Everything about The South African College Schools totally explained
The
South African College Schools, commonly referred to as
SACS, is a primary and secondary education institution located in
Newlands,
Cape Town,
South Africa. Founded in
1829 it's the oldest school in South Africa. The school is a combination of the
South African College Junior School and the
South African College High School.
History
The
South African College was started when in
1791, the
Dutch Commissioner-General,
Jacob Abraham Uitenhage de Mist, asked for money to be set aside to improve the schools in the Cape. In
1814 when the British took over the control of the
Cape Colony, under the first governor,
Lord Charles Henry Somerset, permission was given for the money set aside by de Mist to establish the South African College.
The founding committee met in the
Groote Kerk to discuss funding and accommodation for the school and on
October 1,
1829, the inauguration of the South African College was held and the classes began. The original location of the school was in the
Weeshuis on
Long Street and moved to what is now known as the
Egyptian Building in the Gardens district of Cape Town in
1841.
It was decided in
1874 that the younger students should be separated from their older counterparts. The South African College was separated into the
College which became the
University of Cape Town and the
College School.
The College School moved to its own building, separate from the College in
1896 in
Orange Street. For the next few decades, the school grew and the building became too small for the number of students attending the school.
In
1956 the school moved to its current home in the
Montebello Estate, former home of the mining magnate Sir
Max Michaelis, in Newlands after a decade-long negotiation with the Cape Administration.
School Buildings
The current school buildings are situated along Dean Street and
Newlands Avenue in Cape Town.
The Junior School is located along Dean Street and is equipped with numerous fields for sporting activities, of which some are shared with the High School. The Junior School has a full length
swimming pool with a smaller children's pool for the younger students. A number of
tennis courts are also available to the students. The Junior School has a new Media Center which hosts
computer facilities, a new
library and classrooms. The
music department also has its own
auditorium for cultural events and is also used for events with smaller audiences. The Junior School's
boarding house is named after
J E De Villiers.
The High School is closest to Newlands Avenue which also hosts a number of sport fields for the various sports which the school offers throughout the year. The swimming pool is mainly used for
Water Polo and is also heated to facilitate training and usage in winter. The High School also recently had a new Media Center constructed with air-conditioned computer labs and library. The school hall is named after one of its most famous students,
J H Hofmeyr. The boarding houses for the High School are the
Michaelis House (for the junior students) and
Rosedale House (for the senior students).
Sporting Activities
The students in both Junior and High Schools are divided into four
houses, different in both divisions of the school. In both instances there are annual inter-house sporting events, as well as cultural activities. The events range from cross-country and lacrose to cricket and rugby.
A notable lacrose player is Hezron Nkanda who has made the national side.
The students take part in sporting competitions with schools from the area,
Western Cape and sometimes from other parts of South Africa, as well as occasional competitions with visiting teams from other countries.
A prestigious annual competition for both the High School and the Junior School, named the Triangular, is a chance for the students of three prominent schools in the province to compete against each other on the track and field. The other two schools are
Bishops and
Rondebosch Boys' High School. The first meeting took place in 1935 and it has rotated between the three schools every year since.
The High School also plays host to various schools around the country in an annual water polo tournament during the September holidays. The visiting schools range from the traditional rivals from the area such as Rondebosch Boys' High School and Bishops, to other prestigious institutions such as
Durban High School and
Kearsney College.
The
Junior School
offers the following sporting activities for students throughout the year:
The High School offers the following sporting activities for students throughout the year (
incomplete):
Cricket
Rugby
Hockey
Cross-country
Athletics
Tennis
Swimming
Water polo
Shooting
Squash
Basketball
Rowing
Cultural Activities
Both schools have a rich music heritage with strong music departments. The High School choir often performs in the Cape Town City Hall with other schools such as Rondebosch Boys' High School and Rustenburg Girls' High School in collaborations of such works as Carl Orff's Carmina Burana in 2001 (Conducted by Dr. Barry Smith). The choirs and bands of both divisions of the school competes in the Cape Town Eisteddfod every year at both group and individual events. The High School has two annual bursary competitions, the Christopher Brown and the Walter Swanson Competitions. These are designed to both give an evening of music from the highest standards as well as to encourage the music students to excel in whichever disciplines they take part.
The High School drama department stages annual dramatic productions as well as annual inter-house play competitions. Some recent notable performances are Guys and Dolls in 2000, Fame - The Musical in 2003 and Little Shop of Horrors in 2005.
Every year the school celebrates the founding of the school on Commemoration Day around September 20 (depending on which day it's every year). The High School trains a select group of volunteer students for the parade as well as a handful of centuries for the ceremony. The majority of the group take part as cadets for the parade and march from the Memorial Fields to the Major Quadrangle. The music department trains its students for the marching band. The Head Boy and a notable Old Boy of the school would then lay laurel wreaths at the plaques which commemorate those Old Boys who died fighting in World War I, World War II and the Korean and Border conflicts.
Clubs and Societies in the High School include (incomplete):
Choir (Junior and Senior Choir, and Madrigal Ensemble)
Band (Jazz and Concert)
Drama
Computer
Photography
First Aid
Social Committee
History Society Committee
Music Society Committee
Magazine
SACSnews (school newspaper)
Multimedia Society
Interact
Debate
Christian Union
Muslim Students Association
Wine Club
The SAC
The school song was written by Rev. Dr. F C Kolbe with music composed by Sir Meiring Beck and first publicly performed in December 1887. The original school song had three sections but only the first section is currently used. The SAC is well-known to all Old Boys as well as those students who attend the University of Cape Town since they share this as their school song. In the High School, the SAC is sung at the first and last assemblies of the school term as well as other special occasions such as Valedictory Service and the annual Academic Prize Giving events.
» The S.A.C.
Is the College for me, » The best in the country round;
Wherever you go » The records will show,
Our equal has never been found! » For study or play, it's always the same
Wherever we be, » We spread the name, and we swell the fame
Of the S.A.C.
Old Boys Union
The SACS Old Boys Union (OBU) is the oldest Old Boy (Alumni) group in the country. It is currently chaired by John Ince, notable Old Boy who was previously the Headmaster at Camps Bay High School and Guidance Counsellor at the Junior School.
Notable Old Boys
Leonard Hoffmann, Baron Hoffmann (South African-born British Judge)
Jan Hendrik Hofmeyr (1894-1948) (politician)
Justice Albie Sachs (current Justice of the Constitutional Court of South Africa)
Harry Schwarz (born 1924) South African, politician, jurist & ambassador to United States
Martin Singer
N. P. van Wyk Louw Afrikaans-language poet, playwright, and scholar
W.E.G. Louw Afrikaans-language poet
Percy Montgomery (current Springboks rugby fullback and World Cup winner)
Peter Kirsten (former South African Cricket player)
Ronald Singer (Archeology)
Stephen Simpson (racing driver - former driver A1 Grand Prix Team South Africa)
Ross Skeate (current Stormers rugby player)
Professor Colin Firer of the Graduate School of Business at the University of Cape Town
Eric Lloyd Williams Second World War correspondent
Peter Jander artist
Tim Lewis sculptor
Guy Abercrombie Elliott OBE, Professor of Medicine at Witwatersrand University
Gerry Brand Springbok fullback
Solly KesslerFurther Information
Get more info on 'South African College Schools'.
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