Press Release 7 June 2012

Sacred Heart College hands over the baton to South Africa’s first Born-Free graduation class

In a progressive, groundbreaking move for South African children, Sacred Heart College leads the pack in empowering their 2012 matric learners with historical, factual stories as told by struggle veterans, the likes of Wally Serote, Martha Molobi, Mosey Moolla, Dr. Wendy Orr, Markus Moses and Murphy Morobe, and David Webster’s widow Maggie Friedman, among others.

These heroes and heroines of our struggle shared their personal life stories with learners, which was to reflect ordinary South Africans experiences in their struggle for freedom, says principal Heather Blanckensee.

Sacred Heart College hopes that as the future leaders leave the school they will be encouraged by the life changing stories shared by the story-tellers. It was apt that Sacred Heart College, a leading school in educating children of struggle veterans, lead the field in the area of a transformative youth.

As stated by a learner of Sacred Heart College “the esteemed guests gave an interesting perspective on the myriad of outlooks of the struggle of apartheid, it showed me that there were different implications for different races and each and every person had a dramatically different story to tell”.

The Born-Free learners write their final exams in November. This event was a pioneering move for the school, renowned for their innovative curriculum. Their website, www.sacredheart.co.za, will post stories produced by the learners regarding their views on the day’s events. The stories shared by the speakers on the day will also be on the website.

Transformation has come a long way in South Africa in the last eighteen years. As the progression towards entrenching a second generation of democracy dawns, it is important for learners to experience stories as told by past activists and veterans. As they pass on the baton of transformation we hope that the learners are empowered to continue this transformative agenda as they matriculate and enter the adult world where they will play a role in maintaining and guarding our democracy, says Thiru Govender, deputy principal.

The event was a great success and the learners of Sacred Heart College have been inspired by the rich history that the stories of ordinary South Africans carry.

For more information on this initiative contact Naomi Meyer on (011) 487-9000 naomim@sacredheart.co.za.

Issued by JT Communication Solutions on behalf of Sacred Heart College