Helderberg Sunrise Rotary sponsors computer room for Macassar school

Staff Reporter|Published 3 weeks ago

Back row, from left: Gail Sykes (HSRC), Georgia Simons (President of Parel Vallei High Interact Club); JoMostert (Past President of HSRC); JoAnn Apollis (Principal of Oklahoma Primary); Christiana Lee (Vice President of PV Interact Club); Elle Rautenbach (HSRC); Christelle Stemmet (HSRC); Dexter Fischer (Deputy Principal of Oklahoma Primary); Llewellyn Etson (Chairman of the SchoolGoverning Body): and Stanley Marais (ICT Service manager; and front, from left, Foundation Phase teachers Ms Louw and Ms Roberts; Garth Gibson and Carl-Heinz Duisberg (both from HSRC).

At the ribbon cutting ceremony, left, JoAnn Apollis, the Principal of Oklahoma Primary, and Jo Mostert, the Past President of HSRC.

Last Friday saw the official opening of the new Foundation Phase Computer Room at Oklahoma Street Primary School in Macassar.

This brand new "Fit for purpose" computer room has been sponsored by Helderberg Sunrise Rotary Club.

The Principal of Oklahoma Primary, JoAnn Apollis, welcomed everyone to the event, and made special mention of the long and rewarding partnership with Helderberg Sunrise over the past 14 years.

Garth Gibson, from Helderberg Sunrise - who headed up this project - gave an outline of the extent of the project and the main objectives.

Helderberg Sunrise Rotary has been involved with providing supplementary Literacy and Numeracy course material to Oklahoma Primary for the past 14 years.

“The high annual cost of the Brombacher Number Sense Numeracy workbooks meant that we had to try and find a more sustainable method going forward,” he said.

“The solution was to provide the pupils with an online version of the programme which would result in a substantial cost saving, yet still delivering the same results.

“A classroom was made available for conversion into a Computer Room - a great deal of work was needed from installing the necessary cabling, computer desks and painting to blinds, air-conditioning and the computers themselves,” he said.

The Rotary Interact Club of Parel Vallei High School painted a fantastic mural on the back wall which makes a huge difference to the ambience of the Computer Room.

Mr Gibson oversaw all of this, and with their Rotary partners - both local and international - the whole project came to fruition, not to mention much hard work.

Past-President of Helderberg Sunrise, Jo Mostert, highlighted the fact that “Helderberg Sunrise Rotary focus our efforts at uplifting our own community.

“Our partnership with Oklahoma has been a deeply rewarding one over the past 14 years, and was inspired by the words of Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who said 'Support literacy for all’.

“It is an effective, practical way to overcome our sad and divided past,” added Ms Mostert.

“Education is an evolving journey, and as the needs of learners grow, so must our support.”

Ms Mostert paid tribute to the incredible collaboration that made all this possible.

"Without the dedication of Rotary, our Club members, our generous sponsors - including the Carl Duisberg Foundation - the leadership and staff of Oklahoma Primary, and the Western Cape Education Department, this vision would not have become a reality.

“This computer room is more than just a space, it's a gateway to opportunity, knowledge and a brighter future - let's continue to build a world where every child has the tools they need to thrive.”

Stanley Marais, the ICT Service manager, gave an informative outline titled "Integrating technology into the curriculum".

The Chairman of the School Governing Body, Llewellyn Etson, thanked everyone involved in bringing this life-changing project to fruition.

The Principal, JoAnn Apollis, together with Ms Mostert, then presided over the Ribbon Cutting ceremony, after which everyone adjourned to the school staffroom for refreshments.