Ploughing back in our former schools
Filed under: Family, Friendship, Community, How Zimbabwe can be better, I was just thinking
Many of our former primary and secondary schools, which were once vibrant and high-flying have gone into a great decline and have experienced extreme dilapidation. Visiting one’s former school, one is sure to get a rude shock and awakening by the sheer deterioration.
This makes one think of the importance of giving back to our former schools which actually provided our foundation as we were nurtured in our early academic lives. It was this foundation laid upon which we now have the sound knowledge that we have acquired as adults. I think it would be a noble thing to help our former primary and secondary schools in any way that we can, being in cash or in kind.
I love to reminisce about my primary school days and I thank God that I had such a wonderful childhood in such a beautiful school. At least it was beautiful then. I however do not think that the situation is still the same today in the year 2008, as so many negative changes have transpired, since the ‘good old days’ of the 1980’s, schools were a pleasant place to be for students and when families were much able to pay the government stipulated school fees and the school developmentlevy.
Many times I just close my eyes and go back in time to remember my primary school teachers and friends, who made such an impressionable impact upon my life. In the neighbourhood of a Harare suburb called Greendale, is a government school which was then and still is known as Courteney Selous Primary School, which had excellent learning and recreational facilities to aid child development, as well as a stimulating and challenging learning environment, within which a broad and balanced curriculum was effectively delivered.
The school head encouraged positive attitudes to learning so that each child was helped to realize his or her potential, respect between children, staff, parents and other adults involved in the life of the school was nurtured and social and cultural awareness within the school was extended with a commitment to provide equal opportunities for all students regardless of race, gender, religion and ability, both physical and mental.
Mrs. McPhee, the then headmistress of Courteney Selous School, ingrained in the students during those years that there wasn’t and never had been a school such as Courteney Selous Primary School. During assembly, she would make us repeat the words, “Courteney Selous Primary School is the best school in Harare.”
The other schools which are situated in that area and are built fairly close to Courteney Selous Primary School, but are not however in the Greendale school zone include, Greengrove Primary School, Chisipite Junior and Senior School, brother and sister high schools, Oriel Boys High School and Oriel Girls, Admiral Tait Primary School and Lewisam Primary School.
Courteney Selous Primary School, was named after a famous ‘White Hunter,’ named Frederick Courtney Selous, who featured prominently in early Rhodesian pioneer history. Courteney Selous Primary School, or C.S.S., as the school was also referred to, having been named after a great hunter, four wild animals were chosen as the school’s ‘houses’ and all students who enrolled at the school were grouped randomly, to a particular ‘house’ with which they would be identified with throughout the seven years of schooling. One represented one’s ‘house’ in sporting competitions and other school activities. In the school hall hung magnificent trophies of the four ‘houses’ nailed to the walls, being namely, the Sable whose house colour was green (I was in Sable house), Kudu house, whose house colour was yellow, Eland house, whose house colour was blue and Impala house, whose house colour was red.
A grade seven boy and girl were elected as house captains, and it was their duty to accept any awards bestowed to the house, such as the weekly award for the house with the best academic marks, on behalf of the students in that particular house as well as to lead the house in inter-house competitions.
Parents and guardians were more than welcomed into the school for formal and informal functions and many gave generously of their time to help in different ways. This was a positive influence on the school and on the education which it provided. I remember how parents came to help our teacher with swimming lessons, reading classes and art and craft, as well as with sporting activities.
The last assembly at the end of my grade seven year in 1988, remains imprinted upon my memory. We filed into the school hall as usual and took our positions according to our grades and our classes. I was a prefect and took my seat on the prefect’s chairs in line with the grade three class that I was in charge of. When the headmistress walked in, the students and teachers rose to their feet. The headmistress took her position behind the podium and motioned to the music teacher to begin playing the piano and the school burst into song and we sung a Christian hymn that we had practiced the Monday before for the last assembly of the third term.
