800 hearts say ‘We’ll miss you’
Eight hundred paper hearts – each with a genuine message of love and appreciation written on it – were held high in the Port Alfred High School hall on Monday April 29 as the school bid farewell to much-loved stalwart Chix Pearson.
The school hall was packed with staff and pupils for Pearson’s final assembly.
The theme for the assembly was perseverance. After inspiring the assembly with the example of Walt Disney, who was ‘blocked’ many times before achieving the phenomenal success that he did (Google it!), deputy principal Anne Willemse spoke about the consistency that characterised Pearson’s contribution to the Port Alfred High School community.
Delivering the main tribute, former principal Clive Pearson, Chix’s husband, shone light on some of her achievements.
She is a former provincial swimmer and hockey player; a breast cancer survivor; she is the chairperson of the Port Alfred Floral Art Association; has donated 96 pints of blood; and has seen three children through seven university degrees and three diplomas.
The Pearsons have been at the heart of the education community in the area for decades and Clive detailed how their teaching careers had seen them serve at no fewer than nine Makhanda schools, before his last post at Port Alfred High School.
Current PAHS principal, Nigel Adams, spoke about his arrival at the school at the most challenging time imaginable: 2020, the start of the Covid lockdowns.
“There was no deputy principal at the time,” Adams said.
But it had never seemed that way because Chix Pearson had stepped up, using her institutional knowledge to close the gaps and get things done.
Emphasising her extraordinary commitment to the educational project, he said: “There was never any question of ‘it’s not in my job description – things just got done.”
Adams highlighted Chix Pearson’s contribution to what he considered the most important aspect of education: values.
”One of those values is loyalty,” Adams said. “Be loyal to where you are while you are there.”
In addition to running the library, Chix Pearson was also very involved in school sport. Groundsman Kholekile Shavings paid tribute to her commitment to excellence.
“She has very high standards, and she works hard to make sure they are achieved,” said Shavings, thanking her for her wisdom, guidance and leadership.
A standing ovation followed the tributes to her and there were emotional moments when every pupil held up a paper heart with a personal message of appreciation written on it. These were later collected and given to Chix Pearson, who rang the school bell for the last time and left the hall through a tunnel of cheering and clapping pupils.