Learn-to-swim boys show their stuff

Something special .... these boys from the school's learn-to-swim programme were brave enough to swim a length in front of the whole school at the inter-house gala this morning

Wise words from Mr Paul Edey

 

We were thrilled to have Mr Paul Edey, former headmaster of St John's College as the guest speaker at our Academic Prize Giving assembly on Thursday.

He praised the boys who received awards, acknowledging the tremendous amount of hard work they had put in, but his remarks were also meant for the mass audience - the rest of the school who were present but did not receive prizes.

He reminded them that they were very privileged to be at a school like Jeppe. "You are in the top 1% in South Africa in terms of the education you are receiving and you therefore have a responsibility to become the best that you can. What are you waiting for?" he asked.

His advice to the boys was that they should follow their hearts and do work that makes a difference. They should harness the immense potential that exists in South Africa and build on their experiences in 'melting pot" school like Jeppe.

Above all, they should grow into good men, with good values.

"And when you face battles, remember your school motto - for the brave, nothing is too difficult."

Wise words from a great educationalist. The boys of Jeppe were privileged to hear them.

Otsile's book is the 1st in our new library

The boys will be asked to each bring a book to fill the shelves of the library section of our new Innovation Hub that was opened on Wednesday. And the first one to go up was this one: Social Justice Stories: Viruses, Villains, Victims and Victors. Our own Otsile Nkadimeng has an essay included in it. It's titled “A Broken System”, and it was selected from thousands of entries. It is published by the South African Schools Debating Board and the Centre for Sexualities, AIDS and Gender at the University of Pretoria. Otsile donated his own copy to the school. It will enjoy pride of place.

Devon Lacy - our top academic for 2022

 Devon Lacy, our top matric performer for 2022, is naturally delighted with his results and excited about embarking on the next step in his journey.

He earned nine distinctions, narrowly missing out on a 10th, and has been accepted to study Actuarial Science at Wits University this year. “I was disappointed with the 77% I got in Business Studies and I will be applying for a remark,” he said, “but I’m happy and proud of what I have achieved and am ready to throw myself into the next challenge at Wits.”

Devon credits his success to the support team he had surrounding him. “Of course I had to work hard, but I had my friends and the study group we formed, my family and my teachers, of course, all behind me all the way,” he said.

We haven’t seen the last of Devon at the school. He will be coaching the tennis team and is keen to carry on with the tutoring of other boys that he has been doing for the last two years.

“When I was in grade 11 a group of matrics started an academic support group to offer help to boys who were struggling with their subjects. I became part of that and carried on with it last year. As far as my university work will allow it, I hope to carry on with it again in 2023.”

We are very proud of Devon and will be following his progress keenly.

Jason Bailie - the absolute all-rounder

 

Our 2022 Honours Blazer recipient Jason Bailie, unsurprisingly, got a full house of eight distinctions in his matric exams.

The results confirmed that he is one of the most outstanding all-rounders the school has seen. This achievement was the cherry on top of the cake after his stellar performances on, and off stage, for the Performing Arts Society last year, and his domination of the local leagues in the sport of Orienteering.

There was no secret to his academic success, Jason said. “I had to work very, very hard. Visual Art was by far the hardest. It took up the greatest amount of my time. In comparison, the other subjects were not a burden and I really enjoyed studying for them.”

Jason readily acknowledges the role that his faith played. “There were challenges, and I felt low at times. I would pray for the strength to keep going then and that got me through.”

Jason will be studying Mechanical Engineering at Wits this year, but he will still be around at Jeppe. He has already been busy with passing on his love and knowledge of Orienteering to the younger boys at the school and will be coaching the sport this year.

Jason is an inspiration to everyone. His achievements at the school are unlikely to be emulated any time soon.

Calvin wants to be a writer

 

Calvin Stevens achieved seven distinctions in matric last year, a feat that surprised him a bit.

“I expected five or six and in the end, I only missed out in Mathematics, I’m delighted with that,” he said. “I never really expected a distinction for Maths, that’s not the way my mind works, I find I’m much better at the languages and History and Geography.”

Among his distinctions was 90% in Further Studies English, an achievement he is very proud of. “I believe I am the first Jeppe learner to get an A in that subject,” he said.

And those are the subjects he will be doing at Wits this year where he is enrolled for a BA Humanities degree. “To tell you the truth, my dream is to be a published author, and I think a degree in languages and philosophy will be a good grounding for that,” he said.

Calvin has already written two novels and he is close to finishing a third. “I’m polishing them and will be looking at ways of getting them published this year.” His extra-curricular interests reflected his love of writing. He was in the school’s Creative Writing club and on the school newspaper.

He also played chess and tennis, and he believes having a balance played a part in his academic success. “You will always succeed when you enjoy what you are doing and I loved being involved in various aspects of school life,” he said.

His advice to this year’s matrics is that they need to do some work every day of the year and, above all else, they must develop a love for reading and make it a habit.

We are going to see a Calvin Stevens novel on the bookstore shelves shortly – there’s little doubt about that.

 

Jordan was motivated by those Top 10 lists

 

Jordan Eshen’s seven distinctions in matric in 2022 was, he says, the fulfilment of a dream that began in his Grade 8 year, and he has put in a lot of hard work ever since, with that aim in mind.

 “In the second term of Grade 8, I made the Top 10 list and I decided then that I wanted to stay on it and be among the top achievers when I got to the end of Grade 12,” he said. “Once I got going on that, I received so much support from my family and from my teachers, I could not have done it without them.”

 The healthy rivalry with his peers, and the support system that they formed among themselves, also played a huge part. “Throughout the years, the top 10 group stayed mainly the same and we became close friends. We were in competition, but we also supported each other all the way. I think the idea of termly top 10 announcements is a very good way to encourage academic excellence at the school.”

 Jordan missed out on a distinction in FS Mathematics, so he never got a full house, but he is very happy with his results. He will be going to Wits this year where he will be studying engineering.

 We are very proud of Jordan and will be following his progress eagerly.

 

Keegan is an all-rounder to watch

 All-rounders are like gold in cricket teams, they say, and Jeppe has one with lots of potential coming through.

Keegan Cockburn made 104 not out, off 66 balls and took 5/16 in eight overs against St John’s last weekend to help the U14A team to a 197-run victory.

He is a quick bowler, who concentrates on length and line, he says, and a big hitter who enjoys batting in the middle order and going after the bowling.

“I’ve made some runs in all our games so far,” he said, “except for the game against St David’s, when I got a first-baller, on my birthday,” he said. “This was my first five-wicket haul, and I’ve taken a few in the other games, but my figures have been good in terms of economy-rate, which I’m happy about.”

Keegan was at Hurleyvale Primary, and he is not sorry he came to Jeppe, he said. “This is the most fun I’ve ever had playing cricket,” he said. “I’m in a new team, making new friends and we all get on with each other very well. “

Keegan will be playing rugby in the winter and is a flyhalf. “I did play rugby in primary school and I love the game. I know, however, that there are a lot of good players in our year. Whatever team I make, I’m looking forward to playing for Jeppe.”

Before then, there are still some cricket games to play and, hopefully, more runs and wickets for Keegan Cockburn.