Holy Rosary’s past and present girls are living up to the motto worldwide, with its current learners achieving a consistent 100 percent matric pass rate; 96 percent Bachelor degree pass rate (2012); national and provincial sporting representation in disciplines including rowing, swimming, tennis, dance, netball, hockey, equestrian events and gymnastics. Learners have also seen success in the dramatic and cultural arts in the spheres of musical instruments, choir and eisteddfod.
Holy Rosary encourages its girls to reach their full potential, focusing on its five pillars – academics, sport, culture, service and outreach. The school aims to prepare its scholars with the ability to adapt to tertiary education and the working world. Central to Holy Rosary’s vision is service above self, which is evident in its Saturday School outreach programme. Both primary and high school girls are involved in a variety of charities.
Holy Rosary Alumni are achieving success and making a difference locally and internationally in all spheres, including business, academia (with several alumni having reached PhD and doctorate levels), sport, the culinary arts, drama, medicine and a variety of other fields.
Some of Holy Rosary’s well-known alumni include:
Ashleigh Simon, who left Holy Rosary in 2007 to pursue an amateur golfing career. She became the youngest player to win the Ladies’ South African Amateur Stroke Play and Match Play Double. She was also the first player in 101 years to win the Ladies’ South African Open title three times. Fellow schoolmate and golfer, Lara Weinstein (matric class of 2012), achieved her South African colours and has represented her country in several tournaments in Germany, the USA and South Africa.
Kelly Gunnell (matric class of 2012) claimed the gold medal in the Women’s 200m breaststroke on the final day of the 2011 Commonwealth Youth Games in the Isle of Man. She continues to swim competitively, locally and internationally, with her career goal being to swim at the 2016 Olympic Games.
Danielle Smith (matric class of 2012) was crowned 2013 Miss T.E.E.N South Africa, and went on to compete in the international Miss T.E.E.N pageant in Texas. She featured in the top seven models at the World Championships of Performing Arts in Los Angeles. Danielle is actively involved with numerous charities.
Nicolette Gammon (matric class of 1989) is currently a partner at an architecture firm in Johannesburg, after studying at Wits University. She most notably designed Holy Rosary’s new state-of-the-art multipurpose hall. The hall has a number of features that are both aesthetically pleasing and functionally innovative, with attention to detail being paramount.
Masixolise Pelly Malebe (matric class of 2003) was a finalist in the Mail & Guardian’s Women in Science Awards 2013, where her work, which may result in improved food and job security, was presented at 10 local and international conferences. “The answer to my badgering questions seemed to lie in what the teacher called deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). The teacher given to me a few years back in my high-school biology class opened a whole other world for me,” she said. She received awards for her outstanding academic achievement from the University of Pretoria.
