The school year stretches ahead and this encourages us to look towards the future. An education in itself implies a vision for the future. At times I regret this as I believe it to be burdensome for our girls as it detracts from the pleasure of enjoying the daily experiences of being at school.

As a South African educational institution, we must be immersed in the history, the present and the future of our school, if we are to offer a meaningful experience to all the girls. As we design our educational future at St Mary’s, we must be cognisant of who we were, who we are and who we can be as an independent school. Such institutional self-knowledge and awareness will guide us to renew our public purpose and it will inform our educational design for a school where all girls belong and can learn deeply.

This future begins today. Each new year presents a feeling of renewal involving our learning and teaching routine, our educational enquiry and our reflections about our educational design. These elements of school life all contribute, in incremental stages, to create a future for St Mary’s which prioritises an effective and valuable South African education which is globally relevant. Howard Zinn, the American historian, shared his thoughts about the future, “We don’t have to wait for some grand utopian future. The future is an infinite succession of presents, and to live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us, is itself a marvellous victory.”

Such an inspirational and ethical educational experience is what our girls deserve each day as they plan their futures.

Deanne King
Head of school