PORT Natal School in uMbilo has welcomed a new principal, Dennis Beukes, who was appointed on February 19 and who started his duties as head of the local school on February 26.
Beukes has 30 years of teaching experience under his belt and is originally from the Northern Cape. “I started off as a post-level-one teacher for about six years, and then, I was nominated to help open another school and work as a temporary HOD at that establishment. During that time, a deputy-principal post opened up. I applied, and I was appointed for the next five years. I then applied for the post of principal at a former model-C school. I was appointed and spent five years there. For my next position, I went to a former model-C school where I was the first principal of colour, and I spent seven years there.”
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Beukes said he always strived to maintain a good reputation in the education industry and led every school he went to with God in his heart. “I was then head-hunted to assist a poor-performing school in a rural area. I then took a break because there is a lot of pressure on principals, and I wanted to decide what I would do next. I started teaching online classes for seven campuses in China in Biology. But once I saw the job position for principal of this school, which has so much history, I knew I had to apply, and here I am.”
Beukes is the first principal of colour at Port Natal School and says he thinks he is the perfect fit for this position. “When I was a principal at two different schools and a deputy principal before that, they were both former model-C schools, and I think I was well-prepared for Porties. I am unapologetically a Christian and have faith that God put me here at this specific stage to take this school forward.”
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The new school head encourages parents to send their children to Port Natal. “The school offers two streams: an English stream and an Afrikaans stream. This year, English was introduced in Grade Nine, next year it will be introduced in Grade 10, then the following year, Grade 11 and so on, until we have a parallel medium, with both English and Afrikaans being offered at this school. Port Natal is one of the few schools left in KwaZulu-Natal that offers an Afrikaans stream, and even if you live far, we have a place for kids to board. We are welcoming of all children.”
“We also want to call our alumni to ‘Come through to the school, and give back to your school’. We have people like Marcell Coetzee, the current captain of the Blue Bulls, who ran out in his Port Natal School socks at a previous game to show what school he had come from. We have TV anchors, lawyers, athletes and doctors – so many amazing men and women who come from this school – and we are calling you to come here and speak with our kids and show them that they can have a bright future, too,” said Beukes.
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