Hoërskool Oosterland Highschool
Address
5 Drakensberg St Highveld Ridge West Secunda, South Africa , Mpumalanga , 2302 South Africa
Coordinates	26°31′00″S 29°12′49″E / 26.5165835°S 29.213597°E / -26.5165835; 29.213597
Information
School type	Public
Motto	Bewerk en Bewaar (Afr:Cultivate and Preserve)
Established	1988 (1988)
Status	Open
School district	Gert Sibande
Educational authority	Department of Education
Principal	Mr. P.P. Lewis
Key people	Mr. J.L. Gertzen (DP) Mrs. S Botha (DP)
Grades	8–12
Age	14 to 18
Enrollment	900 students
Average class size	28
Language	Afrikaans & English
Schedule	07:30–14:00
Hours in school day	6h30m
Color(s)	postbox red   white   royal blue
Mascot	Die Kaptein (Afr: The Captain)
Nickname	Oosies
Website	oosterland.co.za

Hoërskool Oosterland (Oosterland High School) is a public Afrikaans and English co-educational high school located in Secunda, Mpumalanga a province of South Africa. Learners are called Oosies.^[1] The school has an active 80 member orchestra.^[2]

History

The school was founded in 1988 in Secunda, Mpumalanga^[1] and has as its namesake the Ship Oosterland which arrived in the Cape of Good Hope on 25 April 1688. The ship carried Huguenots from Europe to South Africa and had porcelain as it's cargo.^[3][4] The school enforces uniforms.

In 1997 the school was involved in a unreported case that was settled out of court, in the incident a student lost their eye due to a broken tile being thrown at their face. The school and the involved attacker had to pay R92 500 to the victim.^[5][6]

The school announced on 19 November 2022 that interim principal Pieter Lewis will take over leadership from Elzette Botes after she retired in 2021 after 33 years of being principal. Mrs. S Botha was assigned as Deputy Principal in 2022.

Values and Symbology

The school's colors as compiled in 1988 are royal blue, white and postbox red. The symbolism of the Crest is as follows:^[7]

• Mainpart(Fleur-de-lis)
  • Accepted as a very early Christian symbol that exemplifies the Holy Trinity (the three leaves)
  • Also symbolizes the three partners in teaching: Child, Parent, and Teacher.
• Cross
  • Notwithstanding the fact that the cross has a religious connotation. It can also be regarded as a teaching symbol namely: Child/Teacher/Parent/Community.
• Ring
  • The circle (ring) symbolizes the unity of teaching and educational events.
• Motto
  • References Genesis 2:15 where God commands Humankind to Cultivate and Preserve the Garden.

The school promotes the following core values:^[8]

• Responsibility
• Caring
• Fairness
• Respect
• Citizenship
• Trustworthiness

The school uses a Class Infractions system of discipline to enforce these values based on demerits ranging from -3 to -20. A student that gathers enough demerits will be subjected to punishment ranging from detention to expulsion. The school also has a merit system for students who demonstrate these values, students who gather merits are rewarded accordingly.

At the end of their final exam, all Grade 12's ring a bell at the front of the school to celebrate the end of their school careers. Teachers and other employees of the school also ring the bell when they retire or move to different schools.^[9]

Leadership

The school follows the standard South African public school leadership hierarchy. At the top is the governing body which includes teachers and parents of students under them is the Principal and under him there are one or multiple Deputy Principals, under them there are multiple subject Department heads, these leadership positions are filled with teachers who teach at the school.

Students can interact with the leaders of the school and launch suggestions or complaints through an elected Student Representative Council (SRC) called the Oosieraad (Afr: Oosie-council). This council is elected by the student and teacher body every year at the 3rd quarter from the Grade 11 group, and serves one term in Grade 12. The council consists of:

• 2 Head Leaders (One Boy and One Girl)
• 4 Deputy Head Leaders (Two Boys and Two Girls)
• +24 Leaders (Twelve Boys and Twelve Girls)

Besides acting as mediator between Students and Teachers and enforcers of the school rules, the council also have the responsibilities to plan and execute various social events chief among them their end of year function or matric farewell.

Subjects

Students are required to have 7 subjects after Grade 9 with an option to have an 8th subject. They are allowed 3 electives with 4 core subjects that are required with a choice between Maths Lit and Pure Maths. The following subjects are provided:^[10][11][12]

• Core Subjects
  • Afrikaans(Home Language or First Additional Language)
  • English(Home Language or First Additional Language)
  • Life Orientation
  • Choice between:
    • Mathematics
    • Mathematical Literacy
• Elective Subjects
  • Physical Science
  • Economics
  • Computer Application Technology
  • Engineering Graphics and Design
  • Business Studies
  • Consumer Studies
  • Tourism
  • Geography
  • Accounting
  • Civil Technology
  • Mechanical Technology
  • Electrical Technology
  • Information Technology

The school is one of the few schools in South Africa that provides technical subjects such as Civil, Mechanical and Electrical Technology.^[13] The school follows the NSC standard Scale of Achievements with an incremental scale of 1-7 corresponding with 0%-100%. The school introduced Information Technology as a subject in 2017.

Sport

The school competes in various sporting events against other South African High-schools. These sports include:^[14][15][16]

• Rugby
• Chess
• Cricket (Boys and Girls)
• Hockey (Boys and Girls)
• Athletics
• Long & Short Distance running
• Jukskei
• Tennis
• Rough Terrain & Mountain Biking
• Netball

Mascot

The school's mascot is called Die Kaptein (Afr: The Captain he wears a navy-coloured full dress uniform and has a bushy black beard.^[14][15] The Captain represents the school's leadership and is present at the school's sporting events.

References

External links

• Official Site