Community Engagement Newsletter July 2012

Community Engagement Newsletter July 2012Community Engagement and Paddling CanoesHalf term is a great time for reflection, a long enough pause to take stock of events that have taken place so far this termand to put the plans for the second half of the term into motion. I paddle canoes for fun. If I am in my single, I am lessstable. I must move forward or risk having a swim. If I try to turn and look behind me, getting wet is inevitable. In a doublecanoe, one travels much faster, but is able to see more than just the water ahead. One can’t stop to look at the birds ina single canoe, but in a double you can haul out a copy of Roberts, a pair of binoculars and debate.Many members of our staff and our community have been “paddling” with me as we engage.Amy Taylor, Nandipa Plaatjie, Alistair Ferriera, Claudia Chandler, Wanda Duda, Gary Frayne, Mel Webb, Pat Nketsheni,Paul Edey, Rhona Duncan, Steve Ireland, Heidi Salzwedel, Ed Iputo, Sandisiwe Dial, Di Hornby, Roger Domingo, RuthGriffiths, Thomas Hagspihl, Kary McConnachie, Nkosinathi Nikelo, Gavin Shone, Shannon Wright, Bryn Brody, SiviweGushu, Robyn Coleman, Sam Easther, Margie Keeton, Adele Lobb, Carmen o’Donahue, Martin Chandler, Ntsiki Mlaleli,Rodney Scheepers, Woinschett Bischoff, Vuyani Zondani, Bridget Fourie, Hilton Haakonsen, Geoff Antrobus, LeonCoetzee, Gemma Scholtz, Jon Trafford, Allan Miles, Anna Jacobs, Derek Braans, Cecile Mager, Walter Eksteen, TimothyJolley, Ms Hobongwana, Christa Snyman, Siviwe Gushu, Jack Potter, Felicity Elliot, David Wylde. Anne Preston, CynthiaMasincedane, Mary-Anne Brown, Kaylene Booth, Siyabonga Faxa, Sean Bryan, Angie Southey, Simon Kroon, GerardJacobs, Lindi Ramakolo, Carl Bradfield, Mickey Witthuhn, Sanam Ranjit, Bryone Peter, Keith van Winkel, Nthuthu Blow,Ed Southey, Katherine Barnard, Caron Abrahams, Peter Zingela, Ricardo Johnson, Martin Scholtz, Maretha Potgieter, MrNkwinti, Kirsty Walker, Angie Marriner, Pete Andrew, David Barker, Deon Boshoff, Kayalethu Mutsundu, Andrew Keeton,Sue Paton, Cherié Wille, Nosipho Mngomezulu, Roger Wilkinson, Julia Wells, Nancy-Anne Richards, ThembinkosiSindane, Ryan Dewey, Kate Cobbing, Celinah Damoyi, Mnr Wessels, Melville Meiring, Jacques Pienaar, Tony Ukekwe,Jenny Wilkinson, Momelezi Mdingi, Joe Cassidy, Sylvia Birrell, Setlogang Matshidi, Ken Maxwell, Letitia Wilson, ColinArmstrong, Bev McCarthy and Shelley Frayne.It gives our Community Engagement programme both momentum and balance to have so many diverse colleagues,partners and community members involved. I marvel at the size and the assortment of this group, all of whom want us tosucceed together. In my last newsletter I wrote of a network of inspired connections. We are part of just such a network.The Headmaster, Paul Edey and printing technician, Wanda Duda helping the Grade 10 Service clubs coach rugby andsoccer to children from Good Shepherd.

