The Glenwood High School Annual Senior Speech and Prize Giving, and Valedictory Ceremony took place on Monday 2 November 2020 in the Mvinjelwa Johannes Mhlongo Hall at Glenwood High School.
Honours awards for Academics, Sport and Culture were presented to our top students.
DUX OF SCHOOL (J H Snow Memorial Award), (Thusa Business Support Award), Ryan Wood
DUX PROXIME ACCESSIT, Shiven Reddy
3RD IN GRADE 12, Declan Munsamy
Speech by Dr Andri Barnes, Principal Glenwood High School
Good morning Parents, Members of the Governing Body, Members of the OBA, staff and boys.
It is an honour to welcome you to this celebration of the achievements of the Class of 2020. I thank our parents for supporting the school and their sons over the past five years. Thank you for the sacrifices you made to invest in the education of your sons. We trust that you will encourage your sons to remain focused until they finally put their pens down.
I would like to extend my thanks and appreciation to the Governing Body and the Old Boys for giving of their time and resources to support the school.
My heartfelt thanks goes to the management team and the entire staff for going the extra mile for the boys. Not only have you prepared the boys for their final examinations and created a pathway for their future careers, but you have also supported them emotionally and often, when there was a need, financially. Everyone played a role in the success of our boys over the past five years. However, our matric teachers were stretched to the limit this year. Colleagues I salute you. You walked into this hall on the 28th of May as front line workers, committed to be here for the boys. You are indeed a credit to the profession.
I thank our administrative staff, our estate manager, Mr Yunnie and his assistants who are responsible for the maintenance of the classroom, facilities and grounds. A special word of thanks to Mr Ingram, the boarder masters and Peppers & Pans for their efforts to ensure our Gibson Boys are safe and healthy, especially over the last few months.
I want to use this opportunity to honour three of our long serving members of staff, Mr Jordan Mr Munro and Ms van Vuuren. I have had the privilege of working with them for 23 years and I sincerely thank them for their commitment, support and guidance. Unfortunately, they cannot retire yet; we need their institutional knowledge and experience.
Gentlemen, today, we formally bid farewell to the class of 2020. However, you will remain in our care until the final paper is written.
You have been deprived of much this year:
The overseas history tour
Our musical production
Debating competitions
Target shooting competitions
Sport, compulsories, assemblies, donating blood
Writing June exams
The matric dance
And then, the final disappointment, no civvies day
However, you have also gained much:
The ability to adapt to change
You were pushed out of your comfort zone into a growing zone
Independent learning
Taking better care of your physical and mental well-being, previously taken for granted
Time management
Self-discipline
Came to school unshaven because you could hide it behind your mask; at least initially, until you were spotted during breaks
Longer hair because the barber shops were closed
Change your words. Forget victimhood and despair.
It is my humble opinion that the challenges you faced this year prepared you for Life, and not only for final examinations. This year has prepared you for future battles. Every time we overcome adversity, we become stronger in our faith and we grow in confidence. David confidently approached Goliath because he knew he had previously killed a lion with his bare hands.
Next week we will be paying tribute to our Old Boys who lost their lives in the Great War, which ended in 1919. This year you have been involved in the war against the Corona Virus pandemic. You have been fighting battles against anxiety, fear, uncertainty, despondency, depression and comorbidities. I suspect many battles were fought quietly in the hearts and minds of many of you. We are honouring you today for your strength of character, courage and resilience in overcoming these challenges.
You have left a rich legacy: the class of 2020 persevered and remained focused on their goals despite the many disruptions caused by Covid-19. We have therefore placed a new bench in the matric quad, opposite the Falcon Fountain, where the rest of our memorials are. Our Head Prefect will unveil it before the bell-ring ceremony.
This will provide hope and inspiration for future matric boys. Maybe next year the Form VI boys will try and move that into my parking bay instead of the canon!
Gentlemen, may I remind you: Glenwood boys are different.
Glenwood boys are not passive. I encourage you to join the fight against the pandemic of gender based violence, toxic masculinity, corruption, racism, pollution,
And cruelty of any kind.
Do not strive to be the best in the world, but rather to be the best FOR the world. Show compassion. Do not only strive for excellence, but also strive for influence; to become a change maker.
There is no more unmanly behaviour than passivity and a refusal to walk boldly into the future. It is hard to be successful without being hopeful. Believe that the future will be better than the present.
Choose courage over comfort
Choose what is right over what is Fun, Fast or Easy
Choose to practise your values,
Rather than professing them
I am sure you cannot wait to get rid of your masks, but I ask you to have the courage to live the rest of your lives without a mask and showing your true self to the world. Be authentic in your masculinity.
I conclude with something I have read recently:
I asked a wise man,
Tell me sir,
In which field could I make a great career?
He said with a smile:
Be a good human being
There is a lot of opportunity in this area
And very little competition
Choose a career that you are passionate about; something that will make you get out of bed and into the marketplace of life;
add value
make the world a better place and life a worthier thing.
Gentlemen, you have the power to decide how this year is going to end for you. You have what it takes to finish strong. We are all behind you and we believe in you.
OGA
Speech by the Head Prefect 2020, Nico Steyn
When those moments become memories, it’s like their true value is served to you on a golden platter. We think back and realise how truly amazing those times were, how much we learned and groomed something that unity is. Gents today I am sure all of us are in the same boat, looking back at 5 years of precious memories and priceless moments at Glenwood, wishing that we could experience the chills of one more Old Boys Day, run onto the beautiful fields of Dixons one more time or even to sit in a pain staking maths or science lesson once more.
Most of us never got to experience our lasts. This was a year filled with terrible disappointment, when many of our teams for High School never got the opportunity to prove or represent the School for one last time. And yet I challenge you to dig deep for the beautiful memories we have already created.
