Latest from the Acting Head Master’s Desk : 31 March 2017

It was fantastic to host Mr Trevor Bennison and his wife Yvonne at the Trevor Bennison Rugby Day on 22 March. Unfortunately, this year we only had eight schools participating due to the Private and Public schools closing on different dates. We hope this will not be an issue in 2018. We thank all the schools who participated and wish them well for the season. My thanks to all my staff who made the day possible.
For assembly on Thursday 23 March, I prepared a motivational reading mainly for our 1st XV who had played most of the match on Saturday with 14 men and could have easily taken the victory in the last ten minutes.
Thomas Kempen, one of Deputy Head Prefects did this reading at assembly. Durban High School prides itself on producing gentlemen of character and leaders of substance. I have included Thomas’s reading as the ending to my message. The reading is profound in its wisdom and is invaluable for all learners.
Wishing everyone a well-deserved holiday.
Alan Norton
Acting Head Master
This morning’s reading is an adaptation of these great words written above you all:
May each and every one of them ever remember that as he is, so is his school.
Remember that if you are rude, so is your school;
if you are arrogant, so is your school;
if you have a sense of entitlement, so does your school;
if you are disrespectful, so is your school;
if you are ignorant, so is your school;
if you have no class, neither does your school.
You see: if I took every single one of you to Hilton College, Hilton would not be a great school because what you fail to understand is that as you are, so is your school.
SO, NOW!
Remember that if you are respectful, so is your school;
if you are honest, so is your school;
if you are full of pride, so is your school;
if you are full of passion, so is your school;
if you have composure, so does your school;
if you are humble, so is your school;
if you maintain high standards, so does your school;
if you show character, so does your school;
if you have integrity, so does your school;
that if you live to serve, so does your school;
if you have CLASS, SO DOES your school!
Grade 8s: YOUR SCHOOL!
Grade 9s: YOUR SCHOOL!
Grade 10s: YOUR SCHOOL!
Grade 11s: YOUR SCHOOL!
Matrics: YOUR SCHOOL!
So it’s time for the 20% of you who are respectful, honest, full of pride and passion, who have composure, are humble, who maintain high standards with character and integrity, those who serve and have class. It’s time for you to stop tolerating the 20% who are rude, arrogant, entitled, disrespectful, and lack character and class!
And the 60% of you who sit on the fence and go with the motions, wake up. You have not inherited DHS from the 150 years of Old Boys, you are borrowing from the 1000s of brothers still to come.
Inside every single one of you is a DHS boy, inside every single one of you is a Horsefly.
So, my brothers, DHS may not be perfect. No school is. But surely if we strive for perfection, we shall achieve nothing short of greatness.
So seek beneath the surface of who you are at this moment and decide who YOU want to be from this moment forward. Because as you are, so is YOUR SCHOOL, OUR SCHOOL; MY SCHOOL!!
And I want my school to be great … the question is … DO YOU?
Here ends this morning’s reading.
Thomas Kempen
Deputy Head Prefect

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