With the welcome rains and our return to the College campus, we look forward to an exciting and busy first term.
It is such a great honour for me to head up such an important and historical institution and I would like to thank all our Kingswoodian families that have been so welcoming over the past few weeks.
Makhanda is already beginning to feel like home. I look forward to the year and am cognizant of the challenges that I may face, however I look forward to serving the Kingswood community for many years to come.
A school with over 127 years to its name speaks to an institution that has adapted, innovated and survived numerous challenges over its history. We have seen times of famine and feast; tragedies and triumphs; droughts and deluges and we still stand tall. It is our strong belief in family and our solid foundation of Christian values that has allowed us to overcome all the obstacles put in our way and we will remain resilient in the face of future challenges.
As a school, we continue to strive to be innovative and adaptable to ensure that Kingswood remains relevant in the current and future global context. This process will require that:
- We stay up to date with the latest international trends in the educational space and that we implement programmes that are able to prepare Kingswoodians for what is sure to be an uncertain future.
- We hope to work towards collaborating with tertiary institutions from around the globe to ensure that our pupils have the access to the best possible opportunities once they leave Kingswood.
- We work with each child as an individual, as well as part of a team with the aim of ensuring that they achieve to the best of their potential. Our high expectations for each child require that our committed staff scaffold and stretch our pupils to grow and challenge themselves.
- We encourage our pupils to engage meaningfully in our co-curricular programme whether that be on the sports fields, music rooms, enrichment courses, ICE programme, and leadership focus. The lessons learnt in these spaces remain as important as those learnt in the classroom.
- The schools unique character driven education will help our pupils to reflect on their own social, emotional and spiritual journey and work towards developing a strong moral code. A Kingswoodian is a significant member of society who shows empathy, passion and pride. Our expectation is that Kingswoodians will play an integral part in improving the lives of all South Africans, as well as being at the forefront of social entrepreneurship at a global level.
- We remain committed to our traditional Methodist values and celebrate traditions that focus on inclusivity while challenging those that are no longer relevant in a modern progressive school.
I look forward to getting to know the Kingswood family over the next few months.
I encourage you to visit our extraordinary campus, to truly feel the spirit of Kingswood College and to see our vision in practice.
Mr Leon Grové
College Head