THE pupils and staff at St Mary’s DSG welcomed Jonathan Manley as their new principal recently.
In what is said to have been a moving ceremony, he was inducted into his position as the head of the school by Bishop Rubin Phillip, who leads the Anglican Dioceses.
Manley has taken over the position from Tyna Charter, who led the school for the last eight years. He has been at the school for two years heading up the high school, so he is familiar with the ethos and the challenges that face young women today. Before coming to St Mary’s DSG, he was the head of the high school at Elkanah House in Bloubergstrand in Cape Town.
Manley is passionate about lifelong learning and said he is always looking for ways in which to develop the teachers’ skills and to ensure that parents know what is considered to be “best practice”. He maintains that the team approach between parents and teachers is essential if schools are to be effective in educating children. “Children need a combination of encouragement, honest feedback and a long term goal if they want to make the most of what schools offer in their programme,” said Manley.
With the whole school in attendance, from the little Grade Rs to the matrics, Manley was blessed by the Bishop and was declared principal of the school to guide St Mary’s DSG into the future. Manley committed to the girls, staff and parents that he would lead St Mary’s DSG with God’s help.
Jonathan Manley’s wife, Sally, and their two children, were at the ceremony as were several board members and other special guests.
