Dear Parents
OUR DRAMATIC PRODUCTION: LORD OF THE FLIES
Friday saw the last night of a very successful run of Lord of the Flies. Adapted for the stage from the novel by William Golding, it was first performed by a Prep school in England a number of years ago.
It deals with the themes of belonging, care for others or not, ego, vulnerability and honesty, the possibility of a return to the wild impulse versus rules and accountability; demanding a great deal of the cast who really had to go into themselves to do the script justice. And they did, producing an excellent version of a very challenging story. Congratulations to them all, not only for their dedication and long hours they put into rehearsing, but also for their mature and successful rendition. Congratulations too to Caroline Duck, the director, and all the staff who assisted.
A huge thank you too, to our audiences – parents and boys – who supported the show and made up the full houses on all three nights.
HERITAGE DAY
Friday also saw us observe Heritage Day with a special assembly, class activities and a Grade 5 food fair. Boys were encouraged to dress or bring objects that told something of their heritage, necessitating, I am sure, a lot discussion at home. We had Scottish, Ukrainian, American, Xhosa, Zulu, English, Chinese, Irish, Zambian and many more. After assembly each class had a discussion and boys explained something of their heritage, nationality, religion, culture, language, etc, and some really fascinating discussions ensued.
The special assembly was dedicated to the isiXhosa culture and heritage. Dr Mndende, a Professor of African Studies at Nelson Mandela University, spoke on the isiXhosa culture, explaining the rites of passage, family relations and the simultaneous belief in an overall Creator and respect for the ancestors. A wonderful lady, she told the boys that she was old enough to be their grandmother and even though it was a long talk, she kept their interest. Siya Kawana, a postgraduate music student at UCT, explained and demonstrated a few traditional musical instruments, bows originally adopted from the Khoisan many years ago.
From the boys there were musical items and a tribute to Steve Biko, all in isiXhosa. Assembly ended with a traditional war cry song which the boys loved and exited Jagger Hall while singing it. Our boys really embraced the opportunity, singing with gusto.
For someone like myself, at school in the 60s and 70s, it was an emotional morning as I saw how far we have come as a society and school and acknowledged again how disadvantaged I and my contemporaries were, growing up in a systemically divided and dysfunctional society.
1st TEAM CRICKET TOUR
We wish our 1st XI well as they travel to the Cape Schools Cricket Week where they will play their traditional Eastern Cape rivals, Dale, Selborne and Queens College in three days of cricket.
END OF TERM
Best wishes to our boys and staff for a happy and relaxing holiday and, for many, no doubt plenty of rugby watching and a very happy Orange River trip for those families going on it this year. Thank you to you all for your support over the winter season; the lifting, supporting over many afternoons and Saturdays and, of course, the ongoing encouragement.
School starts next term on Tuesday, 10 October and it will be a normal school day with summer extra-murals in the afternoon.
Best wishes
Kind regards
GREG BROWN
HEADMASTER |
