Dear Parents and Guardians

This week, for the first time in 20 months, I was able to address the entire College in an assembly in the Chapel. From virtual assemblies and video messages to the occasional assembly outside and from split assemblies addressing half the school at one time to a full gathering of us all – it was a memorable moment indeed!

As we return to life as we knew it, so we will have to become used to being together again. When we first returned to work after the initial hard lockdown, there was anxiety and apprehension as we didn’t know how school would work and if we would be safe. We made our way through that all, yet there was always something missing. Boys’ schools rely on mass gatherings such as assembly, chapel and sports support to build spirit and that all-important sense of belonging and I hope that with our return to these events comes a greater sense of united purpose on our journey forward.

It has been good to connect with parents and boys in person and not just via email and I ask that we make an effort to get to know each other again. I feel a bit like I have just started at Bishops!

My thanks go to our staff for what they have done as we emerge from the pandemic to give our boys the experiences they so desperately long for. On Saturday we held our first big event, the Sports Day, and it was wonderful to see the full school in attendance with spectators and supporters. My thanks go to Mr Sa-eed Slamdien and his team of athletics staff and officials, Mr Don Murray and his team of ground staff and all those who made this event possible. On Friday I saw the Prep going down to the fields for their sports day while we were gathering the full College for academic Prize Giving. Seeing so many boys enjoying each other’s company was a wonderful sight indeed!

School Rules

We have spent some time developing a new hair policy. A team of boys and staff from a diverse range of backgrounds and cultures worked hard to create a policy that was fair to all yet reflected that we are a school that wears a uniform and chooses to have a policy for personal appearance as part thereof. These boys presented their proposal to the SRF and the staff where it met with approval and will thus be brought into effect. A teacher or House Director may still ask a boy to attend to his hair but if a boy feels his hairstyle does actually conform to requirements, he may appeal to the Hair Committee which comprises the diverse team of boys and staff. They will have the final say on the appropriateness of the hairstyle and will rule accordingly.

Public Behaviour

We have spent some time addressing the issue of public behaviour with our boys, how they represent us in the public domain when competing against other schools or simply being in public while identified as a member of the Bishops community, usually by their still wearing school uniform or an item of clothing with our badge. We want to be proud of who we are and thus rely on us all to give a good impression in public. I ask parents to reinforce this with their sons and insist on high levels of good behaviour and manners when their sons are in public.

Kind regards

Antony Reeler
Principal

Today’s message sought to address the return to gathering together and how we conduct ourselves when faced with one of the greatest challenges our young men will face – the issue of peer pressure and personal belief which can often be a cause for internal conflict. It is so hard for our boys as they desire to fit in, to be part of the collective, yet at times may feel uncomfortable. As always, I hope this leads to some family debate!

What Are You Scared Of?

Spiders? Snakes? Heights? Closed spaces? The dark?

Very few people are not scared of anything, yet when it comes to something I want to share with you now, it terrifies them. The thing I want to talk about today is not an object – it is a feeling. I think most of us, if we are honest with ourselves, suffer from a fear of rejection, of not fitting in, a fear of not belonging in the crowd.

From the moment of our birth and first comprehension, we sought out approval from others – usually our parents as we faithfully repeated the words they taught us and entertained them by our various achievements. Then we got to school and started realising how important it was to be with others and how sad we got when we were shut out from the group. Indeed, one of the worst forms of bullying is called exclusionary bullying.

High school and teenage years are really important in our social development and it is the time when we rely on our peers more than ever before. Even adults are not immune from this need or safe from this fear, and actively seek out the company and approval of other people. I heard a phrase once that stuck with me that said that people “seek out the eyes of another”. They look for a connection. Think about it – when you enter a classroom, we all look round to find someone we know. If you went to a family gathering, you would look for a familiar face. If you went to a party, you look at the eyes of someone else to make a connection.

My message is simple. Firstly, some days you may be the person seeking a connection and some days someone may seek you. Allow that to happen. Secondly, we need to realise that excluding someone from a group or social circle is really unkind, so avoid that if you can. We will not like everyone that we know, but don’t deliberately exclude someone just because it gives you a feeling of power or because it is what others are doing. Thirdly, sometimes we can survive without constant connection. Extroverts battle with this because they get energy from connections with people. Introverts on the other hand get energy from self and don’t necessarily need others. All of us lie on this scale of extra and introversion. Very few people are 100% either way so each of us will have times when we want to connect and times when we don’t. That is fine.

Lastly, with our need to belong, particularly in school, comes a very real danger that we lose our individuality to the group, that our personal morals and beliefs are superseded by the feelings of the group. Basically that we end up doing something we would never normally do, as a result of pressure from our peer group. A saying I heard once is “wrong is wrong, even if everyone is doing it, and right is right even if no-one is doing it”.

