A 10-year partnership that has grown from strength to strength. This how the unity between Hoërskool Nelspruit (NHS) and Cyril Clarke Secondary School can be described. The two have been working together to help build the future of Cyril Clarke pupils.

This partnership started when Dr Louis Swanepoel was still the headmaster of Hoërskool Nelspruit, and it is still continuing under the current headmaster, Johan Hattingh.

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According to Willie Sibuyi, the deputy principal of Cyril Clarke, the support they receive from NHS has made a huge impact on lives of their learners. He said for the past decade NHS made sure that they assist Cycril Clarke where they can and it has made learning easy for the schoolchildren.

“During our grade 12 camps they make sure that every Thursday we have food. Our pupils look forward to receiving it on that day; I can even call it one of the biggest highlights during their camp. This is because when they prepare the food they give it their all and put effort into ensuring that the matrics enjoy it. They have done this for the past 10 years without fail,” he said.

Sibuyi said NHS’ generosity has been ongoing for years and this school makes sure that it keeps Cyril Clarke’s learners motivated.

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“They make copies of previous exam question papers for all our pupils so that they can prepare for their exams. When some of the teachers need assistance regarding the subjects they offer, support is given. As a way to help motivate our learners NHS also donated a notice board to display the school’s pass rate. Dr Swanepoel used to give us about R2 000 so that the school could buy certificates for those who performed well,” he explained.

Due to Covid-19 it is unclear whether the school will host a grade 12 camp this year. A matric and one of the organisers of the camp, Cynthia Magagula, said she hopes it can be approved.
“I would be happy if the camp occurs so that we can have a better opportunity to prepare for our exams,” Cynthia said. She is one of the top learners at Cyril Clarke.

Janine Cronjé of NHS said the two schools have a great relationship. “The two schools are friends and we always have initiatives which we do together,” she said.
Sibuye added that Cyril Clarke appreciated the support it receives from NHS.