St Andrew’s School embraces diversity on Heritage Day

Heritage Day celebrations at St Andrew’s School for Girls were brought to life in vibrant colours on September 24.

This year, the St Andrew’s community was inspired by Nelson Mandela’s quote on the value of diversity in cultural heritage and its power towards nation-building.

“This spoke to our strategic vision of promoting social cohesion in the school,” said St Andrew’s head of transformation, Sheillah Muchauraya.

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She added that the school community was invited to celebrate their diversity freely and showcase their beautifultraditional attire. In addition, the school identified two treats from the rich South African cuisine by serving bunny chow and gemmerbier for lunch.

Muchauraya said the learners went on to engage in age-appropriate activities across St Andrew’s three schools.

“Our pre-school was treated to Sepedi and Portuguese dances, while our junior school enjoyed a live reading from the author, Refiloe Moahloli, who read her new book, How Many Ways Can You Say Thank You? Our senior school learners were treated to educational sessions that also encouraged their participation.”

In conjunction with Drum Café, the learners learnt basic Tsonga dance moves and drumming, while Dr Cheyne McIntosh demonstrated the flow of Yang Tai Chi Chuan.

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The day culminated with Mehndi, the art of Henna. Learners took this opportunity to learn about this cultural practice whilst creatively adorning each other with beautiful art on their hands.

Muchauraya concluded, “We trust that we affirmed our multicultural inheritance and honoured the uniqueness of every member of our community.”

The staff were also thanked for helping Muchauraya with planning a delightful day of celebrations and eats.