St Stithians community take up 947 Cycle Challenge to assist Thandulwazi

SANDTON – 58 members of the Saints community rode the Telkom 947 Cycle Challenge to raise funds for the scholarship of a disadvantaged child.

November 24, 2017

Sarah Koning 2 minutes read

Team Thandulwazi riders show thumbs-up ahead of the 947 Cycle Challenge.

For the fourth year in a row, Team Thandulwazi, comprising cyclists of the St Stithians community saddled up and rode for a purpose at the Telkom 947 Cycle Challenge.

The team’s goal was to raise funds for the Thandulwazi Maths and Science Academy to support an academic scholarship for a high potential Further Education and Training (FET) phase student from a previously disadvantaged background.

Bev Johnson, deputy head of advancement at St Stithians College said, “Fifty-eight riders, the youngest of whom is 12, wore their Thandulwazi shirts on Sunday morning and cycled the gruelling 94,7 km route through Joburg in support of education.

“Included in this number was the chair of the St Stithians College Council, Mr Carel Nolte; the rector of St Stithians College, Dr Tim Nutall; the head of St Stithians Girls’ College, Dr Sally James and her husband Jon; and head of advancement Mr Alistair Stewart and his wife Ruth.”

A number of dad and lad teams, husband and wife teams and family teams all took to the road for a good cause, either individually or in teams.

A few of the St Stithians College staff smile in eager anticipation of the 947 Cycle Challenge – Dr Sally James, head of St Stithians Girls’ College; Dr Tim Nuttall, rector of St Stithians College; Alistair Stewart, head of Advancement at St Stithians College; Gavin Olivier, incoming deputy head of St Stithians Boys’ Preparatory and current teacher at the school; and Julie Arguile, teacher at St Stithians Girls’ College.

The Thandulwazi Maths and Science Academy celebrated its 12th anniversary this year. The academy was established by St Stithians Foundation in 2005 to bring under one umbrella a number of St Stithians educational initiatives and community engagement programmes.

“From small beginnings, the Thandulwazi Maths and Science Academy has grown organically since its inception,” said Johnson. “In 2017, some 2 588 students and teachers from under-resourced schools across Gauteng and Limpopo benefitted from the educational programmes provided.”

Now, the largest of its kind in the country, the academy facilitates teacher upskilling workshops on Saturdays for 1 000 educators in Gauteng and more than 400 Limpopo-based teachers. The Thandulwazi Saturday School provides curriculum enrichment for more than 150 high schools across greater Gauteng.

The fundraising was made possible by Thandulwazi’s supporters and generous funders, both corporate and individuals.