Marist Brothers celebrates 56 years
Marist Brothers Linmeyer kicked off 2022 with a bang celebrating the school's 56th birthday on January 25 with a gift for every learner and a visit from the school’s first principal, Brother Christopher.
The school started in 1966 when the original campus in Koch Street, Hillbrow, was closed down after being at the same location since 1889, making it one of the oldest boy schools in Johannesburg.
The new school was opened on January 25, 1966, with 258 boys from the Koch Street campus with Christopher being the first principal of the new school.
In 1981, with the closure of the St Rose convent for girls in La Rochelle, parents requested Marist Brothers to accept girls and soon after, the school welcomed girls for the first time in its history.
In 1984, the school became the second school in the country to use the TOAM (a Hebrew acronym for test and practice) mobile computer system for three weeks, which the school used to assess the mathematic skills of the learners. 
In 1998, a high school was added, making it cater to learners from Grade One to matric. With many of the alumni returning to the school as either coaches or teachers, the CHRONICLE spoke to a few of them to find out what being part of school meant to them.
Craig Winfield started his schooling in Grade R at the school and matriculated in 2011 before returning later as a sports coach and is currently the sports coordinator for the high school.
Winfield said, “It felt like I never left the school. I’m proud to say my wife is also an alumna of the school and next year, our child will also join the school and become part of the Marist Brother Linmeyer family.”
Andrea Daniel is a second-generation alumna from the school and also has two children in the school. Daniel’s dad was at the Koch Street Campus before it closed, while Daniel was part of the school since she was five years old. 
Daniel said, “We always felt like family since the first day.”
Another teacher that is second-generation at the school is Jacqui Adao. Adao also has deep roots in the school as her dad, husband and children also attended the school.
“The school is always changing, but it’s always a change for the good. The school is always growing,” said Adao.
The school has come far from where it started in 1966 with just 258 learners to the school it is today.
