Dear Parents and Guardians

Last week we held a very special and moving Prize-Giving ceremony and Valedictory service for our departing Grade 12s. Attended by the Grade 12s, the Grade 8s, Grade 12 parents and guardians and the academic staff, the occasion celebrated the efforts of the Matrics and gave them an emotional and fitting farewell to their time at Bishops. Speeches by the Head of School, the Deputy Head boys and Mr Richard Smith as the staff member selected by the Grade 12s to deliver their parting address, were very well received and I thank all those involved for putting on these special moments. The camaraderie and unity of the boys was a joy to see and it was clear how much the school had meant to them in their time here.

At the Prize-Giving, we managed to pay a public tribute to outgoing Chair of Council, Mr Simon Peile and it was a fitting end for him after five years at the helm. A full list of prize winners is attached to this newsletter and we congratulate them for their fine achievements.

We welcomed in the new leader group of Heads of Houses and announced the three leaders of the school for the next calendar year. We congratulate Ayanda Banoyi and Ben Hatty on their appointment as Deputy Heads and Nic Allison who was announced as the Head of School for 2023. These three boys then spent Monday morning with the outgoing leader group as we discussed leadership, challenges and opportunities, and prepared them for their roles. On Tuesday this week, the SRF elected Nikolaos Augoustatos as its Chairman for 2023 and we congratulate him on his new position.

In the last newsletter I mentioned that Dr Paul Murray was reading for his second doctorate at Cambridge University. This is incorrect – he is actually reading for his third doctorate! I have contacted Dr Murray to inform him of this error and apologise. He reports that he is enjoying his time in the world of academia enormously but misses Bishops.

We congratulate two of our members of staff who are expecting children shortly. Mr Sharief Petersen and his wife are expecting their first child and Mr Michael Vamvadelis and his wife their second. We wish them both well for the last few months of pregnancy.

We have complied a policy regarding tours, both locally and internationally, where we have the greatest cost. We try to limit the number of overseas tours yet still give opportunity for these to take place, particularly as they can be wonderful learning opportunities for some of our boys. Next year we will be embarking on two academic tours, a History tour and a Science tour as well as a trip to Kilimanjaro. Two sporting tours, fencing and hockey, will also take place. Preparation and planning for these tours is currently underway.

On Monday we held our first Bishops Praise service for some time, attended by Grades 1 – 11 boys and staff. This was a special moment of togetherness and it was wonderful to see just about all our boys together in worship. Guest speaker Mr Keegan Davids delivered a good message encouraging the boys to be kind, a theme that continued throughout the service with readings and prayer. Father Monwabisi also used this as an opportunity to wish our Hindu community well for the Festival of Diwali, a sentiment I endorse fully.  

As we head towards the end of the year, we continue to encourage our boys to finish the year well, using these last few weeks to study hard, complete all extra mural commitments and play an active part in the success of all the activities that will shortly be taking place.

We will be undertaking a major renovation project at the main entrance to the College that will provide suitable space for our security guards as well as secure gates that will allow us to close off the College if needed. In addition, we will be providing proper parking bays on the left as one enters the campus, resurfacing the first section of the road up to the Woodlands entrance and lighting the avenue to allow for better security at night. This project will significantly improve the entrance to the school but will cause some discomfort for a while as the work is being done. We will shortly be instituting a one-way traffic flow (as for Covid) into the campus from Campground Road with exit out the bottom via Silwood Road (one way out) and Riverton Road (both in and out). We apologise for this inconvenience but the end result will be worth the discomfort!

I wish you well for the next two weeks.

Kind regards

Antony Reeler
Principal

Assembly Message

At today’s assembly I prepared the boys for the Remembrance Day service that will be held on 11 November and explained the significance of the symbols associated with the service, the music, laying of wreaths and the new plaque that is going up.

Signs, Symbols and Significance

I am a great believer in signs and symbols that represent places, concepts or that serve as an outward picture for a tradition or belief. The most obvious is a symbol such as a cross which represents the Christian faith or the Mitre which represents Bishops.

In two weeks’ time, we will be holding our annual Remembrance Day service, traditionally associated with the ending of World War I at 11:00 on the 11th day of the 11th month. While this service is held throughout much of the world as a mark of respect and acknowledgement of those who passed away in these two wars, it is also a time to remember others who have passed – whether it is in time of conflict or any other reason. To use this time as a time of remembrance makes the occasion relevant to us today.

We have changed our service slightly to try to make it relevant to our current world. Not only do we have plaques that remember those ODs who died in WWI and WWII but we have also put up a plaque that acknowledges all those who died in time of conflict, without judgement for what they gave their lives for. We will have 256 small white crosses planted on the Chapel lawn to represent each of the ODs who passed in those two wars.

During the service, the bell will chime 11 times at 11:00 to mark the end of conflict, followed by the playing of a piece of music called the Last Post. This was an army tradition that at the end of the day, a lone bugler would play to indicate that the day was over. A minute’s silence is observed during which we stand quietly in contemplation of significance of the day and give thought to those who passed or who we have personally lost in our own lives. This is followed by another trumpet piece, the Reveille, which also comes from army days and was the wake-up call played first thing in the mornings. The significance of these two pieces, in this order, is the symbolism of the end of the day for those who have passed yet the beginning of a new day for those who remain behind.

