Trinitonian 18 Autumn Edition 2021

SCHOOL SCOOP
TO A DYNAMIC
LEADER WHO IS
HEADING THE HOUSE
SCHOOLS ACADEMICS
It gives us great pleasure to announce Sumari
Purdon’s appointment to Brand Academic
Manager at House Schools to support all
schools within the brand. As the Brand
Academic Manager, Sumari and the Central
Academics team will work closely together
to drive the academics strategy of the brand
and ADvTECH group.
Sumari Purdon
By Christelle Wolmarans
Sumari is a dynamic,
creative, eloquent,
dedicated and qualified
professional with diverse
experience in education. She is
confident and reliable, with the
ability to handle any situation that
comes across her path with great
calmness. She is a wonderful
example of true inspiration and
has a remarkable ability to build
positive relationships with her
colleagues, the pupils, parents,
and community.
Sumari holds an MBA degree
and has spent the last 15 years
in education, 10 of which working
for the Independent Examination
Board (IEB) as an Examiner,
Senior Sub-Assessor and Regional
Moderator. Her most recent
role has been developing a
curriculum and enhancing
the use of technology in the
education sector.
We met with Sumari and had
some questions that we were
interested in asking.
6 | The Trinitonian
Over the last year, you’ve
worked on a special project
to develop course content for
textbooks in entrepreneurship.
Why entrepreneurship?
Teaching entrepreneurship to
children is not just a good idea;
I believe it is essential. Exposing
our children to the world of
business makes a big impact on
their lives and teaches them the
skills they require to thrive.
Why did you decide to go into
education?
I wanted to make a change in
the world and in people’s lives. I
found that it is hard for adults to
change as they are set in their
ways, whereas if you teach the
youth important lessons, they
will be the changemakers and
problem-solvers of our world.
What I love most about teaching
is helping people develop into
confident, happy, independent
people, ready and equipped for
the next phase of their lives.
Your passion is to change the
landscape of education by
ensuring that it always remains
relevant. Tell us more.
It’s good to stay on top of
trends and know where your
field is headed. South Africa
acknowledges that a fundamental
transformation in education is
happening, and training is needed
to address the new skills and
competencies required to move
with the trends. It is a privilege to be
part of a company that employs
these changemakers to be at the
forefront of teaching these trends
to our children.
What educational trends are
important for you in the learning
journey of children today?
Genius hour. This is where pupils
can work on self-paced and
self-chosen projects for an hour
each day. This encourages
pupils to develop a love for
learning, whereby they practise
their creativity and independent
thinking skills.