Principal of Marist Brothers Linmyer Gary Norton is serving his final year as principal at the school.
In an interview with the CHRONICLE, he expressed his pride in what the school has achieved throughout the years and especially so in 2020 despite the many challenges.
“I have been with the school since 1998 as an acting principal and I will be retiring this year. This year is also a special year for me since I collected the matric results for the last time,” he said.
He is extremely happy that the learners in 2020 have performed very well, yielding good matric results, especially with the challenging year everyone has faced.
“Even though last year was a challenging year with Covid-19, I am grateful for the teachers who upskilled themselves, learning a new method to be able to teach learners online.
“Parents were also there to support the learners even though they were also going through a difficult time not being able to secure their jobs, where some did not receive any income. Other parents had to close businesses,” said the principal.
“Even the matrics of last year were anxious and unsure if they will be able to cope with their studies. At the end of the day, we are all blessed and grateful for the situation we have faced and conquered and that our learners did well.
“If it wasn’t for the team, we would have not been able to survive and work towards helping the learners achieve what they did,” he said.
Good memories
Nortin admitted he has mixed feelings about leaving the school and there are many things he is going to miss.
“I have been with the children and staff members for several years and they have become like family to me. When I had to hand over my keys yesterday, I knew it was time for me to step over.
“For the last 24 years we have done so much with changes of the curriculum, developing staff, and the development of building the school,” he said.
He said they had to be very competitive with independent schools, achieving quite a lot over the years.
“It gives me great satisfaction that I am not leaving problems for someone else to sort out. I also want the school to know if they need help with something I will still lend a helping hand.
“As much as I am no longer with the school, I am still part of it,” he said.
“I am going to miss a lot of the things we have done. I believe I am going to leave the school in good hands and for whoever is going to be in charge, to continue developing the school further.”
He said he will get involved in community work after leaving the school and that he will assist where he can.
