Written by Mrs Heather Goedeke

The joy of a school magazine lies in special moments of recognition, in pressing pause to reflect on a special event or achievement and in appreciating the opportunities and experiences that have unfolded in the learning environment within any given year. This year’s edition of The Herschelian provides all of that and more. You will notice that a distinctive fresh approach has been taken; one aimed at making this an enjoyable read for pupils, parents and staff, with a stronger visual appeal bringing activities and events to life. It reflects friendships captured, traditions shared, pupils, parents and staff engaged and involved in the holistic educational offering that embeds the Herschel motto: learning to make a difference.

My sincere thanks to Nicky Heyburgh who has worked closely with Zazie Khan and Pamela Collie to achieve this. Nicky’s creativity and design has underpinned the changes in this year’s edition of the Herschelian and I hope that it gives you a glimpse into the myriad activities and daily life of the school.

Herschel has enjoyed a successful year across all spheres of school life: academically, culturally, and on the sporting front. Our pupils have had the opportunity to engage in community partnerships, contributing to important social causes and awareness campaigns, as part of a holistic educational approach. This year’s pupil leadership team led the school with authenticity, focusing on the values of kindness and belonging. The impact of this is evident in the pupil body’s choice of leaders for 2024 where these values are clearly visible, along with an intentional focus on building community. It is indeed a privilege working alongside dynamic young adults and gaining some insight into how they view the world. In the complex and conflicted world in which we live, the jaded cynicism of adults (a generalization I know!) is refreshingly diluted and we are able to move into spaces of possibility, promise and hope. In fact, this is really important because we need to believe in contributing to a world that will make space for this.

A dynamic school culture nurtures friendships and instils attributes such as self-confidence, a sense of connectedness, passion, purpose and authenticity.  The many events that unfold provide plenty of scope for personal development, as well as the nurturing of skills such as collaboration, communication, creativity and problem-solving. These core skills are important in supporting integration into a world that is changing rapidly.

We are indeed fortunate at Herschel because we have a beautiful environment in which to foster a vibrant culture of learning. The staff is committed to and invested in the education of girls, and we are fortunate to have a supportive parent body which partners with us in providing the diverse and evolving educational experience that we offer. The move to the IEB has supported our independence and aligns with our wish to provide a challenging and relevant assessment programme to prepare pupils for the tertiary educational and career choices that they will make.

Because things are the way they are, things will not stay the way they are – Bertolt Brecht

In line with this, we have developed an exciting vision for Herschel to take it into the future as a relevant, innovative and empowering holistic educational and growth environment for girls. The strategy has been informed by feedback from all stakeholders via the OISESA quality assurance audit, a SWOT analysis with staff, strategic planning sessions and information and thought leadership shared in sessions at conferences and online presentations.

The strategy applies to the whole school and it has been exciting working alongside Mrs Reneé Swartz, Head of the Preparatory School in developing this vision for Herschel. The girls are the heartbeat of Herschel and we understand that our collective purpose is to expand their views of what they are capable of and to lead them towards discovering their passion and their purpose.

The strategy includes the design and development of inspiring learning environments for the future, incorporating the spaces needed to develop core skills and to integrate technology and artificial intelligence into the curriculum. In a fascinating talk I attended at the Red and Yellow School of Business, a speaker reminded us that AI is not necessarily going to take our jobs, but people who use AI might! We want the Herschel girls to be well-prepared for a future world of work. This includes their having a clear sense of who they are and what they stand for.

In the words of Azim Premji, One must have strategies to execute dreams.

More about strategy in 2024!

In writing this foreword I am cognisant of the conflict that the world is experiencing and of the difficulties, uncertainties, fear, pain, suffering and loss facing so many people. Aside from the many challenges that millions of South Africans experience daily, the world is in a mess. How do we find the balance between keeping things real by creating awareness through what we teach, discuss and prepare, and providing young people with hope for a future in which they can find a space; one which will be safe, and which promises hope? Wellbeing and mental health are issues that have taken centre-stage in schools and we have focused on this. We need to manage this well so that we do not enable dependencies but instead develop strategies for resilience and accountability, while being supportive in a loving, kind and authentic way, nurturing growth and self-esteem. The academic curriculum is important because it supports conceptual growth and learning, but the human curriculum – understanding deeply what our humanity means, is even more so.

Amid global crises and immense human suffering, the Springbok Rugby Team’s #StrongerTogether slogan and winning Rugby World Cup ways provided us all with a glimpse of what is possible when people work with and for each other towards a common goal. This at a time when South Africans needed something positive and inspiring to believe in. Who will forget the one-point margins over the last three games and the unity and pride that brought people together, the excited fans waiting for the arrival of the players at OR Tambo International and the many social media posts that connected fans with the team during the RWC competition? It provided temporary escapism, instilled pride in our nation and inspired South Africans to keep on dreaming!

Nkosi sikelel’ iAfrika
Maluphakanyisw’ uphondo lwayo,
Yizwa imithandazo yethu,
Nkosi sikelela, thina lusapho lwayo.

Morena boloka setjhaba sa heso,
O fedise dintwa le matshwenyeho,
O se boloke, O se boloke setjhaba sa heso,
Setjhaba sa South Afrika – South Afrika.

Uit die blou van onse hemel,
Uit die diepte van ons see,
Oor ons ewige gebergtes,
Waar die kranse antwoord gee,

Sounds the call to come together,
And united we shall stand,
Let us live and strive for freedom,
In South Africa our land.

Ad Dei Gloriam!