Marist Brothers Dete
Coordinates: 18°34′02″S 26°50′37″E / 18.567209°S 26.843735°E
| Marist Brothers Dete | |
|---|---|
 Marist Brothers' Secondary School, Dete | |
| Motto | Scientia et Virtus |
| Established | 1972 |
| Type | Catholic co-ed (mixed) secondary |
| Affiliations | Roman Catholic, Marist Brothers |
| Founder | Marist Brothers |
| Location | Dete, Zimbabwe |
| Website | www.mosadete.org |
Marist Brothers Dete (full name Marist Brothers Secondary School, Dete), is a co-educational (mixed) boarding secondary school in Dete, in the Hwange district of Zimbabwe’s Matabeleland North Province province. The school is located within the boundaries of the Hwange National Park, and is 5 km from Dete town, off the main tarred road that connects the Bulawayo-Victoria Falls road and Dete town. Marist is reached by a small gravel/dust road which is generally well maintained by the school.
Marist Brothers Dete is part of the international family of Marist schools run by the Marist Brothers, a Catholic society founded in 1817 by Saint Marcellin Champagnat in France. Other Marist Brothers schools in Zimbabwe are Kutama College in Norton and Nyanga High School in the Eastern Highlands of Zimbabwe.
School history
Marist Brothers Secondary School Dete was opened in 1972, as a transfer from St. Mary’s Secondary School in Lukosi, Hwange.[1] St Mary’s Secondary School had been an old Catholic School run by the priests of the Hwange Diocese. Following an invitation from the Bishop of Hwange, the Marist Brothers initially joined St. Mary’s Secondary School in the late 1960s. They later moved the school and established Marist Brothers Dete in its current location, in the Chezhou area of Dete (formerly called Dett).
Brother Evaristo Utete was the first headmaster. J. A Freeburn is one of the longest serving heads at the school. Early students include writer Chenjerai Hove.
Classes
The Marist Brothers Secondary School in Dete has classes from Form 1 to Form 4. Academic subjects studied include English Language, English Literature, Ndebele, Mathematics, Geography, Science, Biology, and Bible Knowledge. The school also offers practical subjects including Metalwork, Bicycle Mechanics, Motor Mechanics, Woodwork (Carpentry), Needlework, and Cookery (Food and Nutrition). Typically, every student will produce and take home several pieces of furniture or clothing that they will have produced during the year, for their personal of family use.
Marist motor mechanics students and their teachers have, over the years, created usable motor vehicles using scrap. The most notable of these were Moonshine, a large truck that was used to ferry goods from Dete to and around the school, and Sunshine, a small 'body' on 'wheels' runaround vehicle used around the school and farm area. Typically, these vehicles were deliberately never developed to the point of being roadworthy, and were made to lack things such as wind screens, batteries, etc.
School life
The school is divided into four colour-coded 'Houses', Champagnat (Yellow), Lwanga (Red), Mafuyana (Green), and Mzilikazi (Blue). Champagnat House is in honour of Marcellin Champagnat, the founder of the Marist movement. Mafuyana House is in honour of the late mama Mafuyana, wife of the late Vice President of Zimbabwe and Nationalist Freedon Fighter Joshua Nkomo. The house was formally called Chaminuka.
There are eight blocks of residences, four each for girls and boys. Except for a few exceptions over the years, a student typically stays within his or her house throughout the four years at Marist. There are four dining halls, also divided according to the four houses. Here, boys and girls from the same house have meals together. Participation in sports, including inter-house competitions are also conducted according to one's house. Classes are otherwise mixed, although a system of awards, with these awards adding to the points that a house collects throughout the term or year. The house with the highest points (from sports, dormitory inspections, and class awards), become champions that year. Prizes have included a house picnic at one of the lakes near the school.
Sports
Various sports are available. The main ones are football (soccer), netball, tennis, volleyball, basketball and track events. Due to its better sporting facilities, particularly its large and many grounds, Marist Brothers Dete has traditionally been the host school for regional sporting competitions. Schools including those from Dete, Hwange, Victoria Falls, and the Lupane district, often converge at Marist Dete for their competitions. Marist has won several provincial basketball tournaments despite the fact that it does not have A'level students, a limiting factor in sports such as soccer.
Marist Old Students Association, Dete
Marist Old Students Association, Dete (MOSA Dete)[2] is the Alumni Association for Marist Brothers Dete. It is a non-political and non-governmental Organization, formed to unite and forge ahead in promoting and fostering the growth and development of the school. Membership is open to any person who may be connected to the school in one way or another.
Notable Alumni
- Archbishop Robert Christopher Ndlovu, the Archbishop of Harare and head of the Catholic Church in Zimbabwe. He is also the president of the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops Conference (ZCBC),[3] and Chancellor of the Zimbabwe Catholic University.[4]
- Hebert Nkala: Businessman. Chairman of FBC Holdings limited,[5] Director and Non-Executive Chairman of Turnall Holdings Limited,[6] etc.
- Chenjerai Hove: A Zimbabwean author.
- Lt General Philip Valerio Sibanda: Commander of the Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA).
- Noel Kaseke: Professional footballer