The 2nd term at our school was a term of many “firsts” which is important, as it goes a long way to creating traditions which are so essential to an established school.
We enjoyed a busy term with a healthy mix of sporting and cultural activities on offer. Shortly after returning from the holidays, we hosted the first ever Centurus Prefects’ Ball. Prefects and staff from the high schools in the group were treated to an evening of great company, fine food and dancing. The event was a huge success and sees the start of a new tradition at our schools.
The second term is historically very busy with numerous netball, rugby and hockey fixtures taking place. We hosted two Derby Days, the first with St Dunstans and the second with Pecanwood. The build-up to the Pecanwood Derby Day was phenomenal. During the traditional “amping session” in the hall the day before, our school song was sung with much enthusiasm and gusto – a sign of good things to come. We hosted a most successful day with outstanding results being chalked up against some very tough competition. We were very proud to see our sports men and women winning the day and bringing home the highly coveted “Sim-Farrer Cup”.
Our hockey girls have done exceptionally well this season. Our U15 and Open Teams went through to the league finals and our 1st Team went on to win the Noorvall League. This is a phenomenal achievement. We are very proud of our hockey girls!
The annual Science Expo was held at the start of May. We were treated to very high standards and incredible displays of ingenuity by our pupils. We also hosted a very successful Careers Expo, with exhibitors from a wide variety of careers and fields of expertise. I do believe that this expo proved to be a very worthwhile exercise and I am sure that our pupils and parents derived a great deal of value from it.
The Inter-house play festival was held during the school day for the first time this year, a concept which worked really well. The whole school watched our pupils direct and star in their own plays and our audience was entertained with some really good performances.
Yet another first this term was the inaugural “Centurus Schools’ SleepoutTM”. On the 19th of June, staff and pupils from our school attended the sleepout which was hosted by Pecanwood College. The idea behind the initiative was for us to gain empathy for vulnerable communities and to provide unique insight into social issues that are currently being faced in South Africa. We spent a fun-filled (albeit very chilly) night out under the stars, sleeping on cardboard boxes (no pillows allowed). We look forward to this initiative growing in the years to come.
Towards the end of the term we followed our Head of Sport, Mr Andrew Barnes, while he competed in the European International Athletics season. Mr Barnes raced in seven 400m races in Belgium, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic. He achieved one 3rd place and four 1st places, a phenomenal accomplishment. Mr Barnes will now be enjoying a well-deserved rest before he starts training again with a view to trying out for the 2018 South African Commonwealth Team. We congratulate Mr Barnes on his achievements and wish him all the best for the months ahead.
This term, we launched our 2018 Tour to Eastern Europe. The twelve day tour will take place during the August holidays next year and includes visits to the Czech Republic, Poland, Austria, Slovenia and Italy. This was met with a great deal of interest and enthusiasm and the tour was quickly filled. A tour abroad will become a regular feature on our calendar and we look forward to many more exciting tours in the future.
The August holiday saw another “first” taking place. The newly created Adventure Club embarking on their inaugural adventure. The idea behind the Adventure Club is for us to expose our pupils to the many wonderful (and exciting) destinations on offer within the borders of our own country. For their first trip, they went white river rafting, hiking and enjoyed many more outdoor activities in the Golden Gate National Park area.
As part of our 10 Year Birthday celebrations, our PTA hosted the first ever TVC Winter Festival. The festival was such a success that I have no doubt it will become a regular feature on our calendar.
Tyger Valley College is a small school with a big heart. Our pupils never cease to surprise me and I look forward to watching them continue to excel and grow in the years to come.
Mr Clyde Mac Donald
High School Principal
