EDITION 24 12 August 2019
Calling
“The outside of a mountain is good for the inside of a man.” - Anon
Executive Headmaster Dear Clifton Family This week is Excursion Week in the College. Whilst the Matrics write their Prelim or Trials examinations, our Grade 9, 10 and 11 boys are out on adventure exercises as well as community service and engagement projects. Our Grade 8s undertake a research project and community service in the Durban area, including at UShaka. I had the privilege of attending the three camps over the last three days, and although the visits were short, I was able to get a good feel of each one, and in the case of the Grade 10s and 11s, visit most of the service projects and the respective schools where our boys are teaching and working. Indeed, I am writing this message whilst on the trip, and concluding it once back at school.
After a short visit to the Spirt of Adventure site at Shongweni Dam on Monday morning where the Grade 9s were settling in, I made my way up to Underberg to visit the Grade 10s. Visiting the Orphanage that afternoon, and meeting Sister Abigail, the 85 year-old grandmother who runs this haven of safety, was both humbling and inspiring. This is where our lads were building a palisade for the balcony (under Mr Schwartz’s watchful guidance) and painting the entrance walls – now a bright and beautiful blue! After a somewhat “cooler” evening, I visited most of the other projects and schools the next morning and met with the relevant staff. This included Noah’s Ark Pre-Primary and Primary School, where
Felicity, the founder, is also teaching ECD student teachers and getting them qualified and accredited. Again, a humbling experience – these are people “on the ground”, so to speak, making a difference in the lives of these children and communities, often in the most trying of circumstances. This really is the “starfish” philosophy in action, making a small difference in the greater scheme of things, but hugely impacting on these individual children. The “Seven Rs” of Outdoor Education include the following: Rites of passage, relationships, reach, rootedness, responsibility, risk and reflection, to which I would add “resilience”. Each of these were in operation and in some cases will be unpacked further as the Grade 10s enjoy their hike through Giant’s Cup. I look forward to meeting up with this grade again on the weekend, when they return to their base camp at Cobham Nature Reserve in preparation for their solitary reflection ahead of their return to school on Monday.
That Tuesday afternoon I took the trip down to Port Edward, along the R617, with its magnificent scenery. We really do live in a beautiful country, even with the winter brown. I arrived at TO Strand resort in Leisure Bay in the late afternoon, with the Grade 11s happily ensconced in chalets – an upgrade from what they experienced last year!
Our Grade 11s found some of the teaching challenging, and dare I say, may have gained a greater appreciation of their teachers back at Clifton! They were also painting the water tanks, and doing a general clean up, with a soccer match scheduled for that afternoon as a curtain raiser to the main game. I remain convinced of the immense value that this Excursion Week provides in terms of experiential learning, engagement and interaction, in order to expose our boys to the world beyond the four walls of their own classrooms back at Clifton. This combination of community engagement and adventure is not the norm (normally it’s one or the other), but is central to the success of the week, and integral to the holistic education we offer at Clifton. In addition, there are good values being absorbed and reinforced intrinsically, almost subconsciously such as respect, self-discipline, resilience, determination, stewardship, service and responsibility.
I accompanied them to Nombuso High School the next morning, and met the Principal and his Deputy, both of whom expressed their gratitude for our presence and impact. The sad thing is that we can only do so much in the short period we are there.
My sincere thanks go to the large group of teachers who accompany the different grades, as well as the staff in charge of each grade’s activities, who do all the planning and organising. Thanks also to those parents who have been involved in the collection of supplies and donations, and to all our parents for your support of this Week. In addition, my thanks to those staff working with the Grade 8’s, and of course, those staff looking after the Matrics as they write their Trial Examinations. Warm regards
DAVE KNOWLES EXECUTIVE HEADMASTER
Meander On Friday and Saturday Messrs Ravenscroft, Boniaszczuk, White and Mezher will be at the Prep Hockey Festival Clifton is hosting at Riverside. Mr Knowles will be at the Grade 10 excursion. Messrs Goedeke, Mezher and Bresler will be at the College soccer matches being played against Kloof High.
Cameos A wonderfully moody photo captured this week at Riverside by Daniel Gibson. A superb image of the setting for our upcoming Clifton 1st XI Hockey Festival. The Festival, hosted by Clifton, takes place on Friday and Saturday, so please feel free to pop down to Riverside to watch some of the action. Grade R boys had fun baking Wagon Wheels this week during their focus on the letter ’w’. They also took advantage of their giant chalk board where they practised writing ’v’ and ’w’.
It seems they particularly enjoyed eating their wagon wheels afterwards!
Our Prep Hockey Team took on Lilfordia from Zimbabwe in preparation for this weekends’ 1st XI Festival. It was a tightly contested affair with great sportsmanship shown from both teams. If this is anything to go by, this weekend's Prep Schools Festival will be nothing short of fantastic!
Our Grade 7 boys (pictured here with Mrs Klingbiel), recently attended the annual Maths relay hosted at DGC. A selected group of Grade 5 and Grade 6 boys will be participating in upcoming Maths Relays and we wish them well.
Are you ready for Founders’ Weekend 2019? Take a look at this short video compiled by the Clifton Film Academy, which will definitely whet your appetite! Lots of fun for the whole family! https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=DG2nHZs4LXw
To the left is the monthly update of funds raised and parents supporting the Clifton MySchool Programme. Thank you for upping your swipes and commitment to this initiative over the past month! Let’s see if we can reach R10 000 next month? This costs you nothing but makes a huge difference in the lives of others. #CliftonCares
Classifieds HOUSE AND/OR BABY SITTING Please call Amy Mezher on 064 687 5934 or email: amymez6@gmail.com if you are looking for a reliable House Sitter or Baby Sitter. HOUSE TO LET
HOME OFFERED FOR AN UNLOVED ‘ORBITREK’ Mr Mezher is looking to take ownership of an Orbitrek exercise bike. If you have one at home that isn’t being used, please contact him. Tel: 082 808 6880 CAR FOR SALE
VW Tiguan 2015 TSI. White, Automatic, 54 000km 3/4 bedroom home with 3 garages at 15 Arran Road available at R18 000.00 per month. Leather Seats, 4 brand new tyres, No scratches or Dents. Extended Warranty and Motor Plan Contact Sarah: 072 719 7197. R285 000 Contact Richard 082 7835777
Old Boys Last week we included a photograph and short caption about Oliver Druce (2014) who is currently part of the cast of Phantom of the Opera. There is a great article written about him in the “Die Matie” digital newspaper. Click on the link below to read the article. Well done, Oliver! https://issuu.com/diematie/ docs/14_augustus_2019/1? ff&fbclid=IwAR25Yf2REuJV4sJIQ5psSHiQJ3ZiYNh-uagTp1Qzr-OZZr6rf7dTUEnLKI Below: Congratulations to Billy Pullen (2010) on his engagement and to Jean-Michel Nairac (2006) and Chloe Pougnet (right), who were married recently!
Left: Liam King (2015) is pictured here at Law School. Right: Dylan Nel (2010) crashes over for a try in a convincing win for Otago vs Southland. Matthew Dua (class of 2008), recently had his Master’s thesis published in a peer-reviewed journal. It is open access so feel free to read it: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/ pii/S2590198219300041