The Ridge School HORiZONS No. 23 OCTOBER 2014 EDiTORiAL A belated welcome back to Term 3 to you all from the HORiZONS team! Quiet Mind Time. A previous principal of mine was very passionate about this and keenly extolled the virtues of allowing oneself the space and time to permit thoughts to rest, to reflect, and to truly appreciate the benefit of a still moment in this very busy world. At the time, early in my career as I was, I perhaps didn’t fully grasp the true nature of the gift on offer. She did, however, not only mean this for her staff, but also wanted this for the students, and Quiet Mind Time was factored into the timetable, indicating the level of importance ascribed to it. The wonderfully successful 2014 Music Tour has just returned but, casting my eye around the children during our small pockets of downtime, I wondered if they knew what it meant to truly be still and quiet in their own minds. If they weren’t actively socialising with each other, out came a cornucopia of electronic devices. BlackBerrys, iPhones, iPads, you name it! Screens swirled with flashing games, battles were won and lost and, perhaps more critically to the children, conversations were had behind the relative anonymity of the keypad. Were their brains ever truly “quiet”? New insights into the way our brains work reveal some alarming developments, particularly when it comes to the way our brains are growing. I’m no neuroscientist and I am loosely paraphrasing many of the ideas that have come my way, but this is, essentially, a summary of what is taking place inside our children’s heads. When we learn something new, we make links between different parts of our brain. Our synapses (in our brains) become active and the experience or activity we are performing activates neurotransmittors. When two neural pathways are connected: voila! we learn something new and it’s called ‘synaptic rewiring’. The reality is that previous generations of children experienced synaptic activity in a very different way. The internet and immediacy of social media today greatly stimulate the parts of the brain that sift information but promote temporary, fleeting ideas, all at the expense of deeper thought and links between broader concepts. In our always-on culture, information is instantly accessible, as are our friends, and multiple tasks can be performed simultaneously. Our synaptic links are getting “shorter”; it is about what is immediate and “valuable” at the expense of deep thought and conceptual clarity. If I can’t access the information right away, should I bother? Distilled: individually, we are very well informed about a lot less! Our own headmaster, Paul Channon, sent me some interesting supporting material for this editorial. Perhaps most eyebrow-raising, was an article published in the New York Times this year which shared the late Steve Jobs’ admission that he, and many other Silicon Valley tech-executives, strictly limited the amount of screen time their children were allowed, preferring and upholding the importance of family dinner times and authentic social engagement. In an article published in The Telegraph earlier in September, the headmaster of Highgate School in north London, Adam Pettitt, HORiZONS Private Bag X10 Parkview, 212 2 26 Woolston Road, Westcliff, Johannesburg Telephone (011) 481 5800 Fax 086 299 1964 Website www.ridgeschool.co. za Email [email protected] argued that the use of electronic devices by children in their bedrooms should be banned as part of a broader, holistic approach to improving children’s mental health. Perhaps it is time to apply some Quiet Mind thinking to this and consider just how frequently we allow children access to electronic devices. Are they being mindful in their interactions, or is it a little like snacking on junk food? Delicious, but rather pointless. Empty carbs, nutritionists would say. Quiet Mind Time promotes those longer-chain synaptic links. It improves our concentration and allows us to bring insight into our learnings and interactions. Let’s encourage our children to put down those devices, even if just for a little while, and have real conversations and authentic interactions with the world around them. Going into this fully engaging and busy term, Quiet Mind Time is a luxury we must afford. Nick Praulins HOD Thinking Skills, Head of Grade 5 & Marketing FROM THE NEW HEADMASTER I am delighted to have this opportunity to share a slightly more indepth personal profile with The Ridge School family following the Chairman’s introductory letter of a few months ago. Lucinda and I moved to The Ridge in April 1989 following eight wonderful years at St Stithians College Prep School. Our daughter, Nicola, was three at the time and Joshua was a babe in arms. With our youngest, Samuel, having been born whilst we were in our second year at The Ridge, the school became associated with so much that embodied an extension of our early years as a family. Our memories of the six years spent up in the beautiful neighbourhood of Westcliff are filled with a deep sense of belonging and many meaningful, happy and relational moments with countless boys, colleagues and parents. In