Pinelands High School unveils new school crest
5 March 2021
More than three years of work and consultation came to fruition with the unveiling of Pinelands High School’s new crest.
The crest depicts a book, the universal symbol of learning, a protea, the South African national flower, Table Mountain, the backdrop of the school, with a sunburst on top, symbolising light and hope for the future.
In an email to the school community, Principal Dave Campbell, said they believe that the new crest captures the spirit and values of the school.
The crest was unveiled in a video by the 2021 school leaders.
Representative Council of Learners (RCL) Chairperson, Bethany Toohey, recounted the process which started towards the end of 2017 when a group of learners raised concerns about problematic symbols in the school crest related to South Africa’s colonial past.
Connor Smith, Head Student for 2021, provided details about the crest design competition that was launched within the school community. Twenty-one designs were received from learners, staff and parents and three were shortlisted by the governing body. The designs were given to a professional design agency to refine to ensure consistency in the quality of the designs so that a fair comparison between them could be made.
During 2020, students and staff were invited to take part in a survey relating to these three designs. The results enabled the construction of a design brief for the agency to develop a new crest for discussion and consideration.
Zanele Guqa, Head Student for 2021, said the school’s new motto, Diversity, Eenheid and Ukukhula (Diversity, Unity and Growth), reflects the true values of the school in the three major languages in the region and school, English, Afrikaans and isiXhosa. “The new crest tells a story of growth, development and upward movement,” she said.
“We continue our commitment to be a school that models social justice and is aware of its role in wider society,” said Campbell thanking the school community for their part in making the transition possible.
The video of the unveiling is available here: https://youtu.be/RfT4ReHAaU4