Good Morning Mrs Stear, Mrs Snyman, Special Guests, Family, Staff, and Fellow Learners.
I would like to start off with a quote by Peter Drucker, “Effective leadership is not about making speeches or being liked; leadership is defined by results, not attributes.”
It is a great privilege to be standing in front of you all today as the junior Head Girl of Riebeek College. I have grown so much throughout this year, expanding my knowledge on being a great leader and solving everything to the best of my ability. 2019 has been a year filled with amazing memories that I will cherish forever.
There are a number of Riebeek Superstars that have gone above and beyond to represent our school. Some of these learners are:
Zara Dantu in grade 4 received her Eastern Province Colours for chess.
Taytum-Paige Bosch in grade 7 made it to the third round of Eastern Province Hockey Trials. Even though she didn’t make the final EP team, it was still a great achievement for her to get this far.
Leya Bosman in grade 7 represented Nelson Mandela Bay at the 2019 Triathlon Championships that were held in Durban.
Well done, ladies. I am sure that you girls have bright futures laying ahead of you.
Some of our school’s achievements and highlights are:
The junior school participated in World Read Aloud Day where all 282 learners listened to a story read by Miss Mxoli. It was thoroughly enjoyed by all the junior school pupils as they did not have to work in the last lesson.
The Drama Talent Show was a success. The girls got to show off their impressive talents.
The results were as follows:
The 2nd runner up in the junior category were Avuya Mkoko and Alitha Made who sand exceptionally together.
The 1st runner up was Hope Ruiters who’s dance moves impressed the audience. She proved that dynamite comes in small packages.
The overall winner was Amy Fischer, Lulibo Sam and Shia Jansen who’s dance performance set the stage alight.
The 2019 Junior School play was themed ‘A Night In the Jungle’. The show was enjoyed by all the families of the learners. The girls and teachers worked very hard to perfect the play. We are exceedingly proud of their effort.
Now, I would like to share some memories from my junior school experience.
In grade 4, Asenathi, Isenathi and Simxabisile asked Mrs Skeates to sing a song to the class. All the learners enthusiastically anticipated the song, however, we did not expect them to sing ‘I Wanna Wish You A Merry Christmas’.
Let us not forget how Mrs Viljoen always wanted to be massaged in class. She was always overwhelmed by everybody volunteering. I wonder if she was aware that all of us volunteered only to avoid doing actual class work. Also, doing a puppet show with Mrs Viljoen as an Afrikaans Oral was very entertaining and something that we thoroughly enjoyed.
I will never forget, how in grade 5, Miss Johnson always ended the day with reading a little bit of ‘Horrid Henry’ or letting us tell her what our plans were for the weekend.
And Miss Arthur taught us that a woman can do anything. Even fix a toilet. Miss Arthur enjoyed sharing her stories about her great adventures in Europe, as she has a love for traveling.
Our trip to the Elands River Nursery was the highlight of our year. We all got to make our own pot plants to take home to nurture.
In grade 6, the very detailed LS lessons with Mrs Jonas will definitely be remembered. Mrs Jonas is a very passionate teacher, this makes the learning process even more fun.
We made Mr Jonas think that we had forgotten to throw him a birthday party. His response to that was, “This is the first group of girls who have not thrown a birthday party for me. I’m shocked!” We did end up having a blast at his surprise birthday party, though.
Remember to never say “SSHH!” in front of Mr Jonas, because his response to that would be, “Why are you saying ‘SSHH!’? Are you chasing pigeons?”
Last but not least, Mr Jonas’ famous saying, “My girl, don’t make your problem my problem.”
Grade 7 has been a year full of memories, like the broken bathroom mirror, random outbursts in class, funerals of class pets and so many more.
A few highlights from grade 7 are:
When we misbehaved in the beginning of the year and sang “Sorry” by Justin Bieber so that Miss H could forgive us.
When Mr De Beer sang to both classes on Valentines day and when he wore lipstick to school in support of the ‘Red Lips Campaign’.
I’m sure we won’t forget how Miss H is forever blaming her “twin sister” or her “heavy” engagement ring when she made mistakes on the board or her saying, “Mooi man!” whenever we impressed her by doing something correctly.
The grade 7s were asked to come up with ideas for Family Day, and one girl mentioned the wheelbarrow race. I sat in suspense and asked, “But Miss H, where are we going to get all the wheelbarrows?”
After PT, Sesona’s skirt was, and i quote, “Pap sop nat” from the water in her hair which had dripped onto her skirt. She had no choice but to ask Miss H for assistance, because she didn’t know what to do.
One of our main highlights was the grade 7 camp. The camp was an interesting adventure. We enjoyed three days of pure fun which included bonding and important life lessons.