Doing right takes courage. Not physical courage but moral courage. JF Kennedy said the following in 1961 when talking about how history would judge us:

“… were we truly people of courage – with the courage to stand up to our enemies – and the courage to stand up, when necessary, to our own associates – to resist public pressure and private greed?”

And so, I close today’s message asking you to acknowledge that we all have a need to belong, to acknowledge that need in others and be sensitive to that, not excluding others. I ask also that you challenge that need to belong at times and seek company with self, in solitude and reflection and, finally, I ask that you realise that the greatest strength of a group with a strong sense of belonging can also be its greatest weakness as a group mentality usurps common sense, good morals and good decisions. Stick to who you are, authentically. Do right by everyone but do right by yourself. 

“Wrong is wrong, even if everyone is doing it, and right is right even if no-one is doing it”

I wish you well for the next two weeks. I shall be away, as previously mentioned, at the SAHISA annual conference and Mr Peter Westwood is Acting Principal in my absence.

In conjunction with Cape Town Pride which commenced on 14th February, Bishops is proud to be putting up posters to educate the boys and spread awareness. Cape Town Pride first started in 1993 and has been held annually ever since to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community.

Shooting

Congratulations to William Jones who has been appointed as Captain of Shooting for 2022.

u14a Waterpolo Tournament Results

The u14a side competed in the Pitcairn waterpolo tournament over the weekend of the 12th and 13th. We played an initial ranking round robin and had great success, coming through unbeaten.
The results were:
V SACS 9-3
V St Andrews 6 -1
V Rondebosch 5-4
V Paul Roos 5-1
V Wynberg 4-3
V Reddam 9-1
V Grey 5-5

We then played Reddam in the quarter Finals, winning easily. The semi-finals proved to be our undoing and we did not play well, succumbing to Rondebosch 3-6. The boys had a physically tough tournament, and learned many good lessons about tournament play which should put them in good stead for the upcoming tournament in Johannesburg.

Congratulations to the 1st Water Polo Team on winning the annual SAC Shield Tournament held at St Andrew’s in Makhanda. In the pool stage, the team topped their pool beating Stirling, St Stithians College, Kingswood College, Clifton, Glenwood House and St Andrew’s College. In the quarterfinals they played Selborne winning 8-7. In the semi-finals Bishops played a strong Clifton side and won on penalties to earn a spot in a final against St John’s College. After being down 1-3 at the early stages, the side pulled back through superb defence to be 4-4 at half-time. In the final chukka, St Johns again pulled ahead by 2 goals, but the tenacity of the Bishops team once again came through as they managed to claw back scoring the equalizing goal just seconds before the final whistle. The team’s semi-final experience in penalty shoot-outs paid off and Bishops came through as deserved winners of the SAC Shield. Brilliant coaching by our new coach Jabulani Sibiya, teamwork and a gritty attitude were key ingredients for this remarkable performance.

The 2nd Water Polo Team travelled to Gqeberha with coach Nicholas Molyneux to play in the Pearson 2nd team tournament. After a tough opening game against Grey High School, where they lost 7-6, the team went on to win all their remaining pool games. They met Selbourne in a playoff game, and with some exceptional defensive work from the whole team, they managed a 6-5 win. Unfortunately, a 5-3 loss in the quarter finals to Rondebosch meant the team could not progress to the top 4. The team eventually finished 5th overall, beating Clifton 8-3 in the 5th/6th playoff. Notable mentions must be made for Jack Lea (GK) who was voted MVP in 2 matches, despite battling an injury, and Ross Walker who was awarded MVP in one match.

Tennis

Joe Phillipson has been selected for the  u15 WC Disa team in tennis. He is ranked # 2 in the team and will be participating in interprovincial competitions in March.

Cricket

Congratulations to the following Bishops' cricketers for their 50+ scores and/or five-wicket hauls v Wynberg last week: Abel Mokwena (1st XI) 111 Rupert Holmes (1st XI): 59 Ross Martin (1st XI): 16-5-31-5 Sebastian McAdam (2nd XI): 16.2-6-29-6 Peyton Leigh (3rd XI): 9-1-23-5 Samuel Stavely-Alexander (15A): 79 Kyle Stirk (15A): 61.

Interact

Interact is back!
Last Sunday morning, the Bishops Interact Club picked up the rakes and spades after a long break to mark the first Liesbeek Garden Clean-up of 2022. The garden was in far worse shape than when we left it last November ahead of the exams. Nevertheless, the boys put on their gloves and began cleaning, trimming and weeding. The boys worked tirelessly to bring the garden back to the pristine condition they left it in last year. Overall, it was an enjoyable morning and a good way to start the year.

