Grant Nupen 2009 - 2012: Restructuring
The year started with the new management structure in place. Up till this moment, the Principal had been both Principal of the three schools as well as being the Headmaster, or line manager of the College. In the new structure, the position of Headmaster of the College had been created, parallel to the position in the Prep. The Principal then was to exercise an oversight role, as well as addressing questions of marketing, fundraising and special projects. Vernon Wood, previously the Headmaster of Bergvliet High School, had been appointed toward the end of 2008 to be the new College Headmaster. The executive decided that the Headmaster should live in what was the Principal’s House (to be on hand all the time), while the Principal would live off-campus.
In another change, Martin Coomer retired and the Revd Terry Wilke took office as the new Chaplain. The new portfolio-based leadership structure in the houses was implemented after the decisions taken the previous year. All the regular events of the year’s calendar took place. Bishops hosted a national conference of the South African Boys’ Schools Coalition in March.
Cheryl Douglas (Biology HOD and chair of the Global Issues Network) was invited to the Microsoft Innovative Teacher conference in Mauritius to present her project “Teaching for the Future: make learners aware of global issues with an emphasis on sustainability”. She won her section and was invited to attend the worldwide finals to be held in Brazil in November. Her project showed activities that the boys of the Global Issues Network had been involved in and how attention to global issues (which started off as a Bishops society called GIN) had been incorporated into the Life Science curriculum.
As a result of an initiative by Alex van Selm of the French Department, Bishops started participating in the President’s Award scheme, a programme derived from the British Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. 103 Bishops boys registered for this programme. The programme was divided into 4 sections – Service, Physical Recreation, Skills/Interests and an Adventurous Journey; which the boys had to complete over a certain period of time depending on the level they choose (Bronze, Silver or Gold). Support for this programme grew steadily over the years.
The New Heatlie Pavilion
The efforts of the Development Office paid off in September, when the re-built Heatlie Pavilion was opened, with thanks given for the sponsors who had made this possible, and with tributes being paid to several Bishops rugby heroes. Both Basil Bey and Tim Hamilton-Smith were honoured by having the main room and the stand named after them. Jessica Setterberg, the Director of the Development Office resigned in September and the Development Office as a unit wound down. The Principal in his new role took over the marketing and fundraising activities.
2010
It was clear that social awareness among the boys was growing and some worthy contributions were made by Bishops boys for the less privileged communities in South Africa. After the one-act play festival, (13 schools now involved after the 4 who had started in 2005), a donation of R15 000 raised during the Festival was given to charities. On 21 September, 6 boys who had embarked on the President’s Award scheme were the first recipients of a Gold Award for their involvement. Phil Court led another expedition to Kilamajaro, with a group made up of parents and boys. In September, a group of boys (including two LEAP students) led by Paul Mayers and Russell Drury, went on the White Rhino trail, by now a well-established item on the Bishops agenda, but this year, they also chose to raise money to give a contribution to the local soccer group. Gray House produced another K4K event which had started in 2006. The money they raised this year went to the Chaeli Campaign and CASE.
The Bishops Praise Service took place again in the Mallett Centre, with the Archbishop Thabo speaking to the school.
Sadly for the College, Mark Hanley, the popular and respected former Housemaster of Founders died after a very short illness in September. The fourth Epic still went ahead with the Grade 10 boys with Graham Robertson taking over the organisation of the events. A number of staff joined the Epic Staff Hike for a memorial to Mark. 32 boys went off on the exchange programme.
These fourth term arrangements disrupted the culmination of the year, so it was decided to move Prizegiving from the end of year to the end of third term, and this ceremony was to be followed immediately by the Valedictory. This made the end of year arrangements much simpler.
At the end of 2010, Geoff Everingham stepped down as Chairman of Council, having served a term of five years. Geoff, like his predecessor, had been very supportive of the 2010 strategies and objectives, and the school had continued to flourish. He was succeeded by Mike Bosman.
Mike Bosman is an OD. He had completed his schooling at Bishops in 1978, and furthered his education at UCT and Harvard University, studying Finance and Accounting and reading for a Master’s degree in law. He qualified as a Chartered Accountant. He worked for a number of advertising agencies both in North America and in South Africa, and had been named as the Advertising Man of the Year in South Africa three times, most recently in 2006. He was Chairman of the World Scout Foundation based in Geneva, chairman of the Board of Governors of Bridge House School, and a board member of the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy Foundation.