Youth DayFor the first time, Youth Day was celebrated by StAndrew’s College and DSG in partnership with the MakanaMunicipality to broaden the participation in this event aswe celebrated our city’s bicentennial. The theme for thisyear’s ‘born free’ generation was Writing Our Own History.As part of the Makana 200 project, we invited all primaryschools from Grahamstown to attend the celebrationswhich included an exhibition of posters on the history andgeographical development of the city. All 24 junior schoolsreceived laminated copies of six of the exhibition posters,and had an opportunity to be shown around the exhibitionby Rev Sue Paton. The Foundation Office, together withproject manager, Melanie Webb, Deputy Headmistress ofDSG, presented a proposal and budget for the event toOn the right Zolani Mahola, lead singer of Freshlygroundperforms the Waka-Waka with pupils from Grahamstownschools during the Youth Day celebrations.Many pupils from various Grahamstown schoolsparticipated in Youth Day which was hosted by our schoolsPupils from the Grahamstown schools enjoyed meetingZolani from Freshlyground at our Youth Day celebrationsthe Makana 200 project team, liaised with the municipality, invited schools and special guests and worked with theacademic departments in preparing the material for the exhibition. The outstanding planning by a sub-committee of thetwo schools’ prefect bodies ensured that Youth Day was a resounding success. The guest speaker for the event was theyoung and dynamic Zolani Mohola, lead singer of Freshlyground. Speaking to well over 1 200 pupils, Zolani encouragedthem to believe that each one is worth something and gave the challenge to embrace change. She also challengedteachers to train boys to be good fathers and to believe in themselves. The opportunity to welcome our colleagues,the positive impression created by the event and the close connection with the municipality are all huge gains for ourintegration in the community.

President’s AwardsLess than 4% of those enrolled in the President’s Award nationally over a five year period complete the Gold Standard.This requires individual dedication, compassion and determination to see projects through to the end. At the lastassembly before half-term, we were delighted to make these awards to Mitch Foster, one of the leading lights in ourPresident’s Award unit, as well as Mr Graeme Lucas-Bull, who had enrolled nine years ago, having done both Bronzeand Silver at St Stithians. Both can be immensely proud of sticking to a task over a long period, as well as takingthemselves seriously enough, to know that records and documentation take time and energy, but are vital.One of the vital messages I hope to impress upon our matrics, many of whom are feeling the pinch of time pressureacutely, is that the Award does not end when you leave school. It is a hugely valuable experience that is viewedas being of greater significance than any other co-curricular school activity by international employers, and throughwhich we hope life-long learning and service is inculcated.If they have not finished their Gold Standard by the end of the year, pupils have until they are 25 to complete. Ouradvice is always to use the early years after school to continue to play sport, learn new skills, move into differentcommunities, adventure actively and learn through service to others. So many of our boys have done enough to beawarded one of the lower levels, but haven’t invested the time and energy in keeping records and documenting whatthey have done. These are also very useful life skills.We are finding ourselves busier and busier on Friday afternoons, and with Ms Taylor and Mnr Ferreira’s help, werun as many as four activities simultaneously in different locations. The pupil driven projects continue to offer thegreatest opportunities for learning. It has been wonderful seeing the new initiatives driven by boys from every grade.Community service is becoming part of normal school life, rather than an add on. James Mills, Grade 8 Espin, is thefirst of the Grade 8 boys to submit his records for assessment for his Bronze Award. I am thrilled by the enthusiasm ofthis group of boys, many of who will complete their Bronzes before the end of the year. This is not a race to finish eachlevel in the shortest possible time, but it does show what is possible if the boys take the opportunities that are there.Luke Harvey (project leader), John Maree and SeanGooden hand over clothes gathered as part of the UpperHouse Community Engagement project to the ChildWelfare safe-house.House ProjectsMullins House Grade 11s, under the leadership of SamEasther, starting to goat-proof their food garden at theSalvation Army premises in support of the MasincedaneSoup Kitchen in Tantyi using materials from an OA whodonated his 300 Club winnings.It is so exciting to know that there are at least five new independently motivated projects based in the Houses andthe Community Engagement Portfolio Committee. Luke Harvey from Upper led a project to gather winter clothes fordistribution through Child Welfare. A group of self-motivated Grade 8 boys from Merriman have press-ganged MnrFerreira into helping them “adopt” a kennel at the SPCA. Sam Easther and the Mullins Grade 11s are hard at workestablishing a food garden at the Salvation Army premises to help support the Masincedane soup kitchen. The purchaseof fencing material (to keep the goats out) was made possible by the generosity of a member of the 300 Club, who gavehis winnings back to College, with the request that it be used for something worthwhile. The Little Brothers Project(Merriman and Mullins Grade 10) has seen that consistency and commitment have equal challenges to the novelty andinitiation of new projects. Not all projects will work, and sometimes we learn from trying and failing. As long as we do noharm and do not damage relationships, these are good experiences.

