2009 has arrived and despite a delayed start, we are very upbeat about the opportunities that lie before us.
The exam results for 2008 have been very satisfactory and in fact, the top end of our students have excelled beyond expectations. Our top 'O' level boy achieved 10 A's and 5 A's. Our top AS candidate achieved 3 A symbols and our top A level student also got 3 A's.
Our teaching staff is stable. We have had one resignation for April and I do not envisage any problems replacing staff. We have a large file of teachers wishing to teach at the College.
We have taken on a young man who is in his final year at Rhodes University doing his teaching diploma for this year. He will join us next year.
Our School is as full as it has been for many years; in fact, the Form One group has been a nightmare as we ended up with over 80 boys on a waiting list.
Our vision for the year 2009 is to consolidate the fabric of the place - to start to upgrade dormitories at Form 3 level, keep up with maintenance and effect make- overs to the classrooms and teacher accommodation.
Our Astra concept of making boys set goals and have their tutors and Housemasters help them to achieve them in academics, sport, culture and service, is a major on-going goal for the new year.
One of our goals this year is to make the whole campus and surrounds "greener" by the recycling of waste, conservation of water, using less electricity, utilization of invader plants to run our hot water boilers and in every way possible, conserving and utilizing our environment.
We also look forward to our new computer centre being up and operational to enhance our whole system, but especially the teaching of IT at both O and A level.
Our Design Technology area is another area we hope to start making a difference to. There is a need for expansion in this area, as well as the upgrading of facilities we already have.
Our Mining project is another area we hope we will make positive moves to implementing in 2009. This could help a great deal in making the College less reliant on fee income for development.
We have major plans for the utilization of our Quiet Waters' conservation area. The direction for this project is not yet cast in stone, but we intend making more of this area to again reduce reliance on fee income.
We will be developing a clinic in our Workers' Village in 2009. Money for this project has already been secured from John Laing in the U.K. We are hoping that additional funding will come from the Beit Trust. Another old boy, Mark Hutchinson in Canada, has offered to equip this facility.
Our goal once again is to grow young men into characters that can fit into any society in any part of the world and make a positive contribution. We want them to have fun doing it and to grow the Falcon Family to an even stronger unit which can serve the community in an even greater fashion in years to come.
R.W. QUERL