Our first time we sang Old Boys together, looking at each other for the first time after the Grade 8 Camp, baggy eyes proudly projecting in a triumph of Old Boys. Shoulder to shoulder w stood together from the beginning till the very end. These moments happened like the snap of a branch, they were loud and quick, but our memories are there to help us relive the most important parts.
And finally for one last heart-breaking time, “Good morning Dr Barnes, Staff, SGB members, Old Boys’ Association, Mom, Dad, Parents and Class of 2020”.
Throughout our High School career there have been many challenges for us along the way. To finish off this incredible five-year journey with a year like 2020 was devastating. Covid-19 really stilled away a lot for many of us, but hey….we have made it to where we are today, even though we were faced with tough obstacles and I believe we can give ourselves a round of applause for that.
We have all heard the quote: “Play like it’s your last game”, many times over and over, but when this became a reality I was stumped. Never would I have thought that there would be no more OGA’s on Friday, no more Saturday rugby fixtures, nog more “GREEN MACHINE” as the first team runs out of the changing room, no more war cries on the stands and no more “Old Boys” during half time. It makes us think about all these precious moments we had together here at the Home of the Green Machine.
Even though our final year was not the one we have hoped for, it makes us cherish and appreciate the time we had together. I will always remember singing “Old Boys” on the stands, watching how Norman runs over the horsefly, singing the second team war cry, singing RED GREEN GOLD, watching how the band pumps up each and every person in the school, turning Goldstones into Greenstones, watching the rap competitions in the Matric quad during breaks, making joes with the two Arinze brothers on who will finish school first and of course who would forget Friday the 11th of September when our school was attached by an anonymous enemy, our respected canon in the matric quad misplaced itself…and the fountain that was transformed into an OMO Jacuzzi – it must have been a bang of a gala! These are the things that we will never experience anywhere else again, things that you will always remember, things that will remain as your fondest memories because it all happened right here with your Glenwood brothers.
During my time at Glenwood there have been many people to thank for the man I have become today. Firstly, I would like to thank the cleaning and ground staff for always keeping Glenwood clean and picking up after us. Then to all the teachers, without you not one of us would be standing here today and I thank you for all the hard work and the time that you have put in to ensure that we can do our best. To all the other staff that most of us don’t see regularly and ensuring that the school runs smoothly, I thank you for helping the Green Machine function at its best. I would like to thank Mrs Adendorff for everything she has done for me and the school, from Grade 10 I had the opportunity to go to her when ties were tough and to seek some guidance. During my term as Head boy I don’t think I would have been able to cope if it wasn’t for ma’am helping me and offering assistance. I cannot express enough gratitude to ma’am and I wish ma’am all the best for the future, so Mrs Adendorff can you please come forward to receive a gift from the matrics of 2020. Then to Mr Labuschagne, Mr Hadebe and Mr Scott, this year had many challenges and I know that we weren’t always the easiest to handle at times, but I want to say thank you for all the effort you have put into ensure that it was a memorable year. I don’t think many people understand what happens behind the scenes all the time and I just want to express our gratitude for everything you have done for us and the School.
Dr Barnes when ma’am first became Headmistress for this awesome boy’s school, ma’am simply took the helm of the boat and continued to steer it through rough waters. I can truly say and I am sure all the boys will agree that Glenwood boys are different, sorry I will rephrase, that Glenwood men are different. I am sure that Glenwood will continue to be one of the most prestigious schools in the country. If we do not move forward, we will find ourselves falling behind and I know that Glenwood will always be moving forward with Dr Barnes behind the wheel. I want to thank Dr Barnes on behalf of the entire school for always putting the boys first and popping in during sports fixtures or any other event. Thank you for setting high expectations to us and the educators. As Headmistress, you have shaped the conditions for all of us to learn and succeed.
Dr Barnes, we are grateful to have you as our Headmistress, the Class of 2020 thank you for ensuring the best environment for our high school years and would like to give you something small as a gift of appreciation of the matrics of 2020.
Lastly I would like to thank my parents. Throughout my high school career, I knew I always had their support and their values. Through times of stress and times that I did not know what to do I could always count on my parents to help me. I want to thank them for giving me the opportunity to come to Glenwood, because without you I would not have met the people I met here, I would not have experienced the things I did and I would not have been the person I am today.
I would now like to finish off with a poem that I wrote:
GLENWOOD HIGH SCHOOL COLOURS
Red, Green and Gold
Mounting through our veins.
Preparing to go to war,
Like a storm of thunder rains.
We will always remember singing Old Boys on the stands
Standing next to one another at a right hand.
We will remember each other as brothers,
Those who bleed red, green and gold.
We will all walk different paths of life,
But will never forget one another any time soon.
We will remember the longings hands and turn papers too,
All the late night studying and the terror of maths paper 2.
We will remember the war cry leaders as they add on a lot,
who cleaned up the lack of gees and never missed a slot.
We will remember the fun times we had,
the things we did right and wrong.
And when we leave this Hall today,
DHS will hear the Old boys’ song.
We will remember the good times and the bad
when some boys shed a tear,
but never back down as Glenwood’s a common fear.
Finally, our time has come to an end,
I’ve enjoyed the 5-year journey.
We walked in here as boys
and now walk out as men.
I will never forget you Glenwood.
I will never settle and always server for mankind,
in order to be worthy of our motto
NIHIL HUMANI ALIENUM.
Watch the full prize giving on the following link: https://digitv.co.za/#/video/26688/32553/Vod
Photos can be ordered from Albie van Loggerenberg – 083 273 7795 or albie@lbphotography or https://lbphotography.co.za/galleries/prize-givings-ceremonies/glenwood-high-senior-prize-giving-and-valedictory-ceremony-2020