School ‘rises’ to new heights as it celebrates 25 years

Risen Son Academy is celebrating 25 years of existence this year. The Vryheid Herald spoke to the principal, Mrs Henrietta Barry, who shed some light on the ethos of the school and the celebrations that are coming up. She begun by saying that the children are loved and safe. The academy has classes from Grade 1 to 12 and also a pre-school that starts from RRR-R called ‘Shelly Beans’.
Mrs Barry explained that Risen Son Academy is a ‘self-paced’ school where they use an individualised education system. The school is a quarter of a century old and from August 31 to September 2, the whole community is invited to celebrate with them.

Mrs Barry mentioned that, ‘’The school started at Blood River as a farm school. The need for education in the area grew, and more and more parents asked if they could join the school. That saw the school eventually moving to town.’’ She elaborated that when they moved into town, they did not have their own building, so they rented out different facilities. ‘’ As the school grew, there was a need for a bigger facility and we rented from the Liberty Community Church. We were later able to buy the property.’’
The values of the school are Safety, Positivity, Excellence, Love and Legacy, abbreviated as SPELL. ‘’Competence and character are the two legs needed for success,’’ added Mrs Barry.
The school has evolved academically. ‘’In the early days, the whole programme from Grade 1 to 12 was on ACE (Accelerated Christian Education). We then ran into problems with Umalusi not wanting to recognise/register with us, because our system is different. We realised that entrance into universities was becoming more and more difficult and that we needed to get our students into the top positions for that reason. That’s when we started looking at IEB (International Examination Board). We are currently with IEB, which means we are internationally recognised; it is on the same level as Cambridge AS levels in Britain. The certificate is Umalusi accredited because it is CAPS curriculum; it is just that the certificate is higher.’’

From Grade 8 to 12, they have online learning and the students have their own laptops. There is a facilitator who makes sure that the pupils do everything they are required to. Last year, the school had their first Grade 12 student who obtained a Bachelor pass; he is now studying in Johannesburg. Risen Son Academy currently has 27 high school learners, with a total of 115 pupils. There are 18 learners in a class, and 17 educators. ‘’Parents can come and fill in the application forms. For Grade 1, they do a test for school readiness and they pay a deposit to secure a place.’’
The school also offers extracurricular activities such as athletics, concerts and award ceremonies. Parents are urged to visit the school for more information.

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The news provided to you in this link comes to you from the editorial staff of the Vryheid Herald, a sold newspaper distributed in the Vryheid area.