1987
One of the interesting features of school life was the low student-teacher ratio. We had a staff compliment of 40 teachers and a student enrolment of 670. Class sizes were much smaller than we have today. Yet we were still fighting “gutter education” a term that was used in student protests in the earlier part of the decade. The staff room was a pleasant and full space during the day as many teachers had administration or “free” periods simultaneously. These periods would be used for comparing notes, meetings or marking. The inter-house athletics was well organized but not spectacular. We were nonetheless looking forward to the inter-schools B section meeting where South Peninsula would be the convenor school.
Young teachers’ penchant for being different and politicized was evident in our support of the call by the Western Cape Teachers Union (WECTU) for a oneday boycott of classes in May. This call was made to support the under-fire teachers who had supported the students in protest action during 1985 and 1986. Volleyball had become my favourite sport as a result of being taken in by the speed of the game and the particular skills that were required. I managed very exciting boys’ and girls’ teams and I was also very impressed by the Western Province Senior Schools Sports Union (WPSSSU) volleyball convenors, the late Ismail Collier and Toyer Adams of Heathfield High. They organized a superb May Day tournament at Alexander Sinton. Students’ political awareness went along with playing volleyball. Speaking of students’ political awareness, I must say that the Athlonians were disciplined. Awareness programmes and mass meetings were well prepared and orderly. Many students would be conscientized by leaders after school and freedom songs would be sung late into the afternoon. Pupils, like many before them of previous eras were determined to fight for social justice and equal education. One of the lasting memories that we have of those who attended the meetings which young teachers addressed is that none of the students ever reported us to the authorities. 1987 was perhaps a year in which the writing was on the wall for Apartheid yet the state was still determined to be oppressive and repressive so it is a wonderful tribute to the students that we could develop relationships of trust with them.
The Hewat College of Education students arrived in May for their teaching practice experience. College students made for better teachers (at least initially) as they had more contact with pupils from the inception of their courses. One of the lecturers who came to evaluate the students was none other than Dr Richard Rive, the writer who had taught at Athlone in the early seventies. It was good to mentor students who were evaluated by Rive and other lecturers of note.
District Six was back in the headlines through the Petersen/Kramer musical collaboration that premiered at the Baxter Theatre in July. The beautiful story of Athlone High and education in Cape Town must be understood against fierce resistance to the Apartheid Philosophy. The Group Areas Act was one of the cornerstone Acts of Separate Development dividing people along so called racial lines into segregated residential areas. Many of the Athlonians had been affected by forced removals from District Six and other areas such as Newlands. SV Petersen might not have been overtly political but we believe that in his emphasizing education, young people could embrace learning and overcome the evils of segregation.
It was at one of my colleague’s wedding receptions where I met an ex-Athlone High student who interestingly said that Athlone High students were so unique that they would be. They could somehow recognize each other in a crowd as a result of their special attributes of being students at the school. So we have to ask “What makes for the quintessential Athlone High characteristic?” Is it not the uniqueness of the ethos of Athlone High?
SV Petersen’s death in October 1987 was a sad loss to the school and entire educational fraternity. His visionary leadership, adroit administrative skills, inimitable class and style will be forever remembered. The least that we can do in 2017 is to learn from him who stands as a Pegasus in poetry and who lay a foundation for holistic education for his students. Today we ought to have veneration for SV and many other Athlone High educationists of different political persuasions who all added values and principles to school life.