Creating the confidence to impact our world
Stuart West, Executive Headmaster
This year, 2023, has been a wonderful celebration of our 125th birthday. St John’s College has shaped generations of Johannesburg families and continues to do its proud and important work.
The launch of the 125 Heritage Exhibition in the Rene England Auditorium on Gaudy Day was a highlight of the year. The 125 Heritage Exhibition is a permanent installation in the Rene England Auditorium. It has three compelling goals. First, to commemorate our rich, proud and profound history and heritage: the light – the distinctive leadership, vision, and service – that helped shape our beautiful College into what it is now. Second, to recognise that St John’s College has been fashioned not only by good times but also by having to rise and then rise again in complex, challenging times. And third, to consider how we might make St John’s College the best it can be for future generations of Johannians.
We are a remarkable school. The College is full, with a high demand for weekly boarding. We increased our boarding capacity by 25 beds this year to accommodate this demand. We have an outstanding teaching staff who bring a wealth of teaching experience, subject knowledge, care and habits of excellence to their classrooms. The IEB Matric continues to give students a well-recognised passport for tertiary opportunities. Our Matric leavers are accepted directly into top South African and overseas universities.
Last year, we achieved excellent Matric results despite the fears of what the pandemic may have stolen. Again, we secured a 100% pass and a 100% bachelor pass. The Class of 2022 achieved a total of 385 subject distinctions.
Proudly, St John’s College has one of the highest uptakes of students taking Mathematics and Physical and Life Sciences in the IEB. In addition, our current UVs have achieved 21 Academic Honours and 43 Colour awards. That is just under half the Form.
There are few boys' schools in South Africa, and may I say the world, that can match our consistently excellent academic record.
We have an extensive global Old Johannian Association network. During the midyear break, I hosted 50 Old Johannians (OJs) in New York and 230 in London as we strive to build strong relationships with the global network of OJs worldwide. All of them began their journeys at St John’s College, and we have a rich and extensive heritage of OJs who have gone on to defining careers and offer important mentoring networks worldwide.
St John’s College stands as a beacon of excellence and hope in the heart of this city. We have an unrivalled reputation for academic achievement for all, where it is cool to work hard, where boys have high expectations of themselves and where young men develop habits of excellence in their academic work and personal lives. This academic legacy is embedded in a rich environment of sporting, cultural and leadership opportunities that are framed and maintained by our core Anglican ethos and values.
We believe the real goal of education is to enable the children in our care to become something more than they were before: better thinkers, more able, more resilient, more capable, more ethical, making the world a better place. We work hard to ensure that our St John’s College students are world-ready and future-fit. In an ever-evolving, complex and globalised context, we encourage our students to believe they have agency and can take action to change the world in meaningful ways.
According to James Anderson, an educational leader based in Australia, when schools grasp and use the concept of learner agency, it provides a vehicle for accomplishing one of the most important educational goals: training and equipping of students with the confidence and competence to take the initiative and effective action in an uncertain future, and to meaningfully impact their world.
The innovative Perspectives course, designed for our Remove and Lower IV year groups, focuses on global competencies, active and responsible citizenship and a respect for diverse perspectives. The curriculum revolves around the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and explores current local and international events, social justice and economic sustainability. I have loved designing and teaching the My Joburg module, which promotes discussion, debate, curiosity and awareness.
The recent Tutu Memorial Walk reminded us how connected we are to our community and community partners in this city. Our Prep and College academies, which partner with nearby community schools, give us a sense of hope, agency and responsibility. Every week, we welcome around 150 boys from local schools to participate in the Academy's academic, sporting and mentorship programmes, which augment the work of their respective schools.
The College is proud of its Academy partnership with Highlands North Boys’ High and Barnato Park High School, which this year includes a new Grade 9 Maths Enrichment Programme at both schools, led by College teachers and interns. More than 60 students are currently participating. Grade 9 is crucial in the South African education system, and enhancing maths skills during this year will boost students' confidence in the subject and potentially influence their future career choices.
2023 has also borne witness to an exceptional cultural and sports year. Four students ranked in the Top 100 in the English Olympiad, two of whom made the Top 25. In the Maths Olympiad, we had nine students who placed in the Top 100, two of whom made the Top 10.
Our staff hosted two overseas cultural trips. The Life Orientation Cultural European Tour took 60 students to major cities in Europe and the United Kingdom, and 28 students on the Drama tour spent two weeks in the UK experiencing theatre, workshops and backstage tours. Closer to home, Mr Martin Huysamer and 50 College and Sixth Form students participated in a residential community service project in the Hammanskraal/Dinokeng area during the April holidays, doing volunteer work at animal shelters, community primary schools, the Roodeplaat Dam, and with differently abled youngsters.
Khumo Kumalo represented the South African National Debating team at the World Schools' Debating Championships in Vietnam. Khumo, an accomplished debater, also represented South Africa on the Junior team in 2021.
It was an honour to hear the outstanding Matric music performances as our students concluded their final music examination preparations. The prestigious annual Roedean Music competition had 127 entries in total, with six of our students making it to the finals. We received four first-place finishes, winning three of the five categories, once again demonstrating the extraordinary talent of our College musicians and staff.
