College Cultural Highlights

The first term was filled with continued excellence in our Cultural programme. The College's Major Production, Soil to Soul, was captivating and showcased the impressive artistic talent of our students. Learners involved in Debating and Public Speaking competitions excelled with many teams receiving A symbols.

The College's primary production was Soil to Soul. Incorporating elements of Drama and Music - it ran from 3 to 5 April and played to packed houses in the Champagnat Hall. From the pre-performances to the final bows, over 200 participants from St David's and St Teresa's played, sang, acted, and danced across the stage every night. The show saw several innovations in the Arts space. These included the newly founded Junior Rock Band, Senior Rock Band and College Jazz Band. The Choir programme also introduced the Gwijo Choir, a student-driven initiative that celebrates a traditional Xhosa singing style. Soil to Soul celebrated the beauty of the arts, the many talents of our learners, and the collaborative power of the Marist community.

St David's public speakers participated in the High Schools Public Speaking Festival hosted by the South African Guild of Speech and Drama teachers. It ran over five weeks in February and March. This competition entails the preparation of speeches in various formats such as four-speaker and three-speaker teams. Participants are challenged to fill fifteen minutes of presentation time with well-structured and thought-provoking speeches that center around a prescribed topic. 

Some standout performances in this competition were delivered by Faizaan Adroos, who achieved an A symbol for his speech in the individual category, and Simphiwe Zindela who received a certificate of excellence for serving as an outstanding master of ceremonies for an event hosted at St David's.

The St David's debaters competed in the Gauteng debating league which is facilitated by the South African Council of English Educators. One senior and one junior team have made it through to the break rounds, where they will compete to advance to the next rounds.

One of our debaters, Brendon Hope, has been excelling in SA Debating. His achievements include being placed among the top 18 debaters in the country and participating in the final selections for the Worlds Schools Debating Competition in Serbia in July. St David's looks forward to getting more exciting news about Brendon's achievements.

The Grade 8 Arts Exposure Programme is a project that exposes the Grade 8 boys to the variety of arts activities that St David's has on offer. After a range of demonstrations, boys select an activity that they commit to for the whole of their Grade 8 year. This year the programme added French, E-Sports, pottery, and friendly Chess to its line-up. These activities will culminate in several exciting showcases that we look forward to. The Choir programme has already facilitated participation in the Major Production for the boys as well as a collaboration with Roedean School, while the Drama participants will perform their One Act Plays at the Theatre on the Square in May.