Watch the 'highs & heartbreaks' of winter sports and our unbeatable school spirit on YouTube. Vice-Principal, Mr Cliff Hull looks back at our winter sports and identifies the roots of success - Scroll down for this week's news and the events in the week ahead.
Last week we celebrated our annual Heritage Week which culminated in our Founders' Day Ceremony. Our boys observed the event with every ounce of dignity and respect that we asked for, given that they were reminded of the essential purpose of the occasion. When our boys show that level of understanding and appreciation of the flagship events on our calendar, we know unequivocally that we have rekindled our DNA, when we may have lost our way somewhat in 2020/2021.
Saturday marked the end of the winter sports season which we always celebrate with our traditional rivals SACS and against whom we always enjoy great camaraderie and sportsmanship. Whilst SACS had the better of the hockey results, we did gain the upper hand on the rugby fields. Our 4th Rugby XV and 14B hockey side won their respective Triple Crowns whilst the 14B rugby side won their Grand Slam. Our 15D rugby side also won their unofficial Grand Slam (Bishops couldn’t field a side against them).
Our 1st Rugby XV enjoyed a particularly good season too, ending the season with an excellent overall record. In particular, they, along with the 14A rugby side, topped their respective Southern Suburbs Super Cup standings, a lighthearted take on the “state of rugby affairs” between the 4 boys’ schools, (depending on who you speak with, of course). In each case, whilst this makes for pleasant, satisfying reading, it gives pause for thought with respect to the myriad factors that fed into that success. Rather than for it to be an opportunity to gloat, we are better served to consider that success for these teams came as a result of a lot of planning, dedication to task, teamwork, an unwavering belief in their systems and gameplans and, almost certainly, the regular look at the school badge on their chests and in their hearts and minds, with the motto “Supera Moras”. Inevitably, there were always going to be tough times and rough patches from week to week, for all of our sports teams, that needed to be confronted and overcome. It is easy not to be mindful of all of this and for success to be commoditised, as if it is something that we can turn on and off at will or, worse still, expect will simply happen without the necessary investment of “sweat equity”. In the case of our 1st Rugby Squad, their success this season can be traced back almost a year ago to their substantial off-season, and subsequent pre-season, work.
Another critical lesson for our boys is that the world owes us nothing. Feeling entitled to success simply because of who they are or what they have (or want), is no way for them to live their lives. Entitlement is a veneer for faux character and integrity, masks weaknesses and an inability to execute feeds the blame game, and provides the perfect excuse to avoid self-analysis. We are proud to say that our boys are taught the polar opposite of this, but we must always be mindful, as parents, caregivers, and teachers, to keep teaching our boys these lessons.
We now look forward to the summer season, once we have all taken a well-earned breather.
Regards
Mr Cliff Hull
Vice-Principal
SCHOOL INFO
School Circulars 2022 No new circulars were published this week. Links to all circulars are grouped together on our website under News and Events.
Take-Home Hot Meals Feedem's daily meals for the working week ahead, based on a set menu, may be ordered up to 24 hours in advance at the advertised price of R39 per serving. Get the full menu and order information on our website.
School Shop The Shop will be open on Wednesday 7 September, from 14:00 - 15:00 View our website ...
For more information please email Mrs Sandra Monk, Shop Manager: sandra@monk.co.za
School Gym Our School Gym is delighted to offer all of its professional services to our Wynberg community. Visit our website for all the info
MATRICS
Matric Prelims Friday 2 September: Last day of school for our Grade 12s before they begin their Matric Prelim Exams on Monday - and a chance to blow off some steam in a fun fixture of bubble soccer against our staff on the Silverhurst Fields. Good luck with the exams, Gentlemen!
STAFF
Wedding Bells Wynberg families will join us in extending our congratulations to Mr James van Bosch, and his bride, Lauren, on their marriage last Saturday. We wish them a lifetime of love and happiness!
CONGRATULATIONS!
Tennis Gold Wynberg Tennis' Edward Petersen and Ronan Gorton excelled on the weekend, taking home titles in the Cape Town Doubles Tournament. Our congratulations and best wishes for the season ahead.
ACADEMICS
Science Expo Tuesday 30 & Wednesday 31 August: After the disruptions of the last few years, Wynberg Boys’ High School was finally able to run our annual Science Expo. Launched in late January this year, there were numerous checkpoints for the boys and coaches to grapple with the boys’ ideas. The driving concept behind the exposition was to allow our boys to be innovative, critical thinkers while trying to solve the real-life problems we face in South Africa and the world at large. Read more on our website.
Please Diarise: Exam Dates Grades 8, 9, 10, and 11:
Afrikaans Paper 3 and isiXhosa Paper 3 will be written by all boys on Friday 30 September 2022 - the last day of the third term.
SERVICE
Stationery Drive for Hillwood Primary The Muslim Students' Association and Service Pillar initiated a drive to collect stationery for Hillwood Primary School in Lavender Hill. The drive was an inter-house event with a reward for the winning tutor group.
Each grade in the tutor group was requested to bring specific items to ensure a wide spread of stationery needs would be met. The Grade 8s brought A4 reams of paper, rulers, and scissors, Grade 9s brought jumbo wax crayons and A5 hardcover books, Grade 10s donated pencil crayons and plastic sleeves, the Grade 11s collected 4 packs of toilet paper, A4 coloured paper, and A4 plastic envelopes, and the Grade 12s brought pens, pencils, and colouring books.
We thank the WBHS service pillar and the MSA for the initiative, and generosity of our parents and boys who contributed to making this stationery drive a success.
CULTURE
Quarterly Music Concert Wednesday 31 August: Congratulations to the WBHS Music Department and the musicians on another magnificent quarterly concert. Coming hard on the heels of the annual Nussbaum Concert last week, the Concert Band performance in the Endler Hall on Saturday, and the extensive preparation for the Eisteddfods, the evening was a resounding success - the last few weeks have truly been a celebration of Wynberg Music.
Wynberg Boys' Acting Association Thursday afternoon saw a return to WBAA sessions with Mrs Karg. These were put on hold through the Little Shop of Horrors production rehearsals and today 60 pupils from the Boys’ and Girls’ Schools joined. Excellent energy all round and a fitting way to say goodbye to Jason Faure, our Matric head of drama under the mentorship of Mrs Karg, for 2022.
We look forward to the continued growth of drama at Wynberg!
SPORT
Ian Melliar Cup U15 Water Polo Tournament Thursday 22 - Sunday 25 September in the WBHS pool - save the dates!
Presented by Wynberg Water Polo, and powered by RE/MAX Premier, the 2022 edition of this national U15 boys' tournament is set to be a showcase of junior polo excellence - 20 teams in four pools will compete for gold over 4 days through 72 action-packed matches.
Find the event online as we begin the build-up to #IMCup22
1st XV Rugby vs SACS: Press Report Monday 29 August: The report on WBHS 1st XV vs SACS, as published in the Cape Argus – re-published, with permission of and credit to, Mogamat Goosain Abrahams.