2011
The pace of events and the continuing involvement in a wide range of activities continued in 2011. The Eisteddfod was a bumper event, celebrating its 25th anniversary. Shortly afterwards, the 7th Classic Pops concert was held again in the City Hall. This year’s annual Bishops One Act Play Festival, under the supervision of Festival Director, Trevor Pasquallie, was as always very popular and well supported. R10 000 was raised and presented to the Shine Centre. The Shine Centre offers a multi-sensory intervention programme twice weekly to all Grade 2 and 3 children who are not reading at the appropriate grade level. They make sure that the children have suitable reading material to take home. The school play was Fugard’s “Master Harold and the Boys”, which like earlier school plays, was taken to perform at the Edinburgh Fringe. And after a long struggle with obtaining approval from the city, the Rick Skeeles Pavilion on Lutgensvale was completed and opened.
The Strategic plan for 2011 - 2014
Under the new Chairman of Council, the school executive workshopped the development of a strategic plan for 2011-2014, building on the successes of the 2010 plan. The following were the main components.
First, to develop a succession plan for new Principal, who would assume office at the start of 2013. Then, promote the programmes of Staff Development and the Appraisal Committee. Third, develop a whole school vision for the academic programme across all three schools. Fourthly, complete the technological infrastructure dealing with improving communication by redefining the database, and extending the use of technology in teaching and learning, and finally, complete the following physical infrastructure –
- prepare the Deputy Principal’s House on the Avenue for the Headmaster of the College. The next Principal will live in the house on the property reserved for the Principal.
- Conclude the purchase of the land outside the front gate from the Church to preserve the entrance to the school.
- Accept the very generous offer from the Coutts-Trotter family to build an indoor cricket centre in memory of their son, the late Steffan Coutts-Trotter, and provide the balance of the money needed.
- Refurbish and renovate the Jagger Hall and environs at the Prep School.
- Build a second story to the Grade 2 classrooms at the Pre-Prep to locate the music room there, and free up the over-use of the Pre-prep Hall.
- Build a pavilion for the Woodlands/Avenue fields, possibly in conjunction with the OD Union, The Bishops Society and the School Museum.
Engage an architect to do a detailed examination of, and make comprehensive proposals regarding our spaces for teaching and learning, specifically the area surrounding the Mallett Sports Centre.
At the end of 2011, Jason Bantjes resigned to take up a lecturer position at Stellenbosch. The BSU by then was well integrated into the academic and pastoral life of the school. His place was taken by Peter Farlam OD at the start of 2012.
2012
Marcus Bizony led the staff through an appraisal of the two examination systems, the National Senior Certificate and the Independent Examinations Board, as part of finalizing the academic vision for all three schools. This was an issue that kept emerging in discussions. There were advantages for some disciplines, and disadvantages for others. It was decided that the school would remain with the Department of Basic Education’s National Senior Certificate’s exams, rather than move over to the Independent Examination Board’s exams.
As always, there was lots going on at the College. During 2012, there were tours to Israel led by Wessel Theron and Phil Court, the French tour led by Warwick Richter, the school play Biloxi Blues was a great success when staged in March, and it was taken to the Edinburgh Festival. Simply Blue went to Greece; a number of boys went off on the Rhino Trail and a 1st XI Cricket tour to England in June/July, led by Geoff Kieswetter, the teacher-in-charge of Cricket.
During the year, the school was approached by the Rhodes Trustees with a proposal that the catchment area of the Bishops Rhodes scholarship should be extended to include a number of other schools with associations with Bishops. The privilege of the four school having a dedicated scholarship was an exclusivity that the Trustees were now not prepared to accept. There were a number of discussions, and in the end, the Bishops Scholarship was made available to students from Bishops, St George’s, Herschel, St Cyprian’s, and LEAP 1 School.
After a rigorous search and interview process, Mike Bosman announced that the next Principal of Bishops would be Guy Pearson, currently Rector of Michaelhouse, who would take up office in January 2013.
Grant Nupen and Michael King both retired at the end of 2012. The Archbishop presided over a service of farewell and blessing for Grant and Michael and their wives. There were also a number of other events to wish them well.
