Pietermaritzburg Girls’ High School – Start of Academic Year Assembly 2026
Theme: #MyGHS 💚
1. Welcome – Principal
Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, and young ladies, and welcome back to school!
It is wonderful to see you all here today, with fairly cheerful faces, all ready for the start of an exciting new year.
And, please – no gloomy faces today! We are a place of energy and optimism!
I hope you are rested, rejuvenated, and ready for the challenges, opportunities, and fun that 2026 holds.
So, let us commence.
Our reading this morning will be done by our Head Prefect for 2026, with the Prayer to be offered by her Deputy. Thank you, ladies.
2. Reading – Head Prefect, Olona Duze
Today’s reading is adapted from William George Jordan, the American essayist who died in 1928:
“Every person has a role to play, a purpose to serve, and a contribution to make. To belong to something greater than yourself is a privilege and a responsibility. Do not drift through life like a passenger; step forward, take up your place, and give of your talents and energy with all your heart. It is in doing something meaningful, doing it well, and doing it together with others, that we discover our own strength and the joy of community.”
3. Prayer – Deputy Head Prefect, Kiara Reddy
Let us pause for a moment, to reflect on the opportunities ahead.May we embrace new beginnings with courage, meet challenges with determination, and support one another with kindness.
May our minds remain curious, our hearts generous, and our actions guided by respect and integrity.
May this year be filled with learning, laughter, and growth, and may we strive to leave our school, our community, and ourselves better than we found them.
4. Message from the Principal – Mr Marwick
Once again, ladies – welcome back to school!
A very warm welcome goes to our new Grade 8s and all other new girls.
You may feel a little nervous — that is normal. But you are joining something special: a school with history, pride, and sisterhood.
I spoke to all of our Grade 8s yesterday, and I want to reiterate what I said then: embrace everything offered, work hard, make friends, and enjoy your time at GHS.
And, as I also said yesterday, we are delighted to have you join us, and on behalf of all of us, I wish you five happy and memorable years at GHS.
Ladies in Grades 9 to 12, let’s give our new Grade 8s and all our new arrivals a big round of applause!
To all you girls: remember, that GHS is a school of hard work – so be focused and determined in the classroom.
Take part in sports, culture, and service. Be respectful, follow rules, and take pride in your appearance and conduct. And be proud to be a GHS girl!
This is my first full year as your Principal. It is an honour and a privilege to lead this school, and I am truly excited about what lies ahead.
On the staffing front, we welcome our new staff – and I ask them to please stand up briefly and show themselves to you all:
- Mrs Rachel Boshoff – is an Afrikaans Educator, from Riverwood
- Mr Jared Maistry – a part-time Maths Educator, from Raisethorpe High
- Mr Parkson Kucherera – a Physics/Natural Science Educator, who hails from Zimbabwe.
- Miss Sasha Maharaj – Consumer Studies Educator, who returns to Maritzburg after a stint in Gauteng.
- Mr Tyler Stellenberg – Sports Coordinator/PE Educator and 1st XI Hockey Coach, from Selborne College.
- Miss Cara Tarr – Life/Natural Sciences Educator, from Etham College.
- Mrs Gail van Veenendaal – our temporary Finance Manager, who served for decades at Laddsworth Primary School.
We also have two locum teachers for a short period:
- Mrs Lynette Janse van Rensburg – who returns to GHS to again teach Accounting and EMS.
- Miss Kajol Sadhar – who will be standing in in the Mathematics department.
Let’s warmly welcome them all!
Let us now also offer warm thanks and appreciation to members of the GHS community who’ve rendered extraordinary efforts:
- The 2025 NSC marking team led by Mrs Weigelt, Miss Naicker, Mr Van Zyl, and supporting staff – for ensuring hundreds of markers were accommodated and well cared for.
- The Estates team – for renovating the staffroom and maintaining the grounds over the holidays.
- The Class of 2025 – congratulations to our Matrics of last year. Two girls achieved seven A’s, four girls six A’s, 61 girls three or more A’s, with 394 subject distinctions in total!
Well done to them all! Let’s give a big applause.
Theme for the Year –
Our theme for 2026 is #MyGHS💚.
Let’s have a closer look at some of its components:
- Service – give of yourself to your school, peers and community.
- Commitment – dedicate yourself to your studies, sports and activities.