Mandela DayEach house has been tasked with planning their own Mandela Day project in which we ask everyone in our communityto give at least 67 minutes for the common good on the 22nd of July. We hope at least one House will choose towork with the Manley Flats farm school, and are actively looking for projects which large numbers of boys can tacklesimultaneously without becoming a management challenge.Last year the St Andrew’s staff cleaned and painted the Somerset Street bridge over the Kowie ditch. This year we hopeto combine with our colleagues from Kingswood to tackle a similar project. We are grateful for the support of Paul Edey,Jon Trafford and Tracey van Molendorf in this experiment of détente and engagement.Good News from St Matthew’sWhen St Matthew’s came to play rugby against College on K-day, they were accompanied by Celinah Damoyi, who hadtaken over the teaching of matric Mathematics for the first time, following the tragic death of her colleague Mr Kali. Bothhad accompanied the St Matthew’s pupils to last year’s residential Maths Camp at St Andrew’s. I asked Celinah abouther mid-year Maths results. She has been working really hard with the matric group, offering extra afternoon classes withthe support of Tony Ukekwe, the Maths HOD, Thomas Hagsphil and Anna Jacobs. The mid-year exams, externally setin State schools, were a triumph. Celinah’s Maths class improved from below 50% to a 94% pass-rate, with a number ofdistinctions. Celinah is one of the newly qualified teachers who, despite her passion and commitment, has not had hertemporary contract renewed. In spite of the desperate need for Maths teachers and the vacancies for both temporaryand permanent teachers, she has not been paid by the provincial Department of Education since last November.The relationship between St Andrew’s and St Matthew’s depends on exactly the sort of relationship that has beenestablished between Anna and Celinah, and we are so pleased to see the one-on-one contact between colleagues grow.Eight boys and eight girls spent a day at St Matthew’s as part of a day exchange programme we have re-instituted.Currently we have eight points of contact with St Matthew’s each year, each offering different opportunities for learning.We look forward to more contact between Maths departments, pupil exchange, and staff visits to St Matthew’s.What lies aheadEarly in the Michaelmas term, we have two significant overnight activities. Mnr Ferriera will be leading the Good ShepherdOutdoor education project, which takes place on Table Farm. The Good Shepherd School Grade 7 class will have anight out in tents, having hiked out and engaged in a variety of activities. The second experience, run by Ms Salzwedelin co-operation with Fr Gary and the SCA committee, was trialed last year. A group of boys and staff spent a night out onChurch Square to build an understanding of what it’s like to be homeless. We were all profoundly affected.Every year each Grade 10 pupil on the Fish River Journey has the opportunity to give a day’s service to the communitiesthrough whom we travel. Ms Potgieter and I will be looking for five meaningful activities which can involve 35 peopleproductively for a day. Our experience as a group-leader has often been that these days are where we see hugepersonal growth, when the focus shifts from dealing with the physical challenges the pupils face, to looking outwards.We hope to see the St Mary’s Field Band play and march soon (they began rehearsing ten days ago). We continue tosupport and assist pupils from Grades 6, 7, 10, 11 and 12 in our Academic Extension programs and will continue toprovide opportunities for boys to serve both the school and broader community.The third term is the time for leadership handovers, and I want to express my gratitude to the President’s AwardCommittee, led by Edward Iputo and Mitch Foster, and the Community Engagement Portfolio Committee, led by MartinChandler. We know they have done a good job and have ensured that their committees are sufficiently robust to beready for a seamless transition.Warm regardsTim Barnard