Hillview High Rejuvenation project

Hillview High is a high school situated in Newlands East, Durban. This is a topic that is near and dear to me since this is the high school I attended as a little tot and have unbelievably fond memories. Both my parents also spent many years teaching at the school.The teachers were great, always giving of their time and the friends made are lasting a lifetime. I would really love to see comments from other ex-Hillview pupils and would love to see projects like this emanating from other schools.

Hillview Senior Secondary has been a name that has always been associated with high standards both academically and on the sports field. Since the opening of the school way back in 1986 the school has continually churned out young men and women, who have gone on to be leaders in the business and sporting community, both locally and internationally.

However, the current state of affairs at Hillview is not very pleasant based on my observations during a visit to the school in January. My impression was that the wheels were falling off. If it was not happening now, then it would definitely be the case in the not too distant future.

Why do I say so?

The infrastructure problems are plain to see i.e. the broken windows, peeling paint, the lighting systems that are not working and the overgrown bushes etc.

You also get a sense of apathy that must be prevailing amongst the learners, and this is evident in how they treat their surroundings.

We need to turns things around immediately. We need to involve all the stakeholders i.e. teachers, parents and pupils in a project to improve the conditions at the school. We can spend thousands of Rands on cosmetic changes and improvements, but these are bound to fail if we do not have a buy in from these stakeholders. Please remember that the school belongs to the community. They need to love it, care for it and have it ready for the next generation of learners to use.

Since the commencement of this project I have had various discussions with ex-pupils and I have received the following responses from them:

“Is anything being done or tried by the school to promote pride in the school.”

“It is hard –very hard helping people that can’t see the filth under their feet.”

“Does the school still have sporting clubs –soccer, hockey etc. bring them into the picture and you have numbers in the school.”

There are three points that stand out for me from these comments.

Firstly, the ex-pupils clearly have a sense of pride in Hillview Senior Secondary School which is lacking in the school at the moment; they have an awareness of their surroundings and the need to take care of it. Sport is common to creating teamwork with which to achieve your goals.

These philosophies I believe were the cornerstones on which Hillview Senior Secondary was built and success that has been achieved at the school. The school motto which is “Through hard work to the stars” optimises this. Do the hard work and reap the rewards that accompany it. The pupils from the 80’s and 90’s lived by this philosophy. Many have gone on to become successful members of society.

Sport was a key part of life at Hillview. We had many sporting heroes like Clive Daniels, Alan Yearwood, Delon Bengston, Alban Newman; to name but a few of our sporting heroes. They came from all the different sporting codes which were available at the school.

Hillview also produced artists such as Devante and TRO who were both revolutionary for their era and both gained SAMA awards. They also produced artists like Jae who are still performing and selling records today.
Hillview’s sporting achievements and achievements in general are innumerable to mention in the article. Practically everybody participated in some code of sport, and those who were on the sidelines supporting, may just as well have been on the sports field, such was their enthusiasm.

So the question remains as to how do we address the current situation? REJUVENATION!

One of the definitions of REJUVENATIONS in the English dictionary is:

“re-birth or to restore to the original condition”

What is rejuvenation all about?

Rejuvenation is a socio-community co-operative which achieves the common vision of community upliftment through:
• Stakeholder participation and integration
• Partnership creation
• Capacity building
• Sustainable interventions
• Proper governance and project management
• Providing platform for dialogue
What rejuvenation is NOT about?
• Donation programmes
• Supporting projects or programmes without management and delivery capacity to achieve sustainable results
• Handing out money on ad-hoc basis
• Funding projects not relevant to key priorities
Background to why the Rejuvenation project at Hillview Senior Secondary school
• Hillview needs to become an attractive place to learn, develop and grow.
• We need to cultivate vibrant socio-cultural environment within the school.
• A sustainable and effective infrastructure to support the two objectives mentioned before into the future
How do we manage such a challenge?
Good organizational structure is the key. We would need the following governance structure:
1. STAKEHOLDERS FORUM
Representing all Identified Stakeholders
2. STEERING COMMITTEE
At least one representative of each Stakeholder
3. PROJECT MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE
Voluntary structure representing Stakeholders and Community
4. PROJECT LEADERS
Corporate Participants/ Teachers/ Students

5. FREQUENCY OF MEETINGS
Monthly
6. CREATION OF A LEGAL ENTITY
Includes representatives of all stakeholders
Legal Entity – Trust
Board of Trustees
7. FUNDING
All projects must be linked to the Rejuvenation priorities and vision
Winston Churchill once said “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give”.

This is so true when I look at Hillview Senior Secondary as well as the greater Newlands East Community. Let us assist you to be the best you can be!

If you feel that you would like to be part of the “re-birth”, then you may contact me at a.malgas@osram.co.za or 082 777 6347. We also have a group set up on FACEBOOK which you are welcome to join. We are having a meet and greet in Durban on the 9th March 2008. Contact me if you require any details regarding the event.
In conclusion I would like to thank everybody who has shown a keen interest in this project thus far. And again to everybody else, come on board let’s give something back to Hillview and the greater Newlands East community.