Good evening
Mr de Korte, Mrs de Korte, Mr and Mrs Harvey, honourable parents, staff, invited guests and, last but not least, you... the pupils of Camps Bay High School:
This passage is taken from Alice in Wonderland:
“Would you please tell me which way I ought to walk from here?”, asked Alice.
“That depends a good deal on where you want to get to”, said the cat.
“I don’t much care where”, said Alice.
“Then it doesn’t matter which way to walk”, replied the cat.
This passage depicts the fact that we are young and at a crossroads, we don’t know what it is exactly that we want or perhaps which direction to go in. After school, we are unsure of which road we will take and where it will take us to. Will we succeed? Will we fail? Will we be passionate about our choice, will we be disappointed about our choice?
What lies ahead of us?
Nelson Mandela once said: “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”
Camps Bay High School has truly given all of us this powerful weapon, to reach our goals and pursue our dreams. We are privileged enough to have had such a caring family behind us, to catch us when we fall, to help us choose the correct path, which will, hopefully with our commitment, lead us all to greatness.
For me, from farm playgroups to pre-school in Darling, to a Jewish day school in the City Bowl, to a Christelikke privaat skool in Malmesbury.
I think my mother took me to every open day from the Southern Suburbs, Wellington, Paarl to Stellenbosch and finally… I walked in to Camps Bay High School and i knew from that moment that I was home.
Camps Bay High School accepts each and every type of person; it caters to each individual’s need. It's up to you to seize the opportunity.
I have never been in such a diverse and nurturing school. My heart warms with pride and passion when I think about how incredibly lucky each and every single one of us are to be part of the proudly Camps Bay family.
Maya Angelou once said “It is time for parents to teach young people early on that in diversity there is beauty and there is strength.”
We are all different and, thanks to our parents, we can think for ourselves and we can get along with all types of people. We have our parents, grandparents and friends who support us, they are prepared to endure the cold while watching us play our winter sports and they bring us sandwiches between school and extra dance lessons! Thank you to all the parents who have lifted, encouraged and supported us, and thank you for having given us the opportunity to come to CBHS.
Thank you to the Principal and teachers for being our second parents. You have helped shape who we are and thank you for all of the time and energy that you have invested in us to help shape who we are as athletes, artists and intellectual individuals. Some of whom have given up family time to accompany us on tours, sometimes even during their holidays. We deeply appreciate you and THANK YOU!
Thank you to the support staff, administrative, ground staff, security and caretakers, your tremendous efforts don’t go unnoticed. The school day would not function as smoothly without all your tremendous deeds and actions. You create comfort and security and we can’t thank you enough for that.
So, whether you have four days left at CBHS or five years, make the most out of your time here, because its the most special place on earth. Fill your life's book with many amazing experiences by taking part, being friendly, honest, trustworthy and remember to always smile.
On that note I would like to leave you with one last quote from Dr Seuss...
“Be who you are and say how you feel, because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.”
Thank you
Alexia Abramson
Outgoing Head Prefect of 2015
