A REDHILL resident and avid cyclist is dedicating all her races this year to the memory of four pupils, Tamia Mooroogasen, 13, Saisha Shampersad, 14, Andrea Thaver, 17, and Caitlyn Oliver, 14, who were tragically killed in an accident last year. They were travelling in a minibus with about 12 people on their way back from an adventure camp when a truck collided with the vehicle.
A staff member at the school, Wendy Classen, dedicated her Cape Argus cycle race, which she completed on Sunday, to the girls. The 40-year-old had the acronym ACTS (Andrea, Caitlyn, Tamia and Saisha), which stands for the first names of the girls killed in the accident, on her race jersey as she completed the race.
“I’ve been cycling for five years and I’ve done a number of local races and I decided this year to dedicate my race to the memory of the girls who lost their lives. I will also be fundraising for the ACTS project that the school recently launched. This is something close to the teachers’ and my heart, and I will be riding with the acronym on my back for a number of races this year to show that the school’s love and unity after the tragedy will always be there,” she said.
Principal of the school, Vernon David, said the gesture was about ‘honouring the memory of the girls’.
“The tragedy of 12 June will be intertwined in the school’s DNA and is a defining moment in our school. The ACTS project is a new high school wing which will be named after the pupils who lost their lives. It will be a centre for academic and non-academic pupils and will be about promoting the school’s purpose, which is guiding individual learners to their place of full potential
“No student should ever feel that they are not good enough, and it is the aim of Victory Christian Academy to help the learner discover their God-given purpose and abilities. In this way, we will forever remember these amazing young girls,” he said.