addition, of course, I recall much that went along with the expected challenges and opportunities that accompany being deputy headmaster in one of the leading boys’ prep schools in the country. In so many ways it all seems just like yesterday, but twenty years later, and following a blessed and truly enriching role as headmaster of Highbury Prep School, we are returning to this amazing school. Where most educators would give their eye-teeth to enjoy the privilege of working at The Ridge for a period of time, we feel deeply honoured to have been given another opportunity to play a part in adding to the rich and colourful tapestry that defines so much of the School’s ninety-five year history. I recognise, of course, that much has changed and that Paul Channon and his team have done an exceptional job in taking The Ridge School to seriously impressive new heights of excellence. It is against this backdrop, in particular, that I look forward to returning in order to pick up the reins of office and to be a part of leading the School into an exciting new season of ongoing quality, boy-centred, educational delivery. Lucinda and I look forward to meeting you all as the 2015 school year gets underway in January. Richard Stanley Headmaster in Waiting HORiZONS GRADE 0 FLOWER POWER The Grade 0’s welcomed the new term and the beginning of Spring with a flower arranging day. Flower names were discussed and gardening knowledge swopped. The boys chose their flowers carefully and placed them precisely to create wonderful arrangements that they proudly presented to their families at the end of the day. GRADE 2 ECO-SCHOOLS GARDENiNG PROJECT Grade 2 boys have been having a ball in the garden, creating their own vegetable patches for the Eco Schools project. They have planned their own beds and have been busy this week digging out the soil to create their own compost. Last week they visited gardens in Westcliff to gain inspiration and learn about what a landscape gardener does. Early October, they will be busy planting their seedlings and tending to the garden. BEADWORK FOR HERiTAGE MONTH We chose to engage in a Beadwork Project, marking the Heritage Month. Mama Zuma made us choose between making the South African Flag Pin and learning ‘Stick fighting’. We chose to make the South African Flag pin because we thought it would be more appropriate to mark our Heritage Month. Seeing that this project needed about 2 hours to be completed we opted to use the block of periods we had when the other boys were away on the Music Tour in Cape Town. Pity, some of IsiZulu/Zulu boys missed this opportunity. We were also kind enough to share this wonderful and unforgettable experience with the other brothers in Gr 7 and 6 who were remaining behind. Apart from just making the South African Flag pin, we learnt a number of things as we sat down and crafted our Flag pins. Most of what we learnt aligned well with our term theme of ‘SMART CHOICES, GOOD HABITS’. We needed to consider the following when making the South African Flag Pin: 1. The design/pattern, of course being assisted by the notes 2. The correct size of beads to use 3. The correct colours and how to arrange these to form the right patterns of the South African Flag 4. The correct needles/threads which will be strong enough to hold the beads in their right places 5. To concentrate and be attentive, so that we don’t miss one grain of bead. The most exciting part was when we learnt about how AmaZulu interpret colours. This experience enabled us to understand what they were wearing and why. Mama Zuma explained briefly how they interpret shapes as well. Unfortunately we had very limited time to finish our pins. We will love to learn more about shapes next time. Mo Laher Grade 7 HORiZONS HEADMASTER’S LEADERSHiP AWARD:VOTING DAY PROJECT During voting day my brothers and I decided to sell items to people while they are waiting to vote. At first this project was just to earn some money and quench people’s thirst or hunger.The day before voting day my mother and I decided that we should give all the money to charity and use this as a leadership project. We liked that idea. We worked from 06h30 in the morning to 14h30 in the afternoon. It was a very long process but the hundreds of people whom we served were both delighted and delightful. We sold: coffee, cokes, muffins, fruit salad, popcorn, hotdogs and tea. Our best sellers were the muffins and tea because everyone needed those items in the morning. We made a profit of R3800; and my parents very generously decided to double that amount from their own pocket. Instead of just giving the money to Salvazonie we decided to use the money, and buy a whole lot of stationery for them. The company we bought the stationery from added some extra stationery for free. Such generosity from everyone! I delivered the stationery at a special assembly and the Salvazione community was very grateful for the donation. Jack Short Grade 7 2014 RiDGE & ST KATHARiNE’s MUSiC TOUR: CAPE TOWN On 20 September, 100 Ridge boys and 69 St Katharine’s girls set off for Cape Town for the 2014 Music Tour. The tour was a terrific success, performing for appreciative