The Ridge School Magazine 2020

OVERVIEWS
HEADMASTER’S
MESSAGE
It’s not often that a Yearbook’s central theme will
unite and be shared by almost every school around
the world. 2020 will be remembered and recorded
as just such an unusual occurrence due entirely to the
disruptive impact caused by the Covid-19 Pandemic.
Those responsible for producing these often prized publications were
left with very little to report on in the form of the many regular
and expected highlights that have always provided a wonderfully diverse
assortment of educational activity coverage during a given year. From online
teaching and learning, and the massive shrinking of the music and sporting
programmes, to the sad curtailing of traditional functions and events very
little was quite the same.
Instead, the magazine committee have had to find creative ways of reporting
back on features of the 2020 academic year that were both unusual and,
in some cases, contextually extraordinary; in almost every instance, though,
significantly different to anything that might have given rise to similar
publications in years gone by.
Our Ridge magazine committee has done wonders in finding appropriate
ways of bringing to life, in hard copy form, so much that was worth
recording and that certainly served to give 2020 a special and never-to-be
forgotten place in our school’s history.
What the School family lived
through offered so many
opportunities to test out and
explore new ideas, initiative and learning programmes. Our
amazing team of teachers rose to the occasion and delivered a remarkable
online learning adventure for our boys to enjoy during the many months
of lockdown, and were able, too, to find innovative ways of staying in touch
with and looking after the emotional need of their boys; and so much more.
We would invite you, the reader, to keep an open mind as you enjoy paging
through our 2020 Yearbook. Whilst so much in this magazine will be so
different to what, in previous years would have been recorded as ‘the norm’,
it nonetheless provides an accurate and wholesome overview of what The
Ridge staff and boys lived through during what was a tumultuous year of
change and challenge.
My sincere thanks to Hanlie Glanz, Ashley Keene, Anton Pretorius and
Joe Kotwal for all that they have done to research, prepare and edit this
important historical publication.
I wish you an enjoyable and enlightening reading experience.
RICHARD STANLEY
Headmaster
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