staff and parents.We wish him well in his new
full time position with the IBSC and hope to maintain ties with
him.

TheMitre // EasterTerm2019

Staffnews

Farewell To Dear Friends

Louis Pennington

We say goodbye to Louis Pennington after sixteen years’
service to the College. Louis began as a technician and teacher.
He took over as Network Administrator and was responsible
for building the network almost from scratch. Louis did so with
ingenuity and skill. He was a genius at finding the most frugal
means possible in which to do so.

Louis is a warm-hearted, humble and generous man for whom
no task was too onerous. We wish him and his family well on
their new adventure as they emigrate to New Zealand, and we
remain grateful to him for the many hours of dedicated service
he gave to St Alban’s College.

The Staff Conference 2019

The Staff Conference started the year off with a sense of
excitement and purpose. The conference was held at The
Conclave and proved to be a time where the tone was set for
the year to come.

The focus was the introduction of the four areas of attention
for staff development this year: Live, Be,Lead and Learn.
These themes correspond with the four books which the staff
are reading, discussing and applying in 2019. Some of the
highlights of the conference sessions included: Mr Kidwell’s
sharing of his vision for the year with staff; a workshop and
discussion on the Growth Mindset by Lindsay Wesner and how
to attain greater parental involvement in the school’s Being &
Belonging programme by the Centre for Being and Belonging
(CBB).

There was time for fellowship and bonding, too, which happened
while staff socialised over meals or attended wellness sessions
such as: a game drive, spa treatment, pilates class and clay
pigeon shooting. The staff left feeling ready and inspired to
face the new school year. Thanks goes to Mr Bruce Collins
and Mr Desmond Turton for organising what proved to be an
excellent conference.

39

Staffnews

Staff Development 2019 develop a growth mindset, too. In so doing, they can
inspire a generation of young men to believe in them-
Developing teachers has been a core area of focus for St selves.
Alban’s College for the last number of years. Teachers
are encouraged to grow in personal mastery and contin- Live:
uously develop their skills in order to meet the demands What does it truly mean to live? We have been chal-
of teaching in an evolving world. lenged by Sir Ken Robinson’s assertions that all human
beings can find their element and, in doing so, can live
In 2019, we have 4 key focus areas for developing our their best lives. Members of our team are reading his
team in our weekly professional development sessions. seminal work, “The Element: How Finding Your Passion
These are captured by the words Be, Learn, Live and Changes Everything”. They are doing so, not only in
Lead. order to discover their own sweet-spots but also to un-
derstand how to light these fires in our boys. It is our
Be: desire that the boys in our care would discover their ele-
In our endeavour to foster belonging in our school so ment; “the point at which natural talent meets personal
that every member of our community feels that they are passion.”
part of the whole, we are continuing the discussions
around transformation and diversity, which were started Lead:
in 2018. We believe that our team must model a culture Brené Brown’s work on vulnerability has challenged
of belonging. Nene Molefi’s “A Journey of Diversity & much of our thinking here at St Alban’s over the last three
Inclusion In South Africa: Guidelines for leading inclu- years. She contends that “vulnerability is the birthplace
sively” is being read by some of our team as a guiding of innovation, creativity and change” and that ““there is
text on this journey. no innovation and creativity without failure.” We want all
our teachers to drive innovation and lead change. We
Learn: want all our teachers to understand that they are leaders
We want nothing more from our teachers than that they and need to be in the arena, taking the kind of risks that
would model life-long learning to our boys. We have will benefit St Alban’s College. We want all our teachers
been fascinated by Carol Dweck’s work on develop- to know that they are these leaders.
ing growth mindsets in boys. To get the ball rolling,
we are starting with our teachers. We are passionate All our PD endeavours this year will link into the themes
about helping them understand that they are not limited above as we strive to be the best teaching team on the
by fixed perceptions of their abilities but that they can planet.

TheMitre // EasterTerm2019

Staffnews

Welcome To New Staff 2019 Jaco van Wyk is a Drama teacher and joined St Alban’s
from Pecanwood College. St Alban’s has not offered
No less than 10 new staff members joined St Alban’s Drama as a subject before and he has been tasked with
in the first term of 2019. They had their first orientation establishing Drama at the College. Jaco will also be
session and welcoming function on Wednesday 9 involved in the ADAMS Club.
January, which took place before the first formal staff
event, namely the Staff Conference. Towards the end of term, we were also joined by Sam
Basch, who is taking over as IT Manager from Louis
Although they were initially completely overwhelmed Pennington.
by the different processes at St Alban’s, as well as how
busy the school was, they soon learned to cope and Two interns also joined us at the beginning of the year:
they have already made huge contributions in their
respective areas. The new staff members are as follows Luke Rautenbach joined us from St Benedict’s. He
(alphabetical): teaches Biology and Natural Science and will be
coaching Rugby and Water Polo.
Sonica Bruwer, joined us from Southdowns College,
taking over as our new French teacher. She will also run Gareth Morgan who starts his career at St Alban’s as
the French Club. Sports Scientist. He will be the Gymnasium Manager in
the Wellness Centre and he will be involved in all sports
Guy Elliot, has taken over the directorship of Hockey – managing the conditioning. He is also coordinator of
and is a teacher in the English Department. In addition the Wellness Club.
to Hockey, he will also coach Cricket.
Two teachers joined us on a temporary basis:
Lazarus Khuzwayo is the new Zulu teacher. He came
to us from Crawford College in Sandton. He will coach Hilda Khwinana who is standing in for Keitumetse
soccer and he has founded the Drone Club. Modise during her maternity leave, and Schalk
Engelbrecht, who is standing in for Marelet Moolman
Callan Moore is a St Alban’s Old Boy who did his during her maternity leave.
practice teaching here last year. He joins the English
Department on a permanent basis and will be coaching We wish all our new staff, both permanent and temporary,
Water Polo and Rugby. a wonderful and rewarding journey at the College.

Nobuhle Mtshali joins the Marketing Department. She
will be responsible for Marketing and Public Relations
matters and she will coordinate the Public Relations
Portfolio, the Glave (annual magazine), and she will co-
coordinate the Photographic Society.

Dave Pryke arrived from Maritzburg College and has
taken over the Housemastership of Ochse House. He
joins the Science Department as the Natural Science
and Life Science teacher and he will also coach Hockey
and 1st Team Cricket.

Sandra Schwartz joined us from St Anne’s College in
Hilton. She teaches Science and will co-run the Table
Top Club with specific emphasis on Scrabble.

41

IT TAKES A SCHOOL WITH VISION TO PREPARE A YOUNG MAN FOR LIFE

Physical Address 110 Clearwater Road, Lynnwood Glen, Pretoria
Postal Address Private Bag X01, Lynnwod Ridge, Pretoria

Contacts t. +27 348 1221 e. [email protected] www.stalbanscollege.com

TheMitre // EasterTerm2019