WATCH: Alberton Primary celebrates centenary, says goodbye to principal
Alberton Primary School celebrated their 100th anniversary when they gloriously bid farewell to their principal, Bertus van der Bergh.
It was a blissful and momentous day at Alberton Primary School on January 26. The school celebrated 100 years of continuous lifelong learning since its inception in 1924.
Since then, the proud community school that serves the greater Alberton and surrounding areas had one vision – maintaining a learning community where inspiration, teamwork and respect support the pursuit of excellence.
In 1924, the school started in the now Alberton SAPS building as the Alberton English-medium school. In 1961, the school moved to the current premises where it then became the Alberton Primary School.
WATCH: Alberton Primary takes to the streets and celebrates centenary
Alberton Primary takes to the streets and celebrates centenary pic.twitter.com/3P33VgzK9i
— Alberton Record (@RecordAlberton) January 30, 2024
To celebrate this great milestone, the school led a touching celebration of setting colourful balloons free.
They also said their goodbyes to the current principal, Bertus van der Bergh, who has dedicated 38 years of his life to empowering young minds.
Leading the many learners at the school, the avid biker rode around Alberton Boulevard while accompanied by EMPD, alongside a group of bikers.
Where to from now
After being at the school since 2008, Van der Bergh will be retiring on January 31, after what he describes as ‘beautiful years of his life’.
“For 19 years I was at Laerskool President Steyn before coming to Alberton Primary School in 2008 and worked my way up. I became the head of the department and for the last 10 years, I was a principal at the school. Teaching is a calling, and if you haven’t got that calling, this is not the career for you,” explained Van der Bergh.
Alberton Primary celebrates centenary, says goodbye to principal pic.twitter.com/WtRLKE65ML
— Alberton Record (@RecordAlberton) January 30, 2024
He said it takes a lot of diligence, passion, perseverance and dedication to make it in this line of work.
Looking forward, he intends to dedicate time to himself and his family, as being a teacher requires dedication and long hours.
He believes that when one door closes, another opens. The father of two, who is also a lover of Mother Nature, plans on touring around the country and appreciating the beauty of nature.
“I love target shooting, scuba diving and being out with my family out in nature, and that’s where I’m the happiest. If you get older you start appreciating the smallest things in life. When I started here I had goals, I managed to achieve 90% of those goals,” said Van der Bergh.
He also thanked the Alberton community, his staff and all stakeholders in the community for all their assistance and support during his time as principal at the school.
He said a new principal will take the reins on July 1.
