Honoured traditions

March, 2010

Most of my time at Wynberg this month I’ve spend working on the Insect Play, the school’s drama production. Although the title might sound a bit juvenile, the play had a very interesting storyline consisting of three acts. The first including butterflies, the second beetles and the last ants. In a smart way it shows the parallels between the human world and insect behaviour. As there were in total only about two months to work on the play, there was a full, tight rehearsal schedule. There was a lot to be done during this short period of time. The progress was great though. And it was nice to experience how after lots of practice all the loose ends came together. During t he process I’ve done a lot of admin (invoices, character list, ticket sale etc.) and during the last rehearsals and the performances I’ve helped out backstage with the props. There were 3 performances that started the 18th of March. It was great to finally see the result.

Something about the school that still strikes me every once in a while is the number of its old fashioned habits, or should a say ‘honoured traditions’. One of the privileges (or disadvantages, it’s just the way you look at it) that comes with living in the boarding house is that it’s hard to miss out upcoming events and that you’re always sort of involved in what’s going on at the school. For weeks in a row there had been several mornings that I woke up by the bell ringing at 5 AM. As the bell usually only rings at 6.30 to wake us up, I was, let’s say ‘quite eager’ to know why they were bothering us that early. What they were doing is a very good example of one those traditions. The boys were practicing marching. Now which school still teaches their pupils how to march? Apparently it was only done by the hostel boys, with the purpose to impress the other houses during the sports day that was coming up, by marching on the field. I must say, the way they did it was quite impressive though. “LITTLEWOOD! Attèèèèntion! Hèèèèads up! Riiiight turn, one two three one! Littlewood, to a left, slow, MARCH! Left … left … left, right, left … left…”

Through my time at school I have come across more and more traditions and regulations that make to school so much different from the ones in Holland. It of course starts with the uniforms and the discipline of the pupils which I mentioned in one of my first reports, but I’ve learned that there is much more to the system they use here than just the obvious differences. I believe that the basic distinction is that Wynberg aims to develop bonded team players and strong leader, whereas the Dutch system aims to develop intellectual and independent individuals. What I experience every day is that Wynberg has a strong hierarchy among the boys based upon meritocracy (just to use two fancy words in one sentence). This system is constantly stimulated and is very important to a great deal of the pupils. I notice it in many different aspects. In the hostel, boys from higher grades are allowed to order around the younger ones, ranging from carrying bags to filling up water bottles. This is being respected. At school, merits, awards and prices are being awarded to the learners that achieve better than others on grounds of academics, sport, service etc. Price giving ceremonies are highlights of the year and price winners receive lots of merit, are being respected by their peer students and their names are added to honour boards throughout the school. Sports or academic distinctions are being awarded with special ties, badges or brading on the blazer for the boys to wear and to show their achievements. The highest ambition of most of the pupils though, is to become a school prefect in their final year. Every year ca. 20 prefects are being elected based on their achievements from the previous years. Being a prefect comes with a lot of status, privileges and responsibility and its being said that it improves your CV considerably. They are granted extra power over the other boys, wear special ties and badges, are allowed to give punishment and together run the school outside the classroom. They are looked up to by the boys and are expected to be leaders for their school. The competition of becoming a prefect can be taken very seriously and it costs a lot of free time once they’ve become one. Still every prefect will be very proud of its position.

These examples indicated to me just how different the fundamental basis of the school system is. Some things that happen on this school would be impossible to image in Holland whereas some Dutch normalities are ridiculed but the people here. It amazes me again and again and broadens my view on the culture.