Kloof High School
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Kloof High School | |
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| In Hoc Signo Vinces | |
| Established | 1960 |
|---|---|
| School type | Public |
| Locale | Suburban |
| Grades | 8 - 12 |
| Acting Principal | Dawn A. Léfort |
| Exam board | KZN |
| Location | Kloof, Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa |
| Students | 875 |
| Colors | Brown, yellow and blue |
| Mascot | Leopard |
| Pupil-teacher ratio | 18:1 |
| Website | www.kloof-high.co.za |
Kloof High School is a public, co-educational high school located in Kloof, near Durban in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
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[edit] History
Kloof High School opened on 3 February 1960 under the first headmaster, Mr Goodwin. The 127 students were taught in prefabricated classrooms situated on a temporary site at the corner of Emolweni and Dan Pienaar Roads in the village of Kloof.
The school grew quickly under the third principal, Mr Dudley Barton, who succeeded Mr J.F. Dixon in July 1963. Construction had begun on permanent buildings in 1963 and by mid–1964 the students in the eighth to eleventh grades were able to move into their new classrooms. For some time the prefabs on the top hockey field remained as further building continued. In 1965 the first grade 12 pupils wrote the School's first matriculation examinations, and the present school houses, Churchill, Founders and Keller, were established.
In 1969, Mr T. Gerdener (then Provincial Administrator for Natal) officially opened the school. At that time, there were 524 students and 26 teachers, and a further classroom wing, including an Art Studio and Media Centre had been added and a school hall where "William Shakespeare" by Clemence Dane was produced by Mrs Ruth Barton. During the July holidays of that year the first sports tours were undertaken with a 1st Hockey XI touring the Eastern Cape and the first rugby touring Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). The faith of the founders had been justified and a coat of arms was designed by Mr Alan Woodrow, including the motto: "In hoc signo vinces" meaning "In this sign (the cross) you will conquer."
Academic, sporting and cultural aspects of school life were catered for but Mr Barton felt the spiritual needs of the students should be met. Fund raising began for a chapel and the Dudley Barton Sanctuary was opened in 1977, dedicated by the Bishop of Natal. Despite being a public school, Kloof High retains its Christian ethos, but accommodates pupils of all religions.
Mr Barton retired in 1978 and was succeeded by Mr H.M. Puzey under whom the school continued to grow. Further classrooms were built including a Computer Room. On the sports front, provincial and, on occasion, national honours, were earned in swimming, (the school now had a swimming pool), cricket, hockey, athletics and tennis – some of the varied sporting activities offered at the school. Academic excellence was encouraged and under Mr Hugh Deane (principal from 1989 until 1994), teachers were encouraged to be creative in their teaching methods, and were presented regular workshops dealing with thinking skills, interpersonal skills, group dynamics and fitting the child for a fast changing society. To achieve this the Media Centre was being upgraded.
In January 1995 Mr Deane was succeeded by Mr Dave Seager. During this time of political uncertainty in South Africa, due to the recent abolition of apartheid, both Messrs Deane and Seager served the school as best they could. The school was declared a Model C school early in the nineties, and the School Governing Body was formed to deal with financial concerns.
In the new millennium, the school found itself under renewed pressure to develop its facilities, and to this end introduced a sports centre, the John Dickson Indoor Centre, and a fully furnished auditorium.
During March 2005, Mr Seager resigned and was replaced by Mrs Dawn A. Léfort in her capacity as Acting Principal. She has worked at the School since 1977 as a French teacher and more recently in management. The Department plans to appoint a new principal before the end of 2007.
[edit] Principals
- Mr Goodwin (1960 -)
- Mr J.F. Dixon
- Mr Dudley Barton (July 1963 - 1978)
- Mr H.M. Puzey (1979 - 1988)
- Mr Hugh Deane (1989 - 1994)
- Mr Dave Seager (1995 - March 2005)
- Mrs Dawn A. Léfort (April 2005 - Present)
[edit] The school today
The school's location in the tree-lined avenues of Kloof make it a scenic suburban school. With a "commitment to making an all-round South African", "the School attempts to create a passion for life within its students."
It is run by the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education and a school governing body. Approxiamately 26 teachers are employed by the governing body and about 23 are employed by the Department of Education.
About 875 students, mostly from the suburbs of Kloof, Everton, Gillitts, Waterfall, Forest Hills, New Germany and Wyebank, attend the school. A daily school bus operates from Marrianhill through to the school via Lyndhurst Primary School in New Germany.
It is an English-medium school and offers both Afrikaans and Zulu as second languages (or first additional languages in the new FET curriculum) and French as a third language.
The school still comprises a large white population (approximately 75% of the school), with Indian/Asians (12%) and black Africans (12%) completing the school. Small numbers of Coloured people (of mixed European-Asian-African descent) also attend the school.[citation needed]
[edit] Academics
Kloof High School is one of the top academically-performing schools in KwaZulu-Natal. Its school-leavers write the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education exams and consistently achieve good results.
| Matric Results | 2005 | 2006 |
|---|---|---|
| Number of candidates | 175 | 184 |
| Number of failures | 0 | 0 |
| University endorsement (%) | 81 | 76 |
| A aggregates (%) | 17.1 | 18.5 |
| A-B-C aggregates (%) | 83 | 78 |
| Subject distinctions | 225 | 238 |
| Subject failures | 12 | 21 |
[edit] Facilities
The school offers many sports for both boys and girls at the school. Rugby, hockey (both indoor and outdoor), waterpolo, soccer (football), swimming and athletics are represented by both boys and girls teams. Boys can also participate in cricket and golf, while girls take part in netball and softball.
Cultural activities, including chess, debating, team-speaking, choir, poetry, conservation, environmental clubs, investment/business groups and welfare societies exist to further interests in these aspects of life.
The Argus School (run by Mrs Dawn Crookes) uses the school during evenings. This service is involved in adult education of domestic workers and historically disadvantaged peoples in the area. Members of the Kloof community teach literacy and skills. Further to this, the school runs an annual Spring School (under the auspices of the Kloof Rotary Club) that aims to offer interesting and relevant courses. Subjects range from baking to flower arranging to poetry. This is held during the Spring holidays.
[edit] Traditions
The school celebrates its Founders Day every year on the final day of the second term (usually on 22 June) by commemorating its first set of grade 12 students.
There is a traditional sporting rivalry with nearby Hillcrest High School. Derby Day is held every mid-June, alternating between Kloof High and Hillcrest High, and culminates with the 1st XV rugby game in the afternoon.
[edit] School uniform
The blazer is brown and special awards (such as honours, colours or honours cum laude) are indicated with yellow ribbing. The tie is striped with brown, blue and yellow. Blazer and tie are not required during the summer terms.
