ANNUAL MAGAZINE - Dominican Convent School

merry may day
hostel life
Boarding 2012
The Boarding House is constantly striving to
offer a better and more rewarding lifestyle
to all who reside here. Therefore, we are
continuously striving to introduce major or
minor upgrades to the Boarding experience. This, we
know, will complement the upstanding young ladies
and gentlemen who are being groomed to make
significant contributions to our society and the world.
DC S FAMILY
Merriment for All
Every year, as May draws to a close, the
DCS campus is transformed – nearly
overnight – into a place of feasting
and fun. This year’s Merry May Day
fundraiser attracted over 1 000 members
of our extended Dominican family.
Visitors had the opportunity to feast on
foods ranging from traditional mogodu to
ice-cream and snow cones. On the netball
courts teachers took on the learners
in a fiercely-fought contest, that pitted
wisdom against vitality. All participants
walked away with their pride intact. Faces
were painted, T-shirts dyed, bowling
pins knocked over, and digital boxers
knocked out. After sunset, the campus
reverberated with the sounds of DJs
Vintage, T-man, Kumza and KB, who kept
the party moving on the dancefloor until
late. Proceeds from the day’s events will
benefit different areas of the School.
Thank you to all who made the day
possible, particularly the parent council,
Mr Whitaker, Mrs Whitaker and their
team. In addition to school departments,
over R50 000 was raised for the School.
Pyjama Day
“No uniform, just pyjamas! We enjoyed our
day and especially listening to the stories.
It was a sleepy feeling, but funky seeing our
friends in their colourful pyjamas instead of
school uniforms.
Respect, trust and knowledge are important in the Boarding House.
As we house a number of foreign learners, all anxiety regarding
race, creed and nationality have been eradicated. Individuals are
encouraged to question and explore the backgrounds of their peers,
as a means to understand and nurture this unique diversity.
This leaves plenty of time to remain alert to the main purpose in
the Boarding House – academic excellence rounded with sport and
cultural accolades.
As always, the year began with interns, gap students and graduate
students, at various intervals, visiting and working in the school,
particularly in Boarding. This always brings added hands to help
guide and mentor our Boarding fraternity.
Luckily, three young men with mathematics specialities have joined
us. As a result the Boarding House has begun an evening maths
programme for each High School grade.
A support study was introduced at the beginning of the year. This
study is designed to focus on learners who may have needed extra
attention during study periods. This being the second slot since
inception, it has proved helpful as a couple of learners have improved
their overall work ethic and hence their marks to date. As such, they
will return to mainstream study periods.
The Boarding House has a number of term boarders – learners who
leave the boarding during mid-term and end of term only. Over
weekends, when time allows outside of sporting activities, these
learners are treated to various excursions.
DC S FAMILY
“Thank you to all the teachers who gave
of their time to share stories with us. It
was awesome.
“It was fun, my friends and I were running
in our pyjamas, seeing who was the
prettiest girl.”
Tshiamo Lehutso, Gr 4B
“Pyjama Day was a wonderful and different
experience because we were allowed to wear
our pyjamas. We enjoyed comparing the
pictures and different designs of the pyjamas.”
Joseph Kazembe, Gr 5S
“It was fun!”
Cathrine Sekonopo, gr 7B
The staff is asked to plan and arrange such outings and activities.
Most of the pre-planning is done by a senior Boarding staff member
who co-ordinates most weekend activities. These activities include
walks, shopping trips and more popular activity-based afternoons,
such as go-karting or visits to the Gold Reef City Theme Park.
The Boarding House attempts to create a “home away from home”
atmosphere without compromising the fact that this is a boarding
school. As such, each boarder resides on campus primarily to remain
focused on academic achievement.
The Boarding House is also a means to spend more time at school,
harnessing skills for sport and/or cultural activities. In this way we
trust that each person graduating from the Boarding House is better
prepared for tertiary education and a successful life thereafter.
Mr Sidrick Moore
Director of BOArding
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