Not in a million years could I have imagined that I would be writing this article. Especially since I have not lived in Cape Town for more than three decades and had probably never thought of my primary school during that time.
So, I attended Holy Trinity back in the day, laat ek nou mooi dink. I would have started Sub-A in 1972. Thinking about it as I write this, and given the times we live in now, my memories of those days seem like Polaroid snaps from an alternate universe.
However, as I arrive at the school, I start to feel a vibe, and its not a particularly good one. The school looks more like a prison with all the windows covered in burglar proofing, the entrance to the school is gated and manned by a security guard. I have flashbacks of how we used to run out of those gates laughing and shouting at the end of the day.
Now the somber, somewhat depressing mood hangs like a cloud over the entire complex which contains Holy Trinity Catholic Church, the primary school, and Marian High, girls school.
The security guard wastes not time in sharing graphic details about the regular gang violence and almost daily shootings in the area.
But, I am an eternal optimist and I knew that out of this seemingly hopeless scene, there was bound to be a ray or two of hope and childlike sunshine.
And here they are, the future… Look at these faces… No, seriously, look closely at these three kids. Current principal, Maynard Moheng rounded them up on the day I visited and highlighted their potential as future role-models and leaders, even trendsetters for the community. Flanking the kids are Principal Moheng and Grade 3 Educator, Leticia Solomons.
This project, The Raven Report, is all about celebrating our heroes and supporting them to become all they are destined to be. Maynard’s passion as an educator is obvious as he regales his journey through the ranks and the many schools where he has taught before arriving at Holy Trinity in 2021.
In a community where most parents have very little positive influence or involvement with their children’s education and are only too happy to have them out of sight during school hours, passionate educators like Maynard and his staff are the difference between a life forfeited to gangsterism and drugs or making it to the prestigious Bishops rugby first team, as was the case with one of the learners he took under his wing at a previous school.
I usually try to restrict the Raven Report articles to less than 500 words, due to online attention spans, but we’re going to have to go a bit longer on this one.
I intend to celebrate as many schools as possible in our distribution area going forward and invite learners and teachers to reach out to me via email or Whatsapp with their inspirational stories.
In the pic we have Zoë Baatjies, a 9-year-old grade 4 leaner who flew the Holy Trinity school flag high during last year’s WOW (Words Open Worlds) Afrikaans Spelling competition in Stellenbosch. I tease her by asking her to spell some random word in Afrikaans that I would struggle to spell myself, she looks at me intensely, before averting her eyes into to the distance and rattles off the spelling like a boss. I’m sure it was correct as well.
The tall chap in the middle is Joshua Jansen who discovered last year that his long legs could be put to good use jumping over horizontal poles in competitions. The 13-year-old, grade 7 learner is not only making his mark in high jump, he also excels in academics, claiming recognition as top learner in the school last year.
Kieran Adams, on the right, is a 9-year-old, grade 4 little speedy gonzales who began ripping it up on the cross country track last year.
He impressed so much that the school, with the support of his parents, got him enrolled into the UWC Athletics program where he crosses the line first or second most times in the 1200m and also surprised everyone by kicking butt in the 60 and 80m distances.
Principal Maynard points out that the kids’ path to excellence comes with financial challenges and “we, as the school do our best to assist with fund-raising to make sure the kids have the right equipment and get to the events they need to be, which sometimes takes place in other provinces”.
Parents get involved
“It is no surprise that the parents of children who do well at school, be it in sports or academics, take an active interest in their kids’ performance. So, I would like to encourage all parents to be involved, and I’d also like to reach out to the businesses in our community to get in-touch with sponsorship assistance. These kids are the future and with your support, the sky is the limit. Did someone say hello Wayde van Niekerk?
Contact Principal Maynard Moheng on 0210003562 to make a difference.
