St Mary’s, Waverley turns 126

This year Johannesburg’s oldest girls’ school, St Mary’s School, Waverley, celebrated its 126th anniversary.

The day’s festivities began with the school celebrating the Patronal Eucharist. The school’s headmistress Deanne King said the theme for this year’s celebrations was ‘Light’ and the sermon, readings, prayers and Liturgy were centred on that. After the Eucharist, the entire school had a picnic on the sports field, the matric girls having cooked bacon and eggs. The birthday cake was cut and the school’s well-loved, traditional war cry Oh When the Saints was sung.

The special guest for the event was Reverend Dr Vicentia Kgabe, a rector at St Michael and All Angels, Weltevreden Park, which is part of the Anglican Diocese of Johannesburg. St Mary’s School, Waverley, is an independent school for girls from Grade R to matric. King said, “We are an Anglican school, a girls’ school and an old school.” The headmistress said the school was established in 1888 and emanates the spirit and integrity as reflected in its Anglican tradition. “Although proud to embrace its history, the school is also committed to providing a dynamic, relevant education for each girl in the 21st century,” King said.

She added that St Mary’s girls are drawn from a wide spectrum of society and are open, friendly, confident and comfortable with their individuality. “The school remains unpretentious, real and relevant,” King concluded.