PENZANCE Primary School celebrated its 100th birthday with a special assembly on Monday, 17 February.
At the assembly, deputy head, Mr Robert Webber, told the learners all about the history of their school.
The school, then named Penzance Road Government School, officially opened its doors on 16 February 1920. Mr Lionel Day was appointed headmaster and the school opened with 54 pupils on the register. Penzance then went up to Grade 8. When the school was built it was surrounded by bush and the road to Umbilo was a sandy one.
Webber mentioned how during WWII, arches of the school had been bricked up in 1939 to protect the children from the dangers of the war. He said on 9 November 1957, Penzance celebrated the official opening of the Robert Mason School hall, named after principal Robert Mason.
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In the 70s, the school released an LP record of music from the choir and orchestra. In 1976 a library and infants’ classrooms were built and on 1 March 1983, the Ron McLeod Swimming Pool, was officially opened. The school received its first group of teacher assistants in 1999 and in 1996, computers were introduced to the school.
In 2001, the old Post Office building was transformed into the Penzance Pre-Primary School, which had 18 learners, and in 2007 the Nkulisa Aftercare and Homework Club Centre was completed. The Learner Support Centre was opened to accommodate a Speech and Language Therapist, and Occupational Therapist in 2013, and in 2017, the “Lynne Gill Performing Arts Department” was officially opened in the Nkulisa Centre. From 2019 to now, the building of a Sports Pavilion is underway and for the centenary year, a new badge and centenary branding was introduced. Plans for this year include funding and building a tech lab at the school.
“It is important to remember our history and where the school comes from,” said principal Hennie Havemann, before the cake was cut by Mr Havemann, Jean Reid, retired teacher and Lynne Gill, retired deputy principal.
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