The High School Begins

A significant milestone in the history of Calvary Christian College came when our learners were given the opportunity to continue their education beyond Grade 7 and progress into our very own high school. Teachers were appointed, preparations were made, and our high school journey began.

We made the intentional decision to grow the high school one grade at a time. This allowed us to learn, adapt and develop alongside our learners as the school grew.

On the first day of school in 2006, our very first Grade 8 learners arrived proudly dressed in their new uniforms. Coming from different schools and backgrounds, they quickly began forming strong friendships and becoming a unified group. Their first day included an exciting team-building experience that ended with a memorable and rather spectacular mud fight!

We were truly blessed with an incredible group of young people, and this marked the beginning of an exciting new chapter for Calvary Christian College. Our high school was officially up and running, creating a pathway for learners to continue their educational journey within our Christian school community.

We Buy a Night Club

Our neighbours, adjacent to the school on the north side, ran a night club with up to 2,000 people attending every weekend. After much prayer, the property was offered for sale, and we purchased it. This was a significant breakthrough, ending disturbances and expanding our facilities.

That same year, Transnet announced plans for a multi-product pipeline passing behind the school. We became coordinators for the area, engaging neighbours and officials to protect our environment and community. Transnet redirected the pipeline from behind the school to run under the road in front of the school. The project was set to be completed in time for the World Cup in 2010.

We also settled our debt with the owner of the high school property we had purchased. Over breakfast, the man we purchased the property from shared how our faithfulness in repaying our debt had led him, his sons, and his daughter to know the Lord. Later, he became an elder in his church. Truly, But God… His plans are bigger than ours.

Our 25th Anniversary

We celebrated 25 years of God’s faithfulness in 2011. We rejoiced in His provision and acknowledged that He had done far more than we ever could. He was our God, always working behind the scenes, quietly revealing Himself in the most astonishing ways. Every difficult situation we faced, there was always a "but God."

We redesigned our school badge to include a laurel wreath. We also achieved a 100% matric pass.

Government Corruption Frustrates Growth

Another important chapter in the history of Calvary Christian College began as we felt ready to move forward with plans to develop our high school property.

Our Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) with the Gauteng Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (GDARD) had begun in 2008. However, the process was delayed for several years amid what the school describes as corruption within the department, making progress toward developing the property particularly challenging.

Despite these delays, the school continued to grow steadily, both in the primary school and high school. Once again, our matric learners achieved a 100% pass rate, marking another significant achievement in the school's journey.

Our outreach ministry also continued to expand. One major outreach took place at Elethu Themba High School, where approximately 600 learners received clothing and had the opportunity to hear the Gospel.

Through every challenge and every opportunity, provision continued to come when it was needed. Looking back at this period in the history of Calvary Christian College, we can see God's faithfulness throughout the journey.

But God…

Struggles and Rewards

This was another year in which we achieved a 100% matric pass. We started taking our learners on outreaches using song and dance to reach other children. One of these outreaches was to Orange Farm. We hired buses and 120 learners ministered in open-air events.

We faced a massive municipal water bill due to estimated readings. The attitude of the municipality was that they would only investigate if the bill was first paid in full. We refused and after a long and protracted process the amount was reversed. We had trusted God and He overcame. There is always a "but God."

Breakthrough Begins

Calvary Christian College History

After eight years of delays, another significant milestone in the history of Calvary Christian College was reached when the Gauteng Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (GDARD) finally authorised us to proceed with the necessary municipal approvals for the development of the high school property.

To guide us through this process, we appointed a Town Planner who assisted with obtaining the required approvals and moving the development plans forward.

At the same time, our high school continued to achieve excellent academic results, with our learners achieving their sixth consecutive 100% matric pass rate. Another important milestone was reached when a dedicated high school principal was appointed, establishing separate leadership for the primary and high school. This marked an exciting new stage in the growth and development of Calvary Christian College.

The church community was also growing and developing during this time, with the formation of a worship band adding a new dimension to our church services and ministry.

It was another season of growth, progress and new beginnings in the history of Calvary Christian College.

A new concept of showing content in you

The Light Dawns

Together with other churches, we distributed nearly 500 solar jars in Jackson Drift, an informal settlement near us — proclaiming Jesus as the Light of the World.

The school broke through the 400-learner barrier. Bursaries were introduced, including the "Golden Laurel Wreath" bursaries for academics and the "Deon van Schoor Legacy" awards, which recognise learners who are readers.

The eldership began separating church and school facilities, acquiring a new property debt-free. This property, Falcon Crest, would also become our school leadership training facility.

As a church, we also released some of our leaders to Tanzania to assist local churches.

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Years of Consolidation

Despite continued delays in obtaining the necessary municipal approvals, Calvary Christian College remained steady and continued to