La Rochelle Girls' High School
Encyclopedia
La Rochelle Girls' High School, in Paarl
is one of the oldest girls' schools in South Africa
.
, a strong supporter of Afrikaans
as a medium of instruction merged the Ladies' Seminary with the Huguenot Seminary he had founded in Wellington. An American, Virginia Lee Pryde, was appointed to the school administration and under her leadership the enrollment increased from 80 to 240 in 1899. Martha Helena Cillié, who had been acting head during 1894, was appointed head in 1899, and remained in that post until 1921. In 1913, the school was separated from the Huguenot High School, essentially an extension of Murray's Huguenot College in Wellington, and was given its current name. In 1914, two of the school's teachers were killed in one of the first fatal car accidents in Paarl. During the 1960s, approximately 400 people were forcibly evicted from their land in order to provide the school with about two hectares to be used as hockey fields. In 2009 enrollment had increased to 537.
(one of only 28 schools in the Western Cape
) and French
(one of only 27). However, Latin is no longer offered, but a bible
in Latin from 1762 is on display in the visitors' room of the school.
Paarl
Paarl is a town with 191,013 inhabitants in the Western Cape province of South Africa. Its the third oldest European settlement in the Republic of South Africa and the largest town in the Cape Winelands. Due to the growth of the Mbekweni township, it is now a de facto urban unit with Wellington...
is one of the oldest girls' schools in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
.
History
The school was established in 1860 with 40 girls together with a seminary for young ladies open to the daughters of citizens and farmers in the Paarl district. In 1872, Jan de Villiers (Jan Orrelis) became head of the school, which he renamed Paarl Meisieseminarium. He held the post until his retirement in 1890. Andrew MurrayAndrew Murray
Andrew or Andy Murray may refer to: * Andrew Murray, often spelt Andrew Moray, leader of the Scots during the Scottish Wars of Independence...
, a strong supporter of Afrikaans
Afrikaans
Afrikaans is a West Germanic language, spoken natively in South Africa and Namibia. It is a daughter language of Dutch, originating in its 17th century dialects, collectively referred to as Cape Dutch .Afrikaans is a daughter language of Dutch; see , , , , , .Afrikaans was historically called Cape...
as a medium of instruction merged the Ladies' Seminary with the Huguenot Seminary he had founded in Wellington. An American, Virginia Lee Pryde, was appointed to the school administration and under her leadership the enrollment increased from 80 to 240 in 1899. Martha Helena Cillié, who had been acting head during 1894, was appointed head in 1899, and remained in that post until 1921. In 1913, the school was separated from the Huguenot High School, essentially an extension of Murray's Huguenot College in Wellington, and was given its current name. In 1914, two of the school's teachers were killed in one of the first fatal car accidents in Paarl. During the 1960s, approximately 400 people were forcibly evicted from their land in order to provide the school with about two hectares to be used as hockey fields. In 2009 enrollment had increased to 537.
Curriculum
The school is dual medium with an almost equal split between English and Afrikaans. Although school fees in 2007 were R9,830, cheaper than many other state schools, the school has kept a wide choice of subjects, for example, two third languages, namely GermanGerman language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
(one of only 28 schools in the Western Cape
Western Cape
The Western Cape is a province in the south west of South Africa. The capital is Cape Town. Prior to 1994, the region that now forms the Western Cape was part of the much larger Cape Province...
) and French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
(one of only 27). However, Latin is no longer offered, but a bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
in Latin from 1762 is on display in the visitors' room of the school.
Sources
- Schirmer, Peter. Die beknopte geïllustreerde ensiklopedie van Suid-Afrika, Central News Agency (Pty.) Ltd. Johannesburg, 1981.