The Matric results released on 4 January 2019 are the “measuring day” for the girls and school alike. It’s a joyful day of witnessing these young women coming into school to collect the certificates which set them up for their next chapter.
We were delighted with our eleven Matric RF girls' performances, as they achieved 30 distinctions, spearheaded by Ivana Garvanski with six, Sherry Jiang and Claudia Steincke with five and Tayana Magatti with four. They are enrolled in a range of tertiary level studies from Architecture, to Accounting, to Digital Arts - fly high girls!
Our annual alumnae lunch at the Wits Club, held on 11 January, offered an opportunity for the ‘old girls’ to reconnect, congratulate the Matrics and welcome them to the club, compare notes, and have fun together. Much of the lunch’s chat went around the great foundation their Jeppe education has provided to set them up for tertiary level studies and success. This is borne out by the statistics: eighteen of the nineteen alumnae are continuing their studies at Wits, UCT, UJ, UP and University of the Free State, across a wide range of disciplines including Computer Science, Law, Accounting, Education, Engineering, Medicine and Design. Two of our first intake 2011 girls are now in Honours programmes, in Construction Management and Graphic Design.
The 2019 grade 8’s will be welcomed onto the Ruth First mentorship programme this Saturday with a team building day which includes a donut eating competition, treasure hunt, school quiz and hula hoops. Our mentor group includes 15 Jeppe Old Girls, 7 of whom are RF alumnae. The programme’s objectives are to provide a platform for the girls to develop their Ruth First identity, to learn from one another, and to equip them with skills and resources to enhance their ability to succeed at school. Sessions include celebrating birthdays with cupcakes, a mix of action-oriented activities, listening and sharing, and advice from the older girls on how to get the most out of Jeppe.
The Oxford dictionary defines tradition as “The transmission of customs or beliefs from generation to generation, or the fact of being passed on in this way.” As our ninth intake of Grade 8’s takes our girls in school to 56, and alumnae to 30, it is opportune to reflect on how these traditions contribute to the Ruth First identity and what it means to be a Ruthie. With our selection process for 2020 underway, it is fitting to consider that our 100th Ruthie will be selected as Jeppe Girls celebrates its centenary as a separate school within the Jeppe family of schools this year. Thank you to all our sponsors and supporters who make these great successes possible.
Comments