School closures in mid-March, online schooling, a return to physical schooling delayed until June – these are just a few of the challenges 2020 threw at the class of 2020.
Their response was to ‘keep on keeping on’ – they put their heads down and worked solidly, whether at school or at home, focused on the end goal: the best possible matric results.
“Keep on keeping on” means to “persist in one’s efforts, to persevere in the face of discouragement or misfortune, to hang in there, not to quit, to keep on going.”
In doing just that the Rhenish Girls’ High class of 2020 managed to achieve some of the best results in the face of a worldwide pandemic:. a 100% pass rate (129 candidates). a 98% Bachelor’s Degree Pass (eligibility for tertiary study). 56 A Candidates – 46% of the matric class achieved an A average. Top 14 learners all achieving an over 90% average. 479 subject distinctions – an average of 3,71 per candidate. 84,49% of the candidates achieved over 70%
“This class exceeded all my expectations,” said Helmien Slabber, principal of Rhenish Girls’ High. “They proved adaptable, thought outside the proverbial box, accepted the loss of so many traditional matric moments and simply kept on working. Hard.”
She is incredibly proud of the way the staff rallied to support the matrics throughout the lockdown, acquiring new skills to facilitate online learning, multi-tasking as they taught girls in front of them while simultaneously streaming lessons to those who could not be at school.
“The future rewards those who press on,” said Barack Obama, “those who don’t have time to feel sorry for themselves don’t have time to complain. They press on.”
“Congratulations to every member of the class of 2020,” Rozanne van Dyk, head of Grade 12, said in praise. “You have proven not only incredibly resilient, but you are true learners of the 21st century – adaptable and able to incorporate all of the tools available to you to ensure your success.”
