In 2007 one of our teachers, Deon Newkirk, was selected to participate in the RCI teacher exchange programme conducted at Christel House Academy, in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Deon recalls one of the most profound moments of his visit. "A girl in my class said to the teacher, 'My life sucks . . .' This opened my eyes to the reality that poverty and the social consequences which seem to go hand-in-hand with such poverty, know no geographic or political boundaries. In other words, it is not just a third world or developing world problem."
Sports and Athletics
Fencing is a fast- growing sport in South Africa. Christel House teacher, Randall Daniels (who is also the Chairman/President of fencing development for the country) very successfully exposed many of our learners to this sport, and several participated in national competitions. Sandisiwe Dingane and Wanda Matshaya have been selected to represent South Africa at competitions in Rome in 2008, These learners are exceptionally talented, having no previous formal training, and achieving this degree of skill in less than two years.
Christel House once again reached the final knockout stages of the St. Joseph's Five A-side soccer tournament. While this tournament started out a few years ago as "friendship games," it has now become a very competitive event where participating schools pull out all the stops to win. We, of course, adopt the very same attitude. The rematch will take place in September 2008, and we already have our sights set on victory. The learners are keen to win this year, after having come so close on two prior occasions. One of our national professional soccer clubs, Santos F.C., has agreed to let us use their fields in the coming winter for practice, and we hope that they will also help coach and develop our team.
Ms Nokuthembela Ngcume and Mr Lauran-Daniel Herdien are heading the Junior School Physical Education Department and first on their activities list is this year's interschool athletics competition. Christel House is hosting this year's Meet, and no stone will be left unturned to make this event successful. Regardless of who wins the relay or the high jump, our children are all winners at the end of a wonderful day of competition against other learners and other schools.
Clarke Schilder
Clarke Schilder, an Art and Culture educator at Christel House, plays 14 different music instruments. His passion for music and the development of our children lead Clarke to start a school band. He taught our children to play various instruments and today our children are invited to play at various occasions, including the opening of government for the Premier of The Western Cape, to show off their talents and represent Christel House.
