Celebrations as college looks back on 25 years

MBOMBELA – Penryn College is celebrating its 25th birthday this year. It was founded in 1991 through a partnership between private enterprise, key members of the Mpumalanga community, including the late Dr Enos Mabuza, and St Stithians College, the largest independent school in the South Africa.

A man ahead of the times, Mabuza, with well-known Lowvelder Dr Lynn Hurry, approached St Stithians in 1988 with a proposal to establish a racially integrated school in the Lowveld.

The idea was enthusiastically received by Messrs David Wylde, Bill Carter and Dr Rob Snaddon. The first 13 pupils and two teachers occupied a humble building while the campus was being constructed.

The founding vision (now encapsulated in the school’s mission statement) was for a community centre that would act as a “beacon school”, a centre of excellence from which an educational community initiative (now called Penreach), would reach out into the surrounding disadvantaged school system.

Penreach is now the largest educational outreach programme in the country, annually impacting on almost 500 000 school-children, a testament to the belief of the Penryn founders that this initiative would be powerful force in the reconstruction and development of education in the Lowveld.

Almost 1 000 pupils from grade 000 to twelve now enjoy the unique Penryn experience. Despite this rapid growth, the school has maintained its ethos of community care and service as well as its focus on inclusivity, coupled with top-notch education and leadership development.

This year, Penryn is celebrating the successes of the past 25 years.

Some of the planned activities include an art competition, the Festival of Lights, reunions and a digital campaign for Penryn alumni.