Rhenish Girls’ High School is particularly proud of the Class of 2021. Their results are praiseworthy.
The school boasts a 100% pass rate, 100% bachelor’s pass (only 1 of 2 state schools in the Western Cape to achieve this), 74 A candidates with 56,48% of the class achieving an A average, 18 candidates achieving an average of over 90% and 560 subject distinctions – ie an average of 4,27 As per candidate
Two of the Rhenish matrics, Ah-Young Moon and Anna-Christina Kriel, were invited to breakfast with Minister of Basic Education Angie Motshekga for the announcement of the top achievers in South Africa in the 2021 National Senior Certificate exam.
Anna-Christina placed second in the country for mathematics (Quintile 5), while Ah-Young placed third overall in Quintile 5 schools, with an average of 97,43%.
On Thursday 1 February principal Helmien Slabber and four of the Class of ’21 were invited to attend the Western Cape NSC Awards Ceremony at the Premier’s residence, Leeuwenhof, with Premier Alan Winde and Minister Debbie Shäfer.
Rhenish Girls’ High placed 10th in the province, Ah-Young Moon was third in the province, Anna-Christina Kriel and Ziya Wessels received Subject Awards for mathematics and Janna Frei (93,14%) received an award for excellence in spite of barriers to learning.
Ah-Young says she is really grateful for this achievement, “and honestly I still can’t believe that I am third in the country.
“To the matrics of 2022 I want to say it will be difficult and you may struggle at school, but just remember you are strong, strong enough to push through and reach your goals.
“There will be stressful times, but once everything is over you will look back and realise that it wasn’t too bad. Until then, stay strong because everything will be okay.”
She says one of the biggest challenges as a high school learner is taking responsibility for one’s own path, whether it is academics or just life in general.
“I think many matrics may agree that it was definitely difficult to stay focused during the pandemic. However, I am thankful for my school teachers and friends who helped me stay positive and motivated during the hard times. Without their support I wouldn’t have been able to achieve this award.”
Ah-Young will study actuarial sciences at Stellenbosch University. “Regarding my long-term plans, I am still unsure about it.”
“The fact that these learners were able to achieve this level of excellence in the second year of the global pandemic, which saw repeated closures of schools, a delayed return to school twice and a host of other challenges is testimony to their resilience and their determination,” the school’s principal, Slabber, said.
“My staff was committed in their efforts to not leave a single learner behind, and the matric teachers in particular went beyond all expectations, hosting Saturday classes, early morning classes and being available to the learners way beyond school hours.”
