Well rounded young men with a solid foundation in culture
Boys at reunion assemblies.
The photographic club meets regularly to attend interesting workshops and they provide the visual material for School publications and the website.
Our annual art exhibition is always well attended and showcases an excellent body of artwork across the grades.
Creative writing is a passion for some of the young gentlemen at King Edward and to this end the writer’s society plays a traditional part of the successful Expressions evenings held each year.
Outreach and interaction with the community is very important at King Edward. Not only do we raise money for donations to charitable organisations but the learners via the King Edward School Community Outreach programme (KESCO) collect Easter eggs, canned and non perishable food, used clothing, books, sports equipment and Christmas gifts for distribution to a variety of charitable organizations throughout the year.
Time and effort is also expended on various projects with planned visits to orphanages and old-age homes. Regular blood drives are organised and run by the school councillors to collect much needed blood reserves for the SA National Blood Transfusion Service.
King Edward has representation on both Johannesburg youth councils. We can boast three Johannesburg Junior Council mayors within five years and one Johannesburg Student Council mayor who served a three year tenure.
Our councillors are good leaders and are regularly voted onto the executive bodies of these councils. These youth councillors are encouraged to initiate group and individual projects which benefit the disadvantaged in the community.
KESCO was founded in 2006 by two enterprising councillors (one a Junior Mayor at the time) and remains in the hands of the councillors who are tasked with the running of the school outreach projects each year.
We also have an impressive track record in the Model United Nation’s Conferences (hosted by the South African Institute of International Affairs). This competition requires extensive research to be done by teams of three learners each, where working knowledge of the UNO and current affairs is vital as each team is required to represent a particular country and to present a valid case while debating a given scenario and presenting papers and opinions relevant to their topic.
We have won this competition for three consecutive years, and have placed second for two consecutive years in the recent past and have also picked up awards for the best speaker in a topic section.
With regard to leadership development, a number of Grade 11 learners are selected to participate in the stimulating and educational Spirit of Youth Programme (SoY) run by GIBS which integrates learners from all economic and cultural backgrounds and provides a forum for exploration, self discovery and civic awareness.
Senior boys are given opportunities to hone their leadership, organisational and socialisation skills at internally run leadership workshops, through the School mentorship programme or by attending sponsored weekend camps and scholar workshops facilitated by various leadership academies, prominent companies and bodies invested in youth development.
Our well trained and dedicated first aiders provide an invaluable service at all sports fixtures as well as attending to the daily scrapes and mishaps that occur in a busy school environment. Their service to the School and on the fields is invaluable.
The dramatic society at King Edward is actively supported by the boys and auditions for productions are well attended. The School has its own intimate theatre and it is here that the boys escape into another dimension and enthusiastically create a different perspective of the world. The play ‘Blackout’, our entry into the 2012 RAPS festival saw us placed first and we won the Sutherland Play festival in 2013. In 2014 we garnered a number of acting and directing nominations at RAPS for our entry, ‘Dad’s Army’ and under new direction, we performed well in 2016 with our entry, “Happy Birthday, Wanda June’.
Throughout the year, the acting skills of the boys are displayed in productions from the one-act inter-house play festival to the RAPS production and the final performance in the third term with the ‘Evening at the Theatre’. This completes the year for the current dramatic society and includes recitals from the choir and music society.
The young men at King Edward have strong opinions on matters and embrace opportunities to express themselves. The School actively participates and excels in the debating league both at senior and junior level. A variety of informal forums also afford the opportunity for the young men to debate issues of importance to them. King Edward enters teams in a variety of speaking competitions where they enjoy great success.
The idea is to develop the boys’ ability to work as a team, and to develop their individual oratory skills. Learners participate in the prepared and impromptu sections where they clearly demonstrate their ability to think on their feet.
The Annual “Just-a-minute” contest provides an evening of fun and laughter and is enjoyed by participants and audience alike.
The highlights of public speaking at School are the junior and senior Best Speaker competitions. The name of the annual senior Best Speaker is displayed on the honours boards in the auditorium to inspire future orators.
The cultural programme at King Edward School continues to hold its own and to produce fine young men who by means of their creative efforts and abilities can express themselves with eloquence and confidence lending richness and satisfaction to the cultural extra-mural pursuits of King Edward VII School.
– Mrs A Mania