The piper’s lament is played while wreaths are laid – one at the memorial at the theatre and one at the chapel and a set of flags, the SA flag and the Bishops flag at our new plaque. The symbolism of the flags is to acknowledge both our school but also our country while the wreaths, made of real flowers, will perish and fade over the next few weeks – also symbolically.

I hope you respect the dignity of this occasion, this service, as we honour those who gave their lives in service of others. Who paid the ultimate sacrifice. But use it also as a time of reflection for those we have lost in our own lives. To remember them and what they meant to us. It is a somber moment of contemplation. I hope this gives you some insights into the service itself and understand the significance of the symbols and moments in the service.   

New Heads for 2023

Congratulations to our leadership team for 2023. We wish these boys a successful year leading and guiding the school.

Head of School       
Nic Allison

Deputy Heads
Ayanda Bonoyi and Ben Hatty

Heads of Houses
Founders: Ayanda Bonoyi
School: Kaspar Holm
White: Merlin Fransman
Gray: Dane Rogers
Ogilvie: Nashe Chahwahwa
Kidd: Ben Hatty
Birt: Oliver Hufton
Mallett: Bradley Du Toit

Deputies
Founders: Koame Kota
School: Olo Sopotela
White: Matthew French
Gray: Richard Mason
Ogilvie: Zuhayr Mohamood
Kidd: Nikolaos Augoustatos
Birt: Michael Comitis
Mallett: Michael Kruse

SRF

Congratulations to the following appointments in the SRF 2022/23: Chairman - Nikolaos Augoustatos, Secretary - Christopher Du Toit.

Chess Colours

Congratulations to the following boys who have been awarded chess colours.

Full Colours
Oliver Hufton
Michael Kruse
Rishay Thakersee

Half Colours
Yusuf Balim

PR

As the 2022 school-year begins to draw to a close, we now thank the Grade 11 boys who have served on the Public Relations Group, since their first duty in January. These pupils have done sterling work this year, often going well beyond the call of duty and always available to be of assistance whenever our school is on show.

The boys in this Group are now awarded the prestigious PR Tie in recognition of their efforts.

Nic Allison
Nikolaos Augoustatos
Sam Berrisford
Ra’eed Bhagoo
Oscar Blatch
Matthew Brodziak
Adam Buckham
Michael Comitis
Zac Coovadia
Liam Day
Gavin Dingley
Jean Du Toit
Luke Flax
Divakaran Govender
Zac Heyns
Richard Horton
Michael Kruse
James Louw
Malick Majiet
Richard Mason
Zuhayr Mohamood
James Morkel
Evan Noussis
Jack Noussis
Josh Petersen
Alexei Pouroullis
Michael Ritz
Dane Rogers
Ben Sachs
Cayden Smith
Dylan Todd 
Ilyaas van Graan
Bouwe Wagener
Jack Whitaker
Stuart Whitelaw

Sport

Stayers Water Polo Tour

The 1st Team took part in the St Stithians Stayers Water polo tournament over the weekend, 20 – 23 October. It was a very young and inexperienced team with nine grade 10s playing against top Water polo schools with predominantly grade 11s in their teams. Bishops came 10th out of 20 teams beating St David’s, Jeppe and Michaelhouse, after losing to St David’s in the 9th/10th place play-off.  A lot of valuable lessons were learned, and the team equipped themselves in and out of the pool with dignity.

Inter-house Cycling

The annual Inter-house Cycling event took place at The Oaks on a 900m fast-paced course created for the race on campus. Congratulations to Zeno Benolich who won Gold for Gray House, James Collins and Daniel Diedericks won Silver for Ogilvie and Nick Warren took Bronze for Mallett.

Cricket

Last week’s games vs Paul Roos.

Whilst the 14As and 15As had matches abandoned due to the weather in Stellenbosch on Saturday (and with the 1st XI still to play), it was great to see wins recorded by the 2nd XI; 3rd XI and 15Bs. La-Rohn Opperman (3rd XI) returned figures of 7-0-26-5 in a winning effort, under lights, on Friday evening. I should add, too, that it was fantastic to see a qualified Bishops’ schoolboy umpire (Joe Bolus) officiate Thursday’s u14 fixture.

The following boys achieved centuries and received a signature cricket bat:

Litha Mbiko 110* for the u14A team against Jeppe
Waco Bassick 102* for the u14A team against Pretoria Boys High
Adnaan Lagadien 100* for the u15A team against St Andrews
Thaafier Japhta 207 for the u14A team against Waterkloof

The following cricketers received a mounted cricket ball for taking 5 wickets or more in a match:

Reece Van Wyk  8-3-17-5 for the u15A team against Grey High
Milan Sandri 9-2-40-5 for the u17A team against St Charles
Michael Kotze 8-2-20-5 for the 1st X1 against Rondebosch CC 2nds
La-Rohn Opperman 7-0-26-5 for the 3rd XI against Paul Roos

Golf News

The Bishops Interhouse Golf Competition & Individual Champs was played on Sunday 16 October on a beautiful afternoon at Steenberg Golf Club.

