Principal hopes to leave a legacy where life is celebrated
A sit-down with Neil Berdensen, De La Salle Holy Cross College' newly appointed college principal.
As a young boy sitting in the classrooms of De La Salle Holy Cross College, a seed was planted in Neil Berdensen.
As this seed grew, so did his need to work with children in hopes to help enrich their young minds. Now, years later, he revels in his newly appointed position of college principal at the school that shaped his formative years.
He officially started in his new role at the school on May 1 and, so far, he has met the subsequent days with both excitement and fulfillment as he is now able to involve himself in more areas of the school. Berdensen was previously the headmaster of the De La Salle’s junior school. Through this new role, he hopes to have a bigger influence across the whole school, from the Grade RRs to matrics.
Berdensen had, of course, always known that he wanted to hopefully work with children one day. Originally completing a degree in psychology, he followed that up with studying teaching. “As a past pupil of the college, I think that’s where the first seed was planted, I just enjoyed interacting with the teachers, not only in the classrooms but on the sports field too.”
He added that this was probably when the calling came, as he recalled the impact teachers had on his life and that of fellow learners at the time.
As a firm believer in following God’s calling, Berdensen shared that his journey so far has been a result of answering this call.
He is excited about this new role and, more so, the prospect of being part of a community that has been so close to his heart for so long. “I really hope we can continue to offer the opportunities we have at the school, not only to our learners but to our surrounding areas.”
He acknowledged outgoing college principal Debbie Harris who, for him, served the college with distinction over the last 35 years, creating the solid platform the school finds itself on now.
The legacy he hopes to spread in the school is one where children can arrive and grow in confidence. “As a father of four children I understand the challenges the world throws at children today can be quite daunting, and I think that as college principal, the focus would be to accompany children through their childhood and I hope it is a childhood where they can celebrate life and not be daunted by it.”
Related article:
