The King’s School’s netball team takes bronze on first attempt

WHITE RIVER – The King’s School’s u/11 netball team recently won its first-ever bronze medal at the Mpumalanga Netball Championships in Standerton on June 7.

This was the first time that the school had entered a netball squad for the championships and showcased a bit of what King’s had to offer.

“The team only had a month to prepare and the girls did the whole school proud with their achievement. They can only grow in the future,” said sport coordinator, Ms Joan du Plessis.

The girls were smiling, laughing and showing off their talents even before the team photo was taken. Enthusiasm and passion for the game was an important aspect that these kids conveyed.

After undergoing trials, the squad qualified for pool B of the tournament. The team played against seven schools from all over Mpumalanga which included Laerskool Standerton, Laerskool Secunda, Carissa Primary and Mthayisa Primary, among others.

“The championship gives the girls an opportunity to grow in the sport and there is a much greater interest in netball since the team won the bronze medal,” said coach, Ms Lynette van Jaarsveld.

According to Joan, the school’s sport has progressed immensely since Van Jaarsveld arrived at King’s three months ago. “The girls love netball and are really having fun at the same time. We also have from u/10 to u/13 squads that we want to see succeed.”

Reminiscing about humble beginnings

Ms Alma Coetzee, head of the admin office at the school for the past 16 years, is the longest-serving employee on the premises.

“Much has changed at the school for the better since I started here. The staff has grown immensely and the learners have grown from 110 to 455,” says Coetzee as she holds the school’s 2001 staff photo in her hand. In the centre of the photo sits the catalyst of The Kings School, Mr André Naudé, who decided to start a Christian-based school for the children of missionaries in 1987.

“We did not have uniforms to begin with so our first group of 20 learners, ranging from grades 1 to 10, lined up in ordinary clothes,” Naudé stated in a King’s School brochure. He

and his wife Ruth, managed the school on their own with moms willingly helping out with admin and supervising.

This is a far cry from The King’s School of today. At present there are over 450 learners with the school target of 500 by next year, clearly in reach. The school houses learners from grades R to 10 with more renovations and progress in the pipeline.

“In January we finished the new hostel and are currently busy constructing new buildings to accommodate more pupils. We aim to register grade 11s in 2015 and grade 12s in 2016,” said Coetzee.

IT savvy

The fully functional computer centre is a bonus for developing schoolchildren to excel in a real world which is dominated by technology. Another addition to The King’s School is the focus on technology and its benefit in the classrooms.

“Every learner in the school now uses eduPads – an electronic tablet that incorporates built in study material for every class session.

“Teachers communicate through Dropbox to communicate and send material to the pupils. The learners can then work through the sessions again at home if they have Wi-Fi in their area,” said Mr Andrew Maseko, IT technician at the school.

“The bonus is that learners don’t have to carry loads of textbooks to school each day. It lightens their load,” he added.

The headmaster of the school, Regina Terblanche, was unavailable for comment during Lowvelder’s visit.