ATHINA MAY
Table View High School (TVHS) is celebrating 30 years of education. They started their celebration on Monday May 16 with cake – mounds and mounds of it.
“On Sunday pupils and educators got together and baked the sponge cake and decorated it with icing. There were plates and plates of cake left, so we donated the cake to the old age home Vue Du Cap Retirement Village,” said school principal, Randall Southgate.
The school will continue hosting its celebrations throughout the year to ensure that its alumni are able to participate in at least one of the upcoming events which includes hosting a drama and taking an aerial photograph of the school.
The school, which opened its doors on January, 21, 1986, was originally built for 750 pupils and only had classes for Standard 6 (Grade 8) and Standard 7 (Grade 9), a principal, 18 teachers and a secretary, until 1989. However, as the area expanded, so did the number of pupils at the school.
“The school has grown exponentially and we currently have over 1 000 pupils, 47 educators, and five office staff. There is also an estate manager, eight maintenance staff and a sports administrator,” said Mr Southgate.
“Things were getting a bit squashed so the education department gave us a few prefab classes, but the prefabs did not stand the test of time. So at our own expense, we built four extra classrooms, toilet facilities and accommodation to house the estate manager,” said Mr Southgate, who came to the school 20 years ago in 1996.
He said although the school has become an integral part of the community, it has no traditions.
“Parents show little interest in the school so there are hardly any traditions to speak of. When I came to this school it was an unpleasant time, the headmaster had been suspended and the atmosphere among the staff was tense,” said Mr Southgate.
Deputy principal, Ronlyn Cummings described the period as an “absolute nightmare” because although the school had an acting principal, the staff felt there was no one to steer the ship.
“As a teacher, it was a nightmare and when Mr Southgate arrived, things didn’t change overnight. It was a learning curve for him and it took a while for us to get back on track. But today the school has strict policies and values which radiate and impact the community. We teach values of respect and safety to our pupils,” said Ms Cummings.
* Call the school on 021 557 3602 for more information about the anniversary celebrations.