- Identity – be proud of who you are as GHS girls.
- Participation – take up all the opportunities at your disposal here.
- Belonging – know that GHS is your home, and your family.
The word “My” emphasises personal commitment, and the theme is about ‘we’, not ‘me’.
#MyGHS reminds us that being part of this school is an honour and a privilege.
I certainly like themes, for broad inspiration, but a theme does need to be a lot more than words, and needs to inspire action and deeds.
I have closely observed GHS for the last seven months, and our theme for 2026 is I think going to help us hone in on a couple of important issues that I believe require our immediate attention:
1. Participation:
For a start, this fine school is for all of us, and it demands that we all show application and loyalty.
I am sorry to have observed, and I have also been told, that too many of you girls did not and have not embraced all the wonderful opportunities at this school – the sports, clubs, societies etc.
While many of you are dedicated and work hard, too many coasted along last year. And, I am sorry to say, far too many – did NOTHING!
That stops this year, and it stops now.
Sports registration and sports trials take place this week. So, sign up for a sport, be active, represent your school, make friends and be part of a team. Be loyal, don’t miss practices and matches, and give your best.
These are all valuable life lessons.
From next week, you will also be able to register for various clubs and societies, and I am delighted to report that you will soon see that the number of opportunities for this term has been more than doubled, since last year!
Embrace the chance to sing, dance, act, paint – as well as play chess, do first aid, serve your school, explore your spiritual self, learn new hobbies, and pursue a wide array of other interests.
As from this term, you will be required to sign up and pursue your sports and other activities – and, most importantly, be accountable for them too.
You will also receive a formal note on your school report each term about your extra-murals, and please be warned that should you let down your team or your club, this will be formally recorded in black and white.
So, in short: sign up for sports and activities, get involved, and be accountable and proud.
2. Conduct and Attitude:
I have also at times been somewhat concerned about the conduct – in fact misconduct – of some girls.
So, SIT UP, please – and pay attention!
These girls who break the rules at GHS are a minority at our school.
But where girls fail to buy in to what we stand for as a school and break our rules, there need to be clear consequences.
You all need to be accountable for what you say and do at school – and unfortunately some girls just don’t toe the line.
Sometimes they are small things. Being late. Not being dressed properly. Not heeding the hair rules. Continually not doing homework. Being disruptive. Bunking the odd lesson.
Again, this all needs to change – immediately.
You also need to know that, in the next week or two, we will be appointing a Head of Discipline, whose job will be to ensure that the right discipline ‘tone’ is maintained at GHS.
All families, teams and tribes – if they are to be happy and successful – and we are all part of one great GHS FAMILY – need to have clear and fair rules, they need a shared culture, and they need cohesion.
Misconduct affects everyone, and a Head of Discipline will ensure fairness and uphold our standards.
That appointment is part of that bigger picture, and I look forward to your cooperation, ladies!
3. The Classroom:
Friendships, sports, and culture all do matter — but the classroom remains the heart of this school.
You are here to learn, think, create, debate, and problem-solve, and to prepare for a life of meaningful work and contribution.
Here are some simple daily reminders from me, as you prepare yourself for the school year ahead:
- Be organised.
- Do your prep.
- Read ahead.
- Bring your books to class.
- Be attentive and contribute.
As the acclaimed novelist WB Yeats once noted, “Education is not the filling of a bucket, but the lighting of a fire.”
Ladies, let’s light that fire, and let’s light it now.
Closing Remarks
On the screen behind me, please find some of the activities for the next few days.
- Be ready for those sports and club registrations, and sports trials.
- Focus on settling into your classes, and familiarising yourself with your new grade, teachers and classrooms.
- Notably, this evening our boarding establishment will be formally named ‘Morningside’, after the beautiful mansion owned by the Davis family that was purchased in 1920 by the Education Department and repurposed as both the school and boarding facilities for this school.
- I very much look forward to that short ceremony, which is due to start at 17h15.
- It’s a closed weekend for the boarders – and I wish them all a fun and productive time.
Ladies, in closing, support our head prefect Olona Duze, the RCL, and the Peer Counsellors.
Listen, follow their guidance, and work together to make 2026 another successful year.
Don’t forget to every day and every week embrace the opportunities to learn, grow, and contribute.