NEARLY 30 per cent of matriculants were recognised for receiving an aggregate over 75 per cent at Kearsney College’s annual Grade 12 speech day and prize-giving held recently.
Six boys were awarded Academic Honours Cum Laude (over 86 per cent) – Dux David Comrie, Proxime Accessit to Dux (runner-up) Bradley D’Eramo, Calvin Engelen, twins Dom and Luca Ferri and Alex Veltman.
Guest speaker, chiropractor and Kearsney old boy, Dr Nkululelo ‘Squeegee’ Skweyiya, urged the boys to “embrace the adversities of life”.
In 1987, when Skweyiya was in matric, there was a national uproar when Kearsney sent him, a black runner, to compete in the SA National track and field Championships at Menlo Park High in Pretoria.
When he was banned by the Nationalist Government from participating, more than 100 fellow competitors from Natal pulled out in protest and the SA Sports Foundation withdrew its sponsorship of the Games. He was to have competed in the high jump, long jump, triple jump and relay races as one of Natal’s best school athletes.
Headmaster, Elwyn van den Aardweg, said the superb results reflected the boys’ ability to balance their academic, sporting and cultural commitments.
PHOTO: Heather Pearse
“Kearsney’s small class sizes, combined with our highly qualified and loyal teachers, and the focus on mathematics, science and English excellence, have enabled us to create a strong academic ethos,” he said.
Aside from being announced Dux for 2017, David Comrie received subject prizes for accounting, engineering graphics and design, life orientation and the Colin Silcock Prize.
His runner-up, Proxime Accessit to Dux, Bradley D’Eramo, also received the prize for biology.
The coveted trophy for Best All-Rounder in the 6th Form was awarded to Luke de Vlieg who achieved Academic Colours. He plays provincial U18 hockey, is captain of KZN U17 cricket, is in Kearsney’s 1st soccer team and captains the school’s 1st X1 cricket.
Do you want to receive news alerts via WhatsApp? Send us a WhatsApp message (not an sms) with your name and surname (ONLY) to 060 532 5409.
You can also join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
PLEASE NOTE: If you have signed up for our news alerts you need to save the Highway Mail WhatsApp number as a contact to your phone, otherwise you will not receive our alerts
