Governing Body
Parel Vallei’s newly elected Governing Body
Congratulations to the newly elected Governing Body. May you be blessed with the necessary wisdom and insight to guide our parents, learners and pupils to excellence in the changing world we are living in.
You have our full support and we know that you will acquit yourselves of your duties with responsibility and enthusiasm.
Back, from left: Richard McNally (non-educator), Darryl Spijkers (educator), Paul Botha, Dawie Malan, Werner Kleinschmidt (treasurer), Rev. Greg Blair (deputy chairman), Megan Mol (head girl).
Front: Lindie Strydom, Linda van der Merwe (educator), David Schenck (headmaster), Johan van der Spuy (chairman), Nicola de Jager.
Absent: Dylan Janse van Rensburg (head boy).
Message from our chairman: Johan van der Spuy
‘Excellence in a changing world’
In the time it took me to write the above line, the world would have devoured 250 cups of coffee and 70 cups of tea (yes, I Googled it!). More concerning is that by now about 10 tons of waste has been thrown into the world’s oceans and by the time I have finished writing this message it would probably have risen to more than 1000 tons. So, the solution is to write faster!
The fact is that the world is changing, and it is changing fast. We are seeing the rapid introduction of new technologies into our everyday lives. Cellphones have become a necessity and it is assumed that all homes have access to the internet. But where does this leave us as the Governing Body of Parel Vallei? For one, we are now able to have our monthly meetings online (although it is not preferred).
Over the past 35 years, Parel Vallei High School (our school) has built up an impressive track record. With this build-up has come an elite echelon of teachers and staff who serve not only our learners, but eventually also our community. How does our school proceed into this changing world? For one, 35 years do not bring a lot of baggage, so our school can travel fast and light.
The challenge for our school is to use what our predecessors have built up and to continue feeding the Mind, Body and Spirit, not just of our learners, but also our parents and the community in which we live. Our school needs to find innovative ways in which it can ensure that our learners are not left behind by this changing world. Not all our learners may achieve a distinction in the matric exams, but what about being the next South African to sing in the Vienna State Opera, or winning the Dakar Rally, or being the first Parel Valleier on Mars?
The next three years will be but a moment in the greater expanse of the universe, but as a Governing Body, we would be proud if one day, we can look back and say that we also made a (even if only a teeny-weeny small) contribution to building our school, to the benefit of each one of our learners, to building our community.
So, where does the Blue Thread stop? The answer is quite simple: It does not!