This year Interact has exciting things planned which we hope shall not be heavily affected by Covid. The society has missed hosting events like Fun Frenzy and making a difference in people’s lives at One to One and we hope to restart these community-enriching activities that formed part of the Interact calendar pre-Covid.

Fencing

Daniel and Aidan Richards were again victorious in the Eastern Cape Open on the 5th of February. Daniel won gold in U17 epee and Aidan won bronze. After this competition, Daniel is ranked 1st in U17 epee and Aidan is ranked 2nd in U17 epee in the SA rankings.

Shrek

On 16-20 March, Bishops Diocesan College and Herschel Girls School will be taking audiences on a fairy tale journey, far, far away... Continuing a tradition of collaboration between our schools that has spanned many years, we will be staging Dreamworks' iconic tale, 'Shrek'. Inspired by the much-beloved film, 'Shrek The Musical' by David Lindsay-Abaire and Jeanine Tesori is a funny, wonderfully irreverent frolic though fairy tale and folklore. At its heart, the message to love and accept others no matter who they are, where they come from or what they look like and - just as important - to learn to love yourself. 

The show promises to be an uplifting celebration of song, dance and theatrical spectacle!

Gold President's Award

Huge congratulations to Robert Kotze and Sebastiano Panieri who completed their Gold President's Award at the end of last year. They are both also recipients of the Bronze and Silver Awards, which is a fabulous achievement. Very well done, especially in times of Covid.

Service Ties

Lutho Cutshwa and Presa James have, over a period of two years, been in service of the school by hoisting and lowering the flags in front of the admin building. They did so reliably on a daily basis for the full period of their time doing so. For this they are awarded service ties. 

All Rounder's Tie

Jack Noussis is to be congratulated on being awarded an All Rounder's Tie.

African Society Ties

Congratulations to the following boys on being awarded an African Society Tie for 2022. Ties are awarded for loyalty and participation:

Dean Cooper
Lutho Cutshwa
Luke Flax
Majiet Malick

Cricket Awards

Congratulations to our 1st team captain, Abel Mokwena, who scored 116 for the 1st XI against Wynberg Boys.

The following boys took 5 wickets or more and received a mounted cricket ball:
Ross Martin 16-5-31-5 for the 1st XI against Wynberg Boys.
Sebastian McAdam 16.2-6-29-6 for the 2nd XI against Wynberg Boys.
Peyton Leigh 9-1-23-5 for the 3rd XI against Wynberg Boys.
David Lewis 3-0-10-5 (incl. hat trick) for the u15B team against Star College

Introduction to topics
The Bishops Sports Performance and Wellness education platform will provide parents, staff and boys a brief summary of various topics related to sport, performance and wellness. Season 1 will feature 9 episodes covering various topics.

https://youtu.be/AB1qU5Nib7I

Importance of warm-up and cool down

A warm-up and cool-down describe activities that complement any intense physical exertion, be it training or competitive performance.

https://youtu.be/lTf-c8d7X9g

The ODU Community event on Founder's Day, 11th March, is a new addition to the Bishops calendar which we aim to raise awareness and also funds for the Invest In Our Future foundation. This foundation assists Bishop’s boys with tertiary education and mentorship guidance.

All three campuses, parents and ODU’s are all working together to create a fun event on Friday from 16H00 to 23H00 on the Bishop’s College Campus. Please make it a family day and join us at the Carnival Friday evening, where we will have a market, food and beverage stalls and live entertainment.

Please contact us if you would like to be a vendor on the day. All information is attached.

https://communication.bishops.org.za/college/documents/BishopsCommunityEventAboutFinal.pdf

VUSA has started the year with a strong focus on academic support to assist children in the Langa community after the past two challenging COVID years.  Early intervention is key and the creche programme has grown from strength to strength.  In 2019 we partnered with three registered ECD Centres and launched a numeracy and literacy programme through play.  In 2021 we introduced the tuk-tuk mobile library which visits the three centres each morning and reads books to the children and this year we are rolling out an English as a second language programme (ESL) in partnership with Project Playground.

Many of you will have seen the Atlas Digibus drive out of the Bishops gates each morning as it heads to Langa to provide (ESL) lessons for Grade 4 learners from 5 primary schools.  Each afternoon, VUSA children also receive academic support in English and Maths as well as homework study sessions.  We are keen to involve Bishops Boys (or parents & grandparents) who wish to volunteer at the homework sessions (which take place at the Leap School from Mondays to Wednesdays from 3 – 5pm). Should you wish to get involved, please contact Nikki Matthews or Brendan Fogarty.

Please click here to read the VUSA Newsletter.