Community outreach
The school motto Facta non verba – Deeds not words – runs like a golden thread through every Collegiate learner, and we encourage them to take part enthusiastically in a range of charity and service endeavours. We believe in the importance of preparing learners to contribute positively to the communities around them.
“Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.” – Archbishop Desmond Tutu
Giving back to the community allows learners to make connections beyond the school. Engagement with others broadens learners’ perspectives as they learn from those whose backgrounds and lived experiences differ from their own. Spending time working in the local community has a direct positive effect on learners, emphasising the benefits of collaboration.
The aim is to nurture learners’ compassion and generosity of spirit, instilling an awareness of our duty to others that will remain with them as they progress into life beyond Collegiate.
The school’s charity and outreach projects include:
- Our Interact club gets involved with various service initiatives, from visiting local old-age homes, to helping daycare centres and renovating a local school’s library to enable learners to experience the power of reading
- Collegiate has five houses, each of which supports a charity
- The 67 Blankets project sees learners knit or crochet squares, which are then sewn together into blankets that are distributed to various charities in and around Gqeberha on Mandela Day
- At our annual Charity Bazaar, which takes place in August, learners use their entrepreneurial skills to sell various products, the proceeds of which are donated to Christmas Cheer
- Our Community Engagement Prefects use projects like soup kitchens to broaden learners’ perspectives of the communities around them, while tutoring at St James Secondary School gives the learners an awareness of our duty to others
The tradition of carols is deeply embedded in the DNA of Collegiate and rooted in our motto, Facta non verba. Our first carols service took place in the Stevenson Hall of the old school building in Bird Street on the last day of the final term in 1913. At the carols service, audience members are treated to a fun evening of festive carols as both schools, Collegiate Junior School for Girls and Collegiate Girls’ High School, and their respective music departments combine to raise funds for the Community Chest NPO. Learners not involved in carols take part in other fundraising projects.
“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” – Mahatma Gandhi
War Memorial Statue:
The War Memorial commemorates women’s work in the Great War of 1914-1918. The marble statue was sculpted by the assistant Art master at the Port Elizabeth School of Art. The statue depicts a woman in the uniform of the VAD (Voluntary Aid Detachment). The Lamp of Service demonstrates the willingness of women to carry out any duty required while at war. Over time, the statue became a memorial to all those who gave their lives in the performance of their duty, in any war. The Memorial was moved from the old school and now stands in the bottom corridor facing the quadrangle.
