The relationship between Staff, Parents, Old Boys and the Community is vital in support of the African proverb of “It takes a village to raise a child”. I thank all role players for their dedication and support throughout this term in the development of our Boys. The pure weight of activities and events taking place at DHS makes it impossible to reflect on them all. I do, however, need to mention the accolade that makes me the proudest: the continuous positive comments and compliments of our Boys from members of the public reflects our commitment to the values of our motto … Producing gentlemen of character.
We welcomed Mr Gavin Goodwin, Mr Steve la Marque, Mr Nathan Pillay and Ms Leigh Meyer to the staff this term. Our maintenance team have been hard at work and we can be extremely proud of how the campus is starting to look. I thank Mr Maree and his team.
I also thank the DHS Foundation for their support and assistance in various aspects of the School. Most recently being the replacement of our hall stage. Our wonderful School would be all the poorer without the assistance of the Old Boys.
The Matrics have just completed their Trials Examinations and we look forward to seeing the results of their endeavours. It is, however, important to note that the results will be a reflection of the academic vigour and application from the earlier grades. Too many boys believe that they only need to start being serious about their academics once they enter their Grade 12 year. I urge parents to instil an ethic of hard work into their sons from a younger age. A culture of hard work takes years to cultivate. Your sons’ results are a reflection of your expectation. Expect the best from him. As they saying goes, “parents who are afraid to put their foot down usually have children who step on their toes.”
Our excellent cultural and sports offering and results have been presented throughout the term on various platforms. We are extremely proud of the achievements of our boys and most importantly, their sportsmanship. While it is too difficult to mention all our successes, a mention needs to be made of some notable achievements and successful events:
Unbeaten Chess Season
3 SA Schools Rugby Players
Crowned 2017 SA Schools Badminton Champs
2 Rugby Players invited to attend the SARU U17 Assessment Camp in Wellington
4 Sevens Rugby Players selected for Sharks U17
8 Soccer Players selected for KZN teams, from U19 to U14
1 Soccer Player invited to attend the SA U20 Training Camp
3 Boys toured with KZN Youth Orchestra and received 4 firsts in Barcelona
Phendulani Buthelezi selected as Captain of the Sharks team at Craven Week
Winning numerous Rugby Sevens Tournaments
Grade 10 Leadership excursion to Khotso
3 Boys selected for training at the Euro Soccer School in Italy
Hosted a Rugby Sevens Tournament
Hosted a Football Tournament
Introduction of a Sailing Club
Introduction of ePlatform Books
Zulu Cultural Evening
Matric Dance
We wish all Boys and teams participating in the various trials and tournaments all the best over the holidays. While we celebrate the achievements of our boys, they in turn must recognise the efforts of their parents and coaches in supporting their successes.
We are excited about some initiatives that we want to roll out soon in ensuring that DHS remains a leading and relevant institution that prepares our boys for a fast evolving world. The future requires for less content and for more skills from them and we need to ensure that we are “future proofing” our children. Our accreditation as a Cambridge Centre is just an example of some of our initiatives.
While we are driven by the vision of “being the school of the future”, we will also remain rooted in our values. To this end I remind the boys to remain safe, be healthy and behave appropriately during this short holiday period. While you may not wear your DHS uniform on the outside, you still carry the image of DHS on the inside. Let every member of the public see that you are indeed a proud DHS boy “for as you are, so is your school.”
A D Pinheiro
14th Head Master
Durban High School