Mallett House finished in 1st place and claimed the trophy by a convincing 11 stroke margin. Gray House finished in 2nd place with Birt House in 3rd place.

The individual competition was very closely contested with Sebastian Dorward and Jack Buckham both posting scores of 73. A sudden death playoff followed which Sebastian Dorward won on the 3rd playoff hole. Well done to all players involved.

Boston Tour - Bishops Rowing

The Bishops Rowing Club recently returned from a tour to Boston Massachusetts. The tour lasted 10 days and culminated in a once-in-a-lifetime regatta - the 57th Head of the Charles.

The Charles River winds and twists a waterway through the City of Boston. The likes of MIT, Boston and Harvard University flanking the banks - it is a rowing haven. To add to the dream-like experience, the boys rowed boats from Harvard University, a prestigious rowing program. The boys met up with current Harvard rower and OD - Kalu Jay Varney.

The experience for the Boys in the vibrant city was exceptional - music, war history, varying cultures, academic and rowing superiority. The Head of the Charles regatta posed stiff competition. The Youth Eight consisted of 90 crews where Bishops placed 67th and 54th in the Youth Double.

Culture

Quiz Evening

Earlier this year, several our grade 11 boys came forward with the idea of establishing a quiz society. On Tuesday the 25th of October, they successfully hosted, under the Quiz Mastership of Mr Joc Wrensch, their first Bishops Quiz Evening. The event was well attended with 14 teams of 6 taking part. All in attendance were suitably entertained, having fun, learning new things, and sharing in a collective frustration at not knowing 90s music! More quizzes will follow: every two weeks a League Quiz takes place in the Memorial Theatre while the evening quizzes will continue once a term. Any queries regarding the General Knowledge/Quiz Society can be directed to Mr Wrensch or Mr Nzuza.

History Society

On Thursday the 27th of October, the Bishops History Society hosted a panel discussion in the Memorial Theatre together with guests from St Cyprian's School. The topic that they delved into was Operation Condor: The United States' attempt at destabilising South American governments to install pro-US governments in their places. This promised to be an insightful discussion, one which ultimately grappled with the lingering questions of the legacy of US involvement in the internal affairs of other countries. The event was well attended with attendees from both schools. Hard hitting ideas were addressed, controversial topics broached in an academic manner which is well commended for the age of most of the panellists and attendees. This is not an event to be soon forgotten – for its content, its engagement, or its rather amusing ending… Queries relating to the society can be directed to Mr Wandile Nzuza.

School News

Campus Upgrades

Please be advised that the School is now proceeding with the upgrading the Campground Road entrance to the College. This entails cobbling the entrance and building a new guard house, as well as constructing a new large parking area to the north of the Avenue. In order for this work to proceed it will be necessary to temporarily change the current access and egress arrangements. This will entail changing the Campground Road entrance to an entrance only. Exits will be via Silwood Road (behind White House) and Riverton Road. Entry from Riverton Road will remain open. The new movement system will be clearly sign posted. The construction period is 14 weeks. We apologize for any inconvenience caused during construction. 

My Bishops Life Parent Portal

We remind parents to utilize our online portals:

Please click here for help.

SOCS Sports Parent Portal.

We make use of a software programme for sports information and we are hoping that this app will give you sports fixtures, results and other pertinent details easily from your smartphones. 
Follow these simple steps to be able to access all sporting details via this method, anywhere, anytime. 

Laptops or PCs and mobile phones: 

• Go to a browser on your smartphone and browse to the address www.bishopssport.org
• Click on the Sport tab
• Add to home screen and call it Bishops Sport.
• Now at a click of a button from your cell phone you can see whats on, access Maps, details of fixtures and more. 
• When checking click on the ‘What’s On’ page, choose the date and sporting code and then click on the relevant team.

The Sports coaches will be increasing their use of this platform to communicate important information to you, regarding details around the various fixtures. We are hoping this will limit the need for too much email communication and hence we encourage you to use this platform as your first port of call.

The Team sheets with boy’s names are password protected the password is Bish@ps.

We would welcome any feedback from you and will happily answer any further questions you may have.

Please click here to view all the Prize winners.

Please click here to view photographs of the valedictory and prize-giving.

Rowing

One of our OD’s Zola Baird is currently rowing at Williams College. He is a senior, co-captain, and the 3 seat in the Williams 1v boat (First Team Boat).

His V1 came 2nd out of 41 boats in the Collegiate Eights race. His crew set a new course record for the event, beating several of the Division 1 rivals including: Temple, University of Michigan, Holy Cross, MIT, Marist.

Rugby

The stormers trained at Bishops this week with the USA national team. What a treat to have our ODs back on campus and doing so well in the national set up!