King David High School Linksfield’s matric class of 2020 obtained more than 500 distinctions collectively, with an average of 3.4 distinctions per matric pupil.
School principal Lorraine Srage struggled to describe her excitement and relief.
“I am so proud,” she modestly giggled.
Srage started her teaching career at King David High School Linksfield in 1982. Seven years ago she became the principal.
Today, Srage is bursting with pride as her school has again made it onto the list of the best performing Independent Education Board schools.
“I am excited and relieved. I feel very privileged, rewarded and so proud. I am truly indebted to the staff for their excellence and the pupils for their willingness to adapt to what needed to be done,” she said.
Recalling the disruptions in the schooling and academic year due to the coronavirus pandemic, Srage said there were moments when she, too, as the head of the school had no answers.
“We had to dig deep. I met with the teachers on a regular basis, had proper conversations and allowed them to share their fears. There were teachers who could not return to school even after the schools were allowed to operate and they would work from home and teach their class from home,” she said.
Srage said her matrics had very little disruptions due to the pandemic as they utilised remote learning when schools were unable to open. Teachers or pupils who did not have resources such as devices or data were helped by the school, which received donations of dongles and other resources.
She said once schools were given the green light to reopen, her strategy was to ensure the matrics attended school daily.
“Matrics attended daily while the rest of the school did the hybrid rotation system. It was quite difficult because although the school is big, classrooms were not built with the intention of the 1,5 metre social distancing rule. Classes could not accommodate all the pupils,” she said.
Out of 149 Grade 12 pupils, 148 achieved a pass mark that could qualify them for university degree entrance while only one qualified to study towards a diploma.
The school’s class of 2020 achieved 504 distinctions and 47% of the subjects written resulted in marks of 80% or higher.
Reflecting on moments she shared with the class of 2020 Srage said she will never forget the day they returned to school after the national lockdown.
“The joy of seeing all 149 of them with masks on made me realise how i had been missing the noise, their vibe and energy. I had tears,” she said.