Mad About St Peter's College!

Why did you choose to attend St Peter’s College? Was it the proximity to your home, the sports or cultural programme offered or the academic record of past Matric pupils? Was it hot lunch, the beautiful grounds or perhaps even a scholarship offered? How much do you actually know about St Peter’s College?

St Peter, after whom the College is named, was one of the 12 Disciples. He was crucified on an upside down cross  at his own request; he said he was unworthy to be crucified in the same way as his saviour, Jesus.

In liturgical art, St Peter is depicted holding a book and a key. The book could represent our educational institution. The key could be the one one which opens the door to our futures. The crossed keys are incorporated into our school logo.

The legacy of St Peter also lives on in the name of our school.

Fields on the school property are all named for South African Nobel Peace Prize winners:

Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, is one of the greatest living icons of our time. Tutu was a key role player in the fight against apartheid in South Africa and chaired of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

Albert Luthuli was a veteran anti apartheid contributor. He said: ‘No true peace and progress can be secured in any country as long as others in that country are denied full democratic rights and duties’.

 

Nelson Mandela was the first democratically elected President of South Africa.  Even after 27 years of prison time, he is humble, tolerant and forgiving. These values are a rare find in our current times.

FW De Klerk is best known for his contributuion to the end of apartheid. He was awarded a Nobel Peace prize together with Nelson Mandela.  He supported the transformation of South Africa into a multi-racial democracy.

The three houses; Lourie, Bishop and Oriole are aptly named after the environmental impact study identified these three birds as being the most common on the site. The colours are taken from the birds themselves. Blue for Lourie, red for Bishop and yellow for Oriole.

Our school hall is named after Laurie Dippenaar, who was instrumental in making funding available for the building of the hall.

The new pavilion is named for Tak Hiemstra, who chaired the College Council for many years. Tak worked tirelessly towards the vision set down by the founders and made many contributions to St Peter’s College.

Jimmy Hughes, after whom the main gate is named, was the first bursar at the College.

The Buchanan Entrance outside the hall is named for Reverend Duncan Buchanan, erstwhile Bishop of Johannesburg.
 
The Bell Tower situated on the Matric Lawn has a Wall of Remembrance to honour those members of  the St Peter’s College family who have died.

The Passion of St Peter’s rose was cultivated to help us celebrate our 10 year anniversary in 2008. The rose signifies Unity, Courage, Respect and Admiration, Passion, Warmth and Friendship. The circular Faith, Hope and Trust garden at the entrance of the school is filled with these beautiful roses.

Our core values centre around Relationships, Respect  and Responsibility, building on the Legacy of so many great individuals.

Hopefully our alumni will continue to uphold these values.

To the new students; you have five years to create a legacy at St Peter’s College, for the rest of us; the clock is ticking... so make it happen!

In Futurum Fortiter. Go bravely into the future!