Jeppe High School for Girls
Jeppe High School for Girls is a high school in Johannesburg, South Africa for girls from grades 8 to 12. The school is known colloquially as Jeppe Girls.
History
Jeppe High School for Girls and the nearby Jeppe High School for Boys were founded in 1890 as a single private Anglican school, St Michael’s College. About twenty-five students were enrolled.
In 1896, the school was financially troubled and was purchased by The Witwatersrand Council for Education. The Council re-opened the school as the Jeppestown Grammar School in April 1897, but the school continued to struggle. On October 1, 1898 a committee of Jeppestown parents pooled their resources and bought the school.
The school closed during the Anglo-Boer War in 1899. After the war, in the first quarter of 1902, the school re-opened as the Jeppestown High School for Boys and Girls.
In July 1919, the girls' school moved into a new red brick building (a structure which now is only the central wing of the present main building).
Headmistresses of Jeppe High School for Girls
| Year | Principal |
|---|---|
| 1919 | Ellen L Cummins BA (Hons) Oxford |
| 1946 | Sylvia G Sprigg MBE BA (Wits) |
| 1949 | E Alice Ramsbottom BA |
| 1957 | Ailsa M Reid BSc |
| 1974 | Jean DE V Schutz BA |
| 1991 | Barbara JH Thompson |
| 1997 | Beckie R Tobias BA T.TED |
| 2007 | Helmien Slabber BA Ed, B Ed Hons, M Ed |
2011 Dina Goncalves BSc.H.Dip.Ed
Motto
The school motto is Forti Nihil Dificilius, which is Latin and means 'Nothing is too difficult for the brave'.
Prominent Old Girls
- Ruth First
- Prof Isabel Hofmeyr
- Prof Elizabeth Rankin (née Moir)
Sports
Jeppe Girls offers sports programs at both the competitive and the recreational level, including:
Flower Show
The school holds a flower show each year in the spring.
Drumming
Students practice traditional African drumming through "Mamela," a student drum group. Drummers in Mamela play djembe, dun-dun, ken keni, and sangban, among other instruments. The students play traditional South African and West African pieces, and also compose their own works.