67 66 The Chronicle 2021 Centenary Edition Life Sciences Despite the challenges we all faced in 2021, there was an overwhelming sense of positivity and an underlying determination to achieve the best possible results. As such, there was a definite focus on academic progress, which was certainly helped by the boys enjoying what they were doing and making the most of all their opportunities. The Grade 12s must be commended on their excellent work ethic and enthusiasm for the subject. They worked with calm focus, managing the switch between all three teaching models without fuss and, as a result, achieved great results all the way through. They had the opportunity to complete several practicals in the laboratory, as well as consolidating their academic progress. The department continues to focus on delivering lessons in innovative ways that enhance learning and maintain interest in the subject. We strive to include many real-life examples in our teaching as well as working to facilitate the discussion of valid, varied and interesting topics relating to the curriculum. The department’s success has only been possible through a massive team effort, with Mr Kyle Eysele, Mr Keagan Deponselle and Mrs Thaloshney Pelzer providing invaluable assistance. Mr Dougan Macdonald HOD Life Sciences Mathematics Summary comment on IEB results: Please refer to the academic review introduction. We are proud of our Olympiad achievements. Problem-solving, and an approach to problem-solving, is very much about taught ability and attitude and is something we address in our day-to-day teaching and the enrichment programmes on offer. SA Mathematics Olympiad results All our boys wrote the first round of the SA Mathematics Olympiad on 11 March, with 190 boys progressing to the second round. Our boys performed extremely well. Top Achievers Per Grade (Round 1) Grade 8: Joel Steyn 90% Grade 9: Woojae Lee 95% Grade 10: James Engelbrecht 95% Grade 11: Javashkaar Naidoo 95% Grade 12: Ethan Barrett 90% Our Round 2 results were equally spectacular! Based on these results students are ranked provincially. Eighteen Kearsney boys gained representation on the Provincial Honours list (top 100 students in KZN): Junior (Grade 8 & 9) Daniel Bothma; Hayden Dunsdon; Rehan Khan; Woojae Lee; Jack White Senior (Grades 10 to 12) Ethan Barrett; Gabe Delport; Marnus du Toit; James Engelbrecht; Ben Field; Ethan Groom; Matthew Jacobs; Dylan Jewitt; Kavi Jogi; Jack Murray; Javashkaar Naidoo; Kieran Pearton; Michael Smith In addition, Jack White (Grade 9) is congratulated for placing in the top 100 students nationally. He was the top performing student in KZN with a Round 2 Olympiad result of 94%! (Pictured below). Kearsney was awarded Top Performing Olympiad School in KZN for the second year in succession. We congratulate the staff for their training and all the boys for their participation and wonderful achievements. Unfortunately, we had to say goodbye to two staff members. At the end of the Term 2 term we bid farewell to Mr Marco Botha after 18,5 years of exceptional service at Kearsney, in particular in the mathematics department. Mr Botha will always be remembered for his positivity, his investment in boys, the significance he placed on forming strong relationships and for embracing holistic education. He served as a moderator of Mathematics Paper 1 for many years. Mr Botha was replaced by Mr Pierre Le Roux, who joined us from St Stithians College. We welcome him to our department. Finally, we bid farewell to Mr Etienne Grundling after 13 years of excellent service at the College as he leaves for a promotion post as HOD Mathematics. Mr Grundling is a techno geek and master maths teacher, so it is no surprise that his lessons are filled with lots of excitement, IT ‘gadgets’ and maths games. Mr Grundling is a champion of the underdog. As Grade 10 Head of Grade he was always available, invested in the wellbeing of the boys and involved. His passion, attention to detail and willingness to assist and contribute will be sorely missed. Mrs Hotz, who has worked at Kearsney in a part-time capacity since 2017, has been appointed full-time to replace Mr Grundling. Mrs Hotz taught juniors for several years and more recently spearheaded AP Mathematics in Grade 10 and 11. We are delighted with this appointment and wish her well. Marc Ancillotti HOD Mathematics Physical Sciences As a department, we aimed to minimise the impact of the challenges of 2021 on the Science pupils in our classes. We have learnt to be adaptable, frequently changing plans to continue delivering quality lessons whether online, face-to-face or a hybrid mixture of both. One of the goals we set at the beginning of the year was to make videos of every topic for every Grade. These videos were uploaded to SharePoint to complement the workbooks which we have written for each Grade. Not only are the videos valuable for boys who have missed lessons, but they are also a useful revision aid to assist boys in their test and examination preparation. We overcame the restrictions imposed by socially distanced practical work and managed to conduct meaningful hands-on experiments with pupils in all Grades. In addition, we recorded videos of certain experiments so that pupils who are isolating at home are still able to record and analyse data. There is no doubt that we have all felt the pressure this year, not only the timeconsuming nature of a hybrid teaching model but even more so the emotional heartache of witnessing those in our care suffer through traumatic personal loss. As a department we remain supportive of one another and continue to work well together. My sincere thanks go to Mr Steve Main, Mr Bruce Thompson, Mr Gareth Moerdyk, and Mrs Tilly Kistensamy for their professionalism and exceptional work ethic. Mrs Sue Murray HOD Science Mathematics and Sciences Jack White (Grade 9) Maths HOD, Mr Ancillotti shows Kearsney’s award for placing 1st in KZN in the SA Mathematics Olympiad - the second consecutive year this was achieved. Grade 11 pupils working on specialised equipment in the Science computer lab
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