During the Easter Term, Darragh Hall hosted a wonderful Supper and Song concert, with more than 200 visitors treated to stunning repertoires from the choir, Symphony Orchestra, String Ensemble, Wind Band and Big Band. At our Light on the Night event, College musicians awed the thousands who attended, complementing the magnificent light show by acclaimed artist Marcus Neustetter, in collaboration with OMAi, and Mango Groove’s energetic performance. We congratulate Mr Sidumo Nyamazele and the Mzansi Youth Choir on making it to the America's Got Talent finals this year and for flying the St John’s College flag there.
This year's annual Major Production was the dynamic musical Hani - The Legacy, which played to sold-out performances. Members of the Hani family attended the concerts, and Mrs Limpho Hani, who was greatly moved by the production, thought it remarkable that a youthful, contemporary cast could relate to her husband's story so powerfully. Ms Lindiwe Hani, the late Chris Hani's daughter, shared her profound personal story at this year's Hugh Lewin Memorial Lecture on Human Rights Day.
We were thrilled with this year's FEDA festival results. Our two student-directed productions, Freak and Firehouse, addressed current concerns and were bravely and brilliantly performed. St John's was ranked in the top 15 for both productions, while Firehouse was named the festival winner after claiming the Best Production and Best Director awards.
In celebration of our 125 years, we hosted several important sporting festivals – the prestigious annual Basketball Tournament and Rugby Festival, as well as Hockey, Cricket, Tennis, Water Polo and Soccer Tournaments and Festivals organised by our brilliant sports department to honour this milestone. In March, we also hosted the inaugural High-Performance Summit, which featured local and international speakers and provided a forum for school sports and performance professionals to engage, share ideas and develop their roles.
The new indoor Aquatic Centre was opened by Prof Jon Patricios (Clayton 1986), OJ and previous Chair of Council. I applaud the profound generosity of the many parent donors who supported this project. The centre was nominated for an Architectural and Engineering Steel Award — and earlier this year, our new Prep school building was recognised with a Merit Award from the South African Institute for Architecture.
Ringing the Victory Bell is a proud College tradition. The Victory Bell was introduced by the 2005 prefects, and when an equivalent College First team wins at the highest level possible, the Head of School sounds the bell. We had four teams ring the Victory Bell this year: the Chess A team for winning their league, our first Water Polo team for winning the King Edward VII School Tournament for the second year in a row, our first Tennis team for winning the Sun City competition, and the Firehouse cast for winning FEDA. One noteworthy aspect of the Chess team's success over the years is that Yashil Modi has only lost one game during his whole College career.
In Cricket, Luke Francis was selected to attend a National U19 camp and scored more than 800 runs in the calendar season, while 11 cricketers were selected for the Gauteng provincial cricket teams, including Cole Francis for the Lions U19A team, and Luke Francis, Christopher Ford and Joe MacRobert for the Gauteng U19 Regional team.
The Rowing Club came second overall at the Gauteng Championships, and Zain Newman represented South Africa at the Junior World Rowing Championships in Paris, where he rowed in a coxed four. To add to our first Water Polo team's fine showing in the Clifton and SACS tournaments, we had 29 players represent Gauteng across all age groups. In Swimming, Michael Van Heerden qualified to compete in the Senior National Aquatic Championship, where he gained invaluable experience racing against Olympian champions. Bruno Cochrane participated in the World Canoe Marathon in Denmark and achieved a ranking of fourth in the world.
Our first Hockey team delivered strong performances at the King Edward VII School Easter Festival, with a notable 1-0 win against Jeppe on our new Astro. TJ Chalmers was selected for the South African U18B side, Mr Anthony Woodhouse was the performance analyst for the South African Schools’ U18 team, and Mr Gilbert de Villiers was the SA U16 assistant coach.
The fiercely competitive Rugby season celebrated many of our teams claiming significant derby triumphs. The 1st XV had a successful season, with notable achievements during the Easter Rugby Festival and the Grey Tour. Dominique Kamangu and Kyle Watson were selected for the U17 Lions squad, and Mr Katleho Lynch coached the Lions Craven Week Squad, as well as the SA U18 team.
This year’s expanded soccer season saw us play 120 games and compete in several festivals, with the inclusion of derby fixtures for the first time. The first team beat Pretoria Boys twice, and all teams that attended festivals finished in respectable positions.
William Mills, a highly accomplished national cyclist, competed in the African Continental Track Championship in Egypt, winning three medals. William is also commended for his impressive work in conceiving, developing, and leading the St John's College Academy cycling programme for the past three years. He transformed a group of boys, most of whom had never ridden a bike, into a 20-person squad that regularly competes in the local Mountain Bike school racing series. This is a significant and valued contribution to our College.
Meanwhile, Alexander Tafur represented South Africa at the Junior Fencing World Championships held in Bulgaria in April and competed in the U20 Men's Epee Individual and Team Events – an outstanding achievement.
In 2023, it is appropriate that we look back and celebrate 125 years of this remarkable, magnificent College, knowing that it is our time to dream, our time to imagine a new chapter in our Venture of Faith, our time to work diligently and faithfully to guarantee that St John's lights the way to rightly train generations of Johannians to come, in body, mind and character.
I remind us of the prayer penned in 1931 by Fr Charles Runge: “O Lord, who hast warned us, that Thou will require much of those to whom much is given, grant that we, whose lot is cast in so goodly a heritage, may strive together the more abundantly, to extend to others, what we so richly enjoy.
This is an extract from the address by Mr Stuart West, Executive Headmaster at St John’s College, at the Upper V Speech Day.