The headmistress at Kingsmead College in Rosebank, Lisa Kaplan, reflected on the year from the school’s perspective.
Kaplan said, “This year has been a particularly tumultuous year in the lives of South Africans. We have experienced the very low points of our society with reported cases of xenophobia, gender-based violence, and the worsening economic conditions. We have also experienced incredible highs with the Springboks winning the William Webb Ellis Trophy.”
She added that as schools are a microcosm of this broader society, they have experienced these same highs and lows with their student body. “I am incredibly proud of our students who have shown that they have an opinion and a voice as they stood together in protest against violence against women and environmental issues.”
She proceeded to say that the academic staff have done superb work in the junior and senior schools in their Inquiry-Based Learning (IBL) programme and in the Growth Curriculum, which was implemented this year. Kingsmead is trailblazers in this regard, with many schools now following Kingsmead’s example. Kaplan believes that the face of teaching is going to be changing rapidly over the next few years and Kingsmead is delighted to be leading the change.
“Other highlights of the year include our annual Kingsmead Book Fair in May, our continued service outings and initiatives and the school’s birthday and Goodwill Day in October. We have made strides in terms of our transformation, diversity and inclusion journey with the development of our charter and a central transformation committee to assist in the implementation of various key strategic objectives,” Kaplan said.
She said next year is likely to bring its own challenges but they will continue to make Kingsmead a place of welcome and belonging. A place that produces future women leaders who have empathy and can contribute meaningfully to the communities in which they live.
Kaplan concluded, “We would like to wish our Kingsmead community and neighboring schools a safe, happy and relaxing festive season as we take the time to recharge for, what we are sure will be a challenging but exciting 2020.”
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