Bergsig Primary School, in Bonteheuwel, is celebrating its 60th birthday this year.
Principal Imelda Stewart said the school started in 1963, as an English-medium school but soon after it changed to an Afrikaans-medium school to meet the demand from Afrikaans-speaking pupils.
In the 1990s, the school, still under the leadership of its first principal, J February, reverted to instruction in English.
The school started with 451 pupils and now has 885.
Ms Stewart started as a pupil at the school in 1974. She matriculated from Bonteheuwel High School and after earning her teaching diploma at Hewat Training College, she started teaching at the school in 1992. In April this year, she was appointed principal.
Over the years, the school has added IT classes and more extra mural activities. Last year, it opened its library. It now has 26 teachers, four support staff and a woman who runs a feeding scheme that serves breakfast and lunch for 400 children daily.
Ms Stewart said the school’s biggest challenges at the moment were load-shedding and the lingering effects of the pandemic.
“Pupils were really affected academically, and we are working hard to bounce back and come back from what we’ve lost. There’s no way to regain the amount of time lost, but we are moving forward gradually.
“The school is a no-fee school; we have many unemployed parents so acquiring finance for upgrades is always our biggest challenge. We are supported by our parents and the community, but where the children’s discipline is concerned, they need to come on board.”
Ms Steward said the school encouraged pupils to play sport and attend extra classes for maths and language, subjects that many of them struggled with.
Grade 5 pupil Mogamad Yusri Reynolds, 11, recently earned his provincial colours for athletics after coming first in the 1200m, at the Dal Josafat Athletics Stadium, in Paarl, in March.
The school’s motto, “Du ut des”, means “I give so that you can also give”, and Ms Stewart believes this ethos makes the school stand out from others.
“I want people to know that I know the area; I grew up here with gangsterism among us. Our teachers always strive for the best, teaching pupils important values. The point is that challenges, such as where we come from, should not hold us back.”
Sports coach and teacher Graham Hector said he was very proud to be part of the school.
“The school has made such a name for itself in these 60 years and turned out more than I thought it would. The fact that they lasted 60 years is proof that it will be here for a very long time. I’ve never seen such an oasis in Bonteheuwel, with a positive culture inside and a bad outside,” he said.
