THE Westville Boys’ High School Foundation was officially launched on 13 March, and more than 120 guests gathered in the Long Room on Bowden’s Field to hear about the progress of the foundation and its future plans.
Despite the foundation (a Section 21 company) having been in legal existence for over a year already, the directors decided to only officially launch the organisation at this time as they wanted to thoroughly complete all the necessary strategic planning and branding.
Errol Stewart, chairman of the foundation, and Trevor Hall, the headmaster of the school, provided guests with a comprehensive overview of the foundation.
During his presentation, Hall emphasised that the funding models of schools like WBHS have fundamentally changed over the last 20 years. In 1996, the State provided 70 per cent of the funding required to run WBHS, while in 2015 the parents had to provide 70 per cent of the funding.
The foundation’s successes to date show it is going to be a permanent part of the school. R2.2-million has already been either donated or pledged. The initial fundraising goal is to raise R10-million by the end of 2016, although the projects planned suggest that the fundraising targets will soon be stretched even further.
Projects that were highlighted as the first priorities of the foundation included the development of two properties in Huberta Road, sharing a boundary with the school, into boarding establishments. A Student Centre, incorporating a drama teaching facility, is also planned.
At the launch, a number of people were thanked for their work thus far in shepherding the foundation to the position in which it could be presented publicly. Stewart noted the contribution of the various directors, including Craig Duff, Gareth Morgan, Craig Coombe, Trevor Hall (headmaster), Lyn Ploos van Amstel (chair of the WBHS Trust), Dieter Kriese (chair of the Old Boys’ Association) and Chris Bruorton (chair of the governing body).
To find out more about the foundation and ways that you can contribute to its work, visit www.wbhsfoundation.co.za.
