College News

A MESSAGE FROM THE RECTOR’S DESK

This past weekend, we thoroughly enjoyed some excellent sport at our Derby Day against Dainfern. I congratulate our teams for their hard work and commitment in giving of their best. I personally appreciated the opportunity to connect with their Executive Headmaster and Chaplain and enjoyed sharing our similar experiences and underlying school values.

With the numerous facility upgrades undertaken over the years, together with the initial feedback from our OISESA surveys, we can be proud to be part of such a fine school. I am extremely grateful to lead what I believe to be truly the best independent school in Ekurhuleni and beyond.

On Friday, our student leaders presented certificates to the winners of the St Dunstan’s College Students’ Choice Awards. This marketing initiative provided our students with a wonderful opportunity to endorse some of their favourite businesses in Benoni and to connect with the broader community. We look forward to continuing this initiative in the years ahead. The interdependence between the school and the wider community is an obvious one, but this project has further strengthened that connection.

Over the past few weeks, we have achieved some exceptional results in both hockey and netball. We wish our 1 Hockey Team boys every success as they prepare for their final Aitken match, which will determine promotion within their division.

We also congratulate our two netball teams that have qualified for the provincial playoffs. This is a significant achievement and a testament to their hard work, commitment and teamwork throughout the season. We wish them every success.

I remind all parents that we require every student to participate in a sport and a cultural activity each term. Please ensure that they fulfil their commitment for the entire term, as absenteeism can seriously hamper a team’s ability to function effectively. There is also an important lesson to be learnt in seeing a commitment through to the end of a season. Our holistic approach to education is what we believe enables each individual to reach their full potential.

Finally, it gives me great pleasure to announce the addition of two new staff members to our school community. Within the Sports Department, a new position of Head of Boys’ Sport has been created in response to the continued growth of our sports programme and the need to meet the increasing workload. Mr Alex Fourie will be joining the school in September. He holds an Honours degree in Sport Science from the University of Johannesburg and currently serves as Fitness Manager at the Rafa Nadal Academy in Kuwait. Prior to this, he was the Head of Sport at Lydenburg High School.

In the English Department, we look forward to welcoming Mrs Taryn Chetty in September. She holds a BA degree from the University of the Witwatersrand and is an experienced senior Matric teacher with IEB marking experience. As we continue to grow and develop as a school, may we remember that excellence is never achieved in isolation. It is built through commitment, teamwork and a shared sense of purpose.

Finally, due to low survey engagement, the proposed student exchange programme to India is on hold for 2026. We still view this as a highly valuable educational opportunity and intend to revisit it for a 2027 launch.

Mr Warwick Taylor