Author: L. Crankshaw

𝗔 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗻’𝘀 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗗𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁

A new face joins the Union staffroom this morning, although we have a feeling it won’t be long before 𝗠𝗿𝘀 𝗥𝗼𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲 𝗚𝗲𝗿𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 feels very much at home.

Today marks her first official day as 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗗𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 of Union High School’s Primary Department, as she steps into the role previously held by Mrs Yvette Cloete, who retired earlier this year.

𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝗠𝗿𝘀 𝗚𝗲𝗿𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗮 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. With nearly two decades in education behind her, two young children and a house already bought in Graaff-Reinet, she and her family are putting down roots here – 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘂𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗿𝗼𝗼𝘁𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗲 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗻.

An English specialist by training, she holds a B.Ed in Senior and Further Education and Training, as well as an Honours B.Ed in Teaching and Learning from North-West University, with English and Remedial Studies among her areas of specialisation.

𝗠𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆, 𝘀𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗗𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗮𝘁 𝗔𝗹𝗶𝘄𝗮𝗹 𝗡𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹, where her responsibilities stretched well beyond the English classroom to include Grade 12 leadership, staff matters, discipline, QMS coordination, moderation and examination work.

𝗛𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗿 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗻 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗯𝗹𝘆 𝗳𝘂𝗿𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗹𝗱. Before returning to South Africa, she taught in Kent in the United Kingdom and in South Korea, experiences which have added another dimension to an already varied career in education.

𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗺. Tennis and netball have long featured prominently. Mrs Gerrand represented Eastern Province in tennis and has continued to coach both sports during her teaching career. She has also been one of those teachers who becomes involved in the broader rhythm of school life – from productions and dances to learner activities and school functions.

𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘵 𝘜𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘭𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘧𝘢𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘴 𝘥𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘴.

Taking over a department from someone who has invested many years in it is no small thing. Mrs Cloete left behind a department she cared deeply about and Mrs Gerrand now has the opportunity to build on those foundations while gradually making the role her own.

𝗪𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗠𝗿𝘀 𝗚𝗲𝗿𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝗮𝗳𝗳-𝗥𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘁 and, particularly, to Union. We hope that today is the beginning of a long and very happy association with our school.

Welcome to Union, Mrs Gerrand

A very special shout-out to the Karoo 360 team!

Looking after 50 kids out in the Karoo for five days is no small undertaking. There are camps to set up, equipment to move, meals to prepare, water to organise and a hundred little things that need to happen behind the scenes to keep an Odyssey like this moving.

And this year, with all the rain we’ve had and the river coming down, there has been even more to think about.

𝗗𝗮𝘄𝗶𝗱 𝗱𝗲 𝗪𝗲𝘁, 𝗝𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗿𝗲𝘆 𝗝𝗮𝗽𝗵𝘁𝗮 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁𝗼 𝗧𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗹𝗮 have been such an important part of making it all work. In the lead-up to Odyssey, they helped us rethink and work out alternative walking routes where necessary because of the river and the wet conditions. And now that we’re out here, they’re carting equipment, helping set up camps, making sure there is fresh water, pitching in with meals and, quite simply, putting their hands to whatever needs doing.

So much of what they do happens quietly in the background, but it makes an enormous difference. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹, 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗺 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 – exactly the sort of people you want alongside you when Mother Nature decides to rewrite the plans!

Dawid, Jeffrey and Thato, 𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗡𝗞 𝗬𝗢𝗨. For the long hours, the willing hands, the problem-solving, the fresh water, the heavy lifting and all those little things that most people will never see, but without which Odyssey simply wouldn’t work.

𝘔𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘭𝘭, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘬𝘪𝘥𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘖𝘥𝘺𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘺 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘦 𝘥𝘰.

We’re only partway through the journey and we’re already incredibly grateful to have you out here with us.

In celebration of 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗔𝗿𝗯𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵, some of our senior boys rolled up their sleeves today to plant a beautiful white stinkwood tree near the Bruce Maree Gates.

The tree is one of our special 𝗧𝗿𝗲𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗙𝗲𝗲𝘀 trees, lovingly cultivated by Headmaster Mr William Pringle and will now take its place on the Union grounds – 𝘢 𝘴𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘤𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘮, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘬 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴.

Another term completed brings with it another opportunity to celebrate the hard work and achievements of our learners.

On behalf of all the educators and staff at @Union, we congratulate our 𝗧𝗢𝗣 𝟭𝟬 𝗔𝗖𝗔𝗗𝗘𝗠𝗜𝗖 𝗔𝗖𝗛𝗜𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗦 for Term 3.

𝘞𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘥𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘦𝘧𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘵. 𝘒𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘶𝘱 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬!