Apex Stellenbosch getting its class of 2028 was an historic day for the school, with the official sod-turning of the new school building last Thursday (1 August).
The Grade 8 learners and guests gathered at Louiesenhof Cellar on the R304, a stone’s throw from the current Apex classroom in Khayamandi. The cellar will soon be transformed into classrooms for the school which opened its doors in January.
Khayamandi’s former Anglican church building has since been transformed into a state-of-the-art private secondary learning institution, but come the new school year the learners will have brand-new classrooms.
“We aim not only to prepare our learners for exams but also their lives,” Robyn van de Rhede, founding principal of Apex Stellenbosch, explained.
With English as the language of instruction, Apex Stellenbosch employs a blended learning model to ensure a comprehensive and modern education. Each classroom has a teacher and two facilitators who help the “cubs” through their online lessons. The school, which forms part of the Apex Education school network, deploys an innovative model where traditional classroom teaching with digital learning tools are combined, fostering an engaging and effective educational environment. Apex Stellenbosch will not only serve its community, but also aims to become the blueprint of quality education in South Africa.
According to Van de Rhede the aim of Apex’s blending learning model is to incorporate technology for personalised lessons to ultimately help learners reach their full potential. The school currently has 97 Grade 8 learners.
Stellenbosch municipal manager Geraldine Mettler wished the local Apex team well with the building of their new school. “We all know the need for more schools in Stellenbosch to accommodate learners,” she said.
Mettler added that the municipality plans to develop land as part of a northern extension of the town. The aim is to build more schools as part of this extension, which means the new Apex school will ultimately fit well into this extension.
She also thanked all stakeholders who had made the development possible and by doing so “invested in the future” of learners.
