St Peter’s School in Mbombela welcomes new principal

From the beginning of June, St Peter’s School has had a new principal at the helm; Zunelle de Ru.

Originally from the Free State, De Ru believes everything happens for a reason. “Nothing in life happens by chance or coincidence. Hence I am here, accepting a position all the way from the Free State, because I trust the Lord fully,” she told Lowvelder.

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With 24 years of experience under her belt, De Ru believes her educational background, experience and work ethic puts her in a position to navigate and provide quality education to the school. De Ru holds a BEd honours degree in educational management and leadership and is also currently working towards obtaining her master’s degree in philosophy, focusing on education and culture.

Her vision for St Peter’s is to become a school of excellence in the Lowveld. She said through observing and engaging in communication with her staff and learners, she will be able to identify the way forward.

“Successful principals spend time understanding what is going on in a new school before they formulate a plan of action. Time spent conversing with teachers, learners, parents and administrators about improvement areas and what they perceive as the roadblocks and challenges, gives a principal insight into how changes might be received by the school’s community.”

With this said, De Ru also alluded to her leadership style. “I aspire to be a servant leader who prioritises the development and well-being of individuals as well as the communities to which they belong,” she said. She said she wants to be able to prioritise the needs of others, treat them with respect, empathy and trust, and ultimately help those around her to grow and perform to their highest ability.

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Besides her striving to lead St Peter’s to excellence, De Ru refers to schools as being lighthouses of hope for their learners and the communities they serve. She appropriately quoted former archbishop Desmond Tutu when he said, “Hope is powerful. It is more, much more, than mere optimism. Hope is different. Hope has a cosmic quality. Hope is rooted in faith, with feet mired in suffering.”

In the words of De Ru, “It is my hope and vision to make St Peter’s a school in which each child is celebrated as a unique gift from God.”