Rector’s eNews 06: 19 February 2025

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As we move towards half term which starts tomorrow, we look back on one of the busiest periods of any year. It seems like many weeks ago that the new E Block boys arrived bearing their trunks and in slightly too large uniform to be greeted by the staff and their prefects. The weeks between then and now have been packed with activity: settling into new academic routines and contributing to the summer sports programme whilst, simultaneously, engaging with cultural pursuits and beginning to prepare for the winter sports season. Holistic education is the essence of the Michaelhouse offering and we strongly encourage boys to participate in cultural activities such as debating and music to complement their sport. It has also been good to see some boys with varied interests involved in bird-watching or fishing and doing so with such enjoyment.

Our Prize Giving (as opposed to our Speech Day which takes place at the end of the year) will be held later today. It is a retrospective view of the success of the boys over last year and, thus, is for the A to D Block boys and their parents. A feature of the Prize Giving is that there are awards for excellence, but also an equivalent number of prizes for diligence and improvement. We underline the importance of each boy setting his own goals and working towards them. Boys mature intellectually at different rates: some surge ahead at school and plateau at university and, for some, it is the other way around and, once they have found their niche after school, they excel.

Yesterday Michaelhouse hosted over 30 universities and colleges as part of the International Education Link Roadshow. Boys and students from visiting schools, had the opportunity to talk directly to representatives from top universities, medical schools and business colleges from around the world. Taking place in the Makan Centre and running from 16:00-18:30 students were able to drop in at a time that suited their busy schedules.

The universities highlights included:

• Trinity College Dublin (Ireland)
• University of Bristol (UK)
• Durham University (UK)
• iCLA (Japan)
• University of Manitoba (Canada)
• Cardiff University (UK)
• Haarlem University (Netherlands)

This exhibition forms part of regular visits from higher education institutions from South Africa and beyond throughout the course of the year. Of particular interest is that it is possible to follow a degree in, for example, medicine through the medium of English at a university such as Prague. The admission criteria there may not be as demanding as elsewhere.

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