The headmaster of Pridwin Prep for the past 16 years Selwyn Marx, will be leaving the school in the capable hands of current St John’s Prep headmaster Patrick Lees from April next year.
Marx started as headmaster at Pridwin in January 2004 after working as a principal at Blairgowrie Primary for 11 years. “Pridwin was quite a change. It was much smaller but the parent community was much wealthier,” said Marx.
He said that the school board embarked on a large building programme and, with only one class per grade in 2004, the school grew under his leadership to three classes per grade in 2017. Since then, Pridwin has become more competitive on the sports field, cycle tests were introduced and the campus was expanded. An agreement was also made to share sports facilities with St Vincent School for the Deaf.
“My focus has been to always ask what is in the best interests of our boys to prepare them effectively for life? We, as staff, have always asked ourselves what skills we need our boys to learn in order to be relevant. Over the years, this has crystallised into two fundamental skills – to be able to solve problems, often in a mathematical sense, and be able to effectively work with people from different ethnic, social and religious backgrounds,” said Marx.
Marx added that he has enjoyed his time at Pridwin, where he describes the boys as being full of joy, energy and curiosity. “The great thing about Pridwin has been its independence. We have been free to follow our dreams when it comes to education and make it special and relevant to the boys, and we have been amply rewarded,” said Marx, adding that learners have filled top leadership roles at their high schools.
Marx said that for a number of years he has dreamed of starting a high school that developed Pridwin’s rather unique ethos, which he hopes to make a reality in 2021.
“Next year, I will be taking a break and will prepare to start a new independent standalone boys’ high school in 2021. The new school will be called Hamilton House and will be a boutique high school with a dedicated focus on STEM subjects.”
Pridwin is excited to have Lees take over the reins from April next year. He comes with a wealth of valuable experience which will stand him in good stead to take Pridwin to new heights.
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