POIGNANT MOMENTS ON THE HILL DOUBLES WINNERS

Lewis Capaldi set the tone with his Before You Go and Wish You the Best playing in the background as a slideshow appeared on the screen at the start of proceedings at the valedictory ceremony of PJ Olivier High School’s 42 matrics last Friday.

In similar vein, the ceremony came to its conclusion with a candle-lighting ritual in front of hundreds of pupils, parents and supporters of the school in the Neels Heunis Hall, and which saw each matric pupil lighting a candle.

Then it was a silent procession to the foyer where the tears flowed spontaneously among matrics, their parents, as well as some of the teachers who had guided the pupils throughout their schooling careers.

This was followed by goodbyes as the class of 2023 took leave of the school, their peers and staff members, including a proud headmaster, Joubert Retief, who said he was pleased that the school had a matric class numbering 42 this year, compared to the 26 of last year.

Tears were flowing as friends realised that they were not going to sit next to each other in class, bake together in consumer studies, walk down to Carinus Art Centre together, or joke around on the school grounds during breaks, having made memories that will last them a lifetime.

Earlier, Retief said to the matrics in the hall, “Baie sterkte vir die pad vorentoe” (“Good luck for the road ahead.”)

Officially, Friday marked the final day of school for the 2023 matric class, following which they settled down to some serious studying for their final examinations that started this week, depending on the subjects taken.

The Graeme College senior tennis doubles championships have been decided, with Ethan Beyleveld and Murray Tyson the 2023 winners, for the third year in a row. Runners-up are Ryan