The enthusiastic girls cheered and dared Miss Hattingh, Mr De Beer, Miss Mxoli and Mrs Snyman to dive through the sand tunnel. We all had a great laugh when Mr De Beer totally face planted into the sand. We also dared Miss H to do the trust fall, even though she didn’t really trust the girls who were catching her. I also just have to mention how Savuswa fell face first into the sand. She immediately stood up like nothing happened, with her tongue out of her mouth and shaking her head to try and get the sand off of her face
At night, the girls joined in on singing Christmas Carols while hanging up lanterns. The different tribes also competed in making their very own potjie kos. We did many more fun activities, but I don’t want to spoil it for for the 2020 grade 7s. I could go on about all the memories from grade 7, but you’d then be sitting here forever!
Grade 7 is an extremely challenging year for all learners. We were no longer looking up to the grade 7s above us, we were looked up to by the younger learners. It’s actually very scary, if you ask me. This year is not only a year of ending off our Junior School Careers, but also a year of immense growth and maturity. We have grown closer as a grade. This year wouldn’t have been the same without every single one of you.
2019 has been a huge year for me. Becoming the leader of a junior school is definitely something I did not expect. Hearing my name being announced, came as a great surprise. Although I didn’t expect this, I feel like I have proved myself with the help and support from all of you. Since this was a big shock to me, I had to adjust as I did not think I was good with responsibility. However, I soon realised that I was capable of anything, I just had to have the correct mindset.
We would like to sadly say goodbye to Mrs Skeates. She has taught at Riebeek College from 1981. Mrs Skeates had been an influencer and an inspiration to generation of Riebeek Girls. Mrs Skeates, you will be sorely missed. We wish her all the very best with the next phase of her life.
Now, I would like to say thank you to the following people who have made a huge impact in my time here at Riebeek. Thank you to,
Miss Mxoli for always giving off a good vibe whenever we entered the classroom, as well as helping me with this speech.
Mr Patel for adding life into our lessons and being very enthusiastic in class and on the sports field.
Mr Mashaka for lifting our moods by playing soothing tunes on the piano and racing us to the student center. He always boosts our confidence by saying “Yas Gels!”
Mr Calitz for teaching us the importance of looking after our bodies and filling us with suspense, because “Snotball Earth” could actually be real, right?
Mrs Skeates for always encouraging us to do everything to our full potential.
Mrs Viljoen for not only being a huge inspiration and mentor, but also an amazing teacher and swimming coach.
Miss Johnson for teaching us some valuable life lessons and how to properly manage our time.
Miss Arthur for always being patient and ready to help anyone who required assistance.
Mrs Jonas for being the ‘Problem Solver’ in our lives.
Mr Jonas for being a great hockey coach and someone who we can talk openly to about anything and everything. But don’t worry, Sir, we promise to never make our problems your problem.
Mr De Beer for being our cheerleader in the classroom and on the sports frield. How could I forget to mention your famous catch phrase, “My heart is pomping sjoklates!” as well as “You are a queen and you will slay!”
Mrs Snyman for being a great English teacher and one to remind me to do most things. Like this speech, for example.
Mrs Stear for being the pillar of strength for the entire school and always being polite and supportive to everybody.
Miss H for guiding me as well as the prefect body through this hectic year. You have gone through so much to keep the grade 7s on their feet.
I would also like to thank the prefect body for always being by my side and never giving up on me. I’m very grateful for your unconditional support, you guys have really been the best. Also, I want to say thank you to the entire grade. You might not know this, but each and every one of you amazing ladies play a very important role in my life. Because of you, I come to school with a smile on my face.
Finally, Thank you to my family.
Thank you, Mummie for raising me into the young woman I am today. You have guided me since day one. Yes, I can be difficult sometimes and we do have our ups and downs, but just know that I Love You so much.
Dedda for also never giving up on me and inspiring me to fight for what I want. You are always the one to put a smile on my face, after all, you understand me more than anybody else. I Love you, Deddie.
Last but not lest, my brother, Jared. (AKA: Boet) Thank you for everything, literally everything. You have always been there for me without even realising it. You are my partner in crime and my best friend. Yes, we fight all the time, but our unbreakable bond will stand the test of time. You have always put your problems aside to help me with mine. You have always been there to support me in everything I do. No one compares to you. I hope and pray that we never get separated, because, and believe me when I say this, I can’t live without you. You are by far the best brother I could ask for. I love yoy, fishface.
If I didn’t get all this support, I wouldn’t be where I am today.
I would like to end off with a quote by Roy T. Bennett, “Do not let the memories of your past limit the potential of your future. There are no limits to what you can achieve on your journey through life, except in your mind.”
Head Girl has been an experience of a lifetime and an experience that I will treasure for the rest of my life, because, “Once a Riebeek Girl, always a Riebeek Girl.”
Thank you.
 
- By Angela Miles