Mr Mickey Mashego, Head of Community Engagement, extended a heartfelt welcome to the newest members of St John’s Academy during the Welcome and Induction Service in the Memorial Chapel on Tuesday, 6 February. It was a special occasion as we embraced our incoming Grade 6 students to the Prep Academy and celebrated the arrival of the Grade 10 Class of 2026 to the College Academy.
"A warm Academy welcome to our incoming Grade 6 students in the Prep Academy and our Grade 10s in the College who have earned their place after completing the Grade 9 Maths Programme.
We are also pleased to welcome two students, Miles Zwankinyu and Bindusa Ntumba, who graduated from the Prep Academy and are joining us in the Grade 10 group this year. They are the first students to have experienced the full Academy journey as Prep Academy and Grade 9 Maths Programme alumni.
I would also like to extend a warm welcome to our returning teachers and coaches, as well as those joining the Academy for the first time. Mr Nathan Tshava, a former Academy student and engineering graduate, joins us in the Grade 9 Maths programme, where he will assist at Highlands North.
As I’ve previously mentioned to our staff, we are privileged to work with such an incredible group of young people, and I am confident that 2024 will be as fulfilling and rewarding as always.
The Minister of Basic Education announced the NSC matric results of the Class of 2023, which saw a pass rate of 82.9% – a 2.8 percentage point increase from the previous year. It was heartening to see that, as a country, we are beginning to see a recovery following the devastating COVID pandemic, which left the education sector reeling. While I firmly believe we are not yet out of the woods, the current trend is encouraging.
Our Matric Class of 2023 achieved 12 Distinctions and 29 B symbols, with 64% of the boys achieving Bachelor Passes. Congratulations to the following students who excelled: Daniel Mboyo who achieved As in Mathematics and Geography, Abraham Kazadi who achieved As in Mathematics and Geography, and Tendai Kwapata achieved two As. We await results from several remarks and hope to increase that tally.
So my message to you all remains the same: Practice makes perfect and true genius is 1% talent and 99% practice. So, to the Matric class of 2024 in particular, start practising for your final matric exams today! Your final matric results start today – not tomorrow, in June, or in October. In his book Outliers, about the 10,000 Hours Rule, Malcolm Gladwell suggests it takes approximately 10,000 hours of practice to build expertise in a particular craft or skill. While this may not be scientifically precise, he does provide several examples that emphasize the importance of practice.
To the Grade 6s and 7s, we hope you enjoy your time with us, and we look forward to welcoming some of you back to the College Academy in years to come. — An excerpt from the address by Mr Mickey Mashego, Head of Community Engagement.
The St John’s College Academy is an after-school enrichment programme promoting excellence in Mathematics, Physical Science, English, and Life Skills to academically talented Grade 10, 11 and 12 boys attending schools in our neighbouring communities of Yeoville, Berea, Hillbrow and Alexandra. The programme has been extended to include Grades 6 and 7 in the critical preparatory phase, and intern teachers support Grade 9 students at their schools. Recently, additional funding has allowed St John’s to introduce and integrate a range of sporting and cultural activities and other valuable experiences, all key to a holistic education. Included is a ‘learn to swim’ programme and a leadership camp.
For more information on the St John's College Academy, and how you can support this initiative, click here.