Having concluded the hymn, we recited the school’s creed, which went as follows: “This is our school. Let peace abide her, Let this room be full of contentment, Let love abide here, Love of one another, Love of mankind, And love of life itself, Let us remember that as many hands build a house, So many hearts make a school …”
Then we sat down and it was time for the headmistress to give the farewell speech to the grade seven students, who would be advancing to form one, the following year. Mrs. MacPhee, who had always been concerned to extend children’s social and cultural awareness within the school, the community, and the world beyond, began by explaining the history of Courtney Selous Primary School and she elaborated on how the school had been built in one Frederick Courteney Selous’s hunting areas.
He was born on 31 December 1851 and died on 4 January 1917 and was a British explorer, hunter, and conservationist famous for his exploits in Southern Africa. Selous was also a good friend of Theodore Roosevelt and he had been born in London. It was his love for natural history that had led him to the resolve to study the ways of wild animals in their native haunts. Going to South Africa when he was nineteen, he travelled from the Cape of Good Hope to Matabeleland, reached early in 1872, and was granted permission by Lobengula to shoot game anywhere in his dominions. Following this introduction, she then went on to say:
“You are all a bunch of wild animals who have been captured by the great hunter, Frederick Courteney Selous, not into cruel captivity, but in order to nurture you so that you will grow to be well learned, well mannered, and professional wild animals. After seven years of carefully grooming you, Frederick Courteney Selous, will let you go free, into the wild as he would have equipped you to face the world head on, socially, mentally and spiritually. To the grade sevens leaving to go into the wild, remember what the great hunter taught you during the past seven years of your life. So your aim should be to portray the history and the tradition of Courteney Selous School, which should be reflected through your own life
To all the wild animals who are now marching into history, retain all the memories- good as well as bad, of the time you spent with Frederick Courteney Selous. It is part of your human story of you life and you must preserve it and be proud of the special time that you spent here these past seven years of your life.”
She then asked the students to rise to their feet and to sing the famous school closing song, “Lord Dismiss Us with Thy Blessing”. The meaningful words of this song, always permeated my heart as we sung them. On this occasion, I had tears streaming down my cheeks and so were most of the other grade seven girls. The boys, wanting to appear strong, had no tears, but they had a wistful look on their faces, that betrayed their sadness at leaving the great hunter school to go into the wild.
“Lord dismiss us with thy blessing, Thanks for mercies past received, Let thy Father Hand be shielding, All who here shall meet no more, May their Seed time past be yielding, Year by year a richer store, Pardon all their faults confessing, Time that’s lost may all retrieved, May thy children, may thy children Never again thy spirit grieve, Those returning, those returning, Make more faithful than before!” (Pardon me if the words to this song are less than correct and not in correct sequence - I last sung this song 20 years ago - so my memory of the song may be lapsing)
After the closing assembly, we returned to our classrooms to collect our school bags and to finally take leave of the ground of Frederick Courteney Selous or C.S.S. as the school’s name was shortened, for the last time. We hugged each other one last time as well as our teacher and off we went to the car park to be picked up by our awaiting parents.
The school colours are blue and white with the Blue signifying peace and tranquility. The girls uniform is a blue tunic with a white blouse. The school crest or logo is a lilac breasted roller bird the school motto, which is inscribed beneath the bird reads, “Without Fear, Without Reproach”. The Lilac Breasted Roller is 14.5 inches, it feeds on grasshoppers, beetles, occasionally lizards, crabs, and small amphibians and takes prey from the ground. Males and females are similar in appearance.
You will recall that a few years ago the Zimbabwe government proposed to effect name changes to schools bearing colonial names and to bestow them with more appropriate names of our own local heroes. To the best of my knowledge, up to this day, Courtney Selous Primary School, is still indeed called by that name. To all the former Courteney Selous Primary School students, you are challenged to plough back to your former school. Talk to the current headmistress, Mrs. Mugumbate, and let her know how you wish to appreciate your foundations.
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Eee zvako Memory, you are so right. Inini I had totally forgotten about my school, let alone primary school. I knew it was there and I have fond memories from both, but zvekuti I could help in any way was VERY far off.
Your article gets me thinking.