Deputy head hits the ground running
Willemse the first woman in position
Port Alfred High officially introduced Anne Willemse, the school’s new deputy principal, to the media on Monday, November 28.
“Anne is making history at Port Alfred High School because she is the first female appointed deputy principal of the school and I am very happy to be part of this history of the school,” said headmaster Nigel Adams.
Adams has been without a deputy for the past two years and Willemse’s appointment could not come at a better time as the school is busy gearing up for its 140th anniversary next year.
Adams thanked all the parents, teachers and school heads for their support.
He said Willemse would focus more on the school’s operations, while he would be responsible for interacting with the stakeholders.
Willemse has taught English, maths, geography and social sciences for grades 5 and 6 since moving to the school at the beginning of 2021.
The intermediate phase teacher matriculated at Diocesan School for Girls (DSG) in Makhanda and her parents have a holiday home in Kenton-on-Sea.
“I went to high school at DSG and I think that’s where the love of the Eastern Cape developed for my family.
“My parents then bought a holiday home in Kenton, so Kenton and the Eastern Cape have been part of our family blood,” she said.
“I’m thrilled to be in this beautiful part of the world and I really see Port Alfred High School as the beacon of hope,” she added.
After graduating, Willemse started her teaching career at Rosebank Primary School in Johannesburg, where she stayed for six years before moving to St Stithians College, also in Johannesburg, enjoying a 17-year tenure that she left in 2020 as the deputy principal.
“I think the experience I gained [as a deputy principal] at that school certainly will stand me in good stead as we go forward here,” she said.
“I feel very proud to represent women. We need to be teaching and showing our children that we need significant, courageous, assertive women that we read about all the time.
“Women can and must break through the glass ceiling to pursue big dreams and big hopes and I hopefully can be the role model,” she said.
Before her appointment as deputy head Willemse was selected to spearhead the 140th celebrations that will see all alumna and previous headmasters attending the function scheduled for August next year.
Willemse also paid tribute to foundation phase teachers.
“It is important for a school like ours that have such a significant range of students, not to forget all of the incredible work our foundation phase teachers do to prepare children for the key years in high school.
“To have a deputy placed somewhere in the middle was forwardthinking for the school and I see it as an opportunity to pull our range of grades together and really make one unit, which is going to be extremely significant in the education sphere.”
Willemse is a mother of two. Her 17-year-old son, who has cerebral palsy, attends Bush willow Primary in Kenton-on-Sea and loves the beach.
“The impact he’s made on our life is enormous. He really is a ray of sunshine. He wakes up in the morning with a smile and goes to bed with the biggest smile on his face. He’s a great leveller for us.
“He just reminds us of the small things and to be so thankful for who we are and what we’ve got,” she said.
With a bachelor of music in education, Willemse hopes to bring in music and art as extracurricular activities at the school, with visual arts eventually phased in as a subject.