audiences from Herschel, Bishops, St George’s and Somerset House. The repertoire was varied, as were the ensembles involved which included the String Ensemble, Jazz Band, Marimba Band, Orchestra and combined choirs. When not sharing their music with schools, the children were also lucky enough to take in some of Cape Town’s most memorable sights including Table Mountain, and an unforgettable trip to Robben Island. Here are some pictures of a memorable and rewarding tour. HORiZONS OLD BOYS’ NEWS Peter Gilbert writes to us with news of his son, Andrew Gilbert (2013). Dear Paul and Janet, I trust you are all well and ready for the final push in the last term which historically always seems to be a frantic one in all spheres at The Ridge. Below is some feedback on Andrew at St John’s and his music in general. Andrew was nominated U14A soccer captain at St John’s which essentially was a surprise as he missed out on the initial trials as he was away touring Europe with the MIAGI Orchestra.( It must be due to the excellent coaching he received at The Ridge Nick :- ) He also made the U14A Hockey side. He is completing his Grade 8 Music Exam in October. Two accolades have come his way on the music side being: (St John’s have been very accommodating in this regard, similar to The Ridge which certainly assists with these out of town and country opportunities.) NEWS FROM MICHAELHOUSE Ant and Bongi Fleischer (2012) were recently selected to play for the Midlands U15A water polo side and James McCormack (2011) was chosen for the U16A team. Matthew Ramsden (2011) made it into the U16B team. NEWS FROM HILTON COLLEGE We are delighted to learn that Ross Yammin (2010) has been appointed Deputy Head Boy for 2015 while Nicholas Loxton (2009) is the Dux. Well done Ross and Nicholas! Ross Yammin with his parents Craig and Kerri HORiZONS Nicholas Loxton with his parents Debbie and Stuart Lauren Carter writes to us with news of her son, Daniel (2010). As an old boy from The Ridge School, I feel privileged to share with you Daniel Carter’s adventure and achievements throughout his rowing career thus far. Rowing is no ordinary sport. Mastering rowing is tough. It’s both an endurance and explosive sport that requires lung-splitting levels of fitness. It demands a concentrated, technical brain and diligent repetition of the basics, a sense of cadence and balance, a thick hide to withstand comments from coaches, raw blisters on your fingers, and the fire to eke out the last energy from your burning body in order to win. This is where Daniel found his rowing passion in a pair, coxed four and eight for St John’s College. Equipped with natural talent and a certain level of obsession,Daniel has gone on to win many medals at Gauteng Champs and at South African Champs. In 2013 Daniel was chosen to be part the SASRU development squad which competed in Ghent Belgium. Daniel and his team mates, Graeme Betty and Riaghan Davies Webb (also old Ridge boys) won gold in their four as well as gold in the eight. Daniel’s journey did not stop there, he and his partner James Mitchell (another fellow St John’s pupil ) went on to be selected by the International Commission to row in the men’s pair at the Jnr. World Championships in Hamburg, Germany, from 6th to 10th August 2014. They were selected to row for their country after a series of trials coupled with a gruelling training scheduled which overlapped with preparing and writing exams. Even though Daniel’s days were filled with many emotional highs and lows the day finally arrived with all the preparation behind them to show the world what the Jnr South African’s were made off. The World Rowing Championships - Day one saw the pair facing the course record holders Romania in their heat, coupled with the pressure of not knowing the field and they had to place fourth to make it to the next round. They remained calm and believed in their own race and along side the French, Greek’s and Romanian’s, South Africa moved on to the quarter finals. The semi finals split the top three boats crossing the line into the A final and the bottom three into the B Final. Again James and Daniel did us proud placing in the top three. The final outcome was the Junior mens pair placed 5th in the World out of 27 competing countries. A worthy placing for not only were James and Daniel the youngest crew on the water by a year and a month, but they were the only crew never to have raced in a World Championship before. Daniel swells with pride when he puts on his Green Blazer knowing he has made his country proud. His formative years at The Ridge School gave him wings and taught him to fly and instilled a belief in Daniel that he should always reach for the stars. He could not have received better advice and grounding. Thank you. Best, Lauren IN MEMORIAM ALEXANDER SPRUYT (1987 - 2014) We are deeply saddened to hear of the recent passing of Lex Spruyt (2000) in sad circumstances. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends at this difficult time, and we pay tribute to a young man who embraced learning, had a great love of literature and saw the world around him through a unique and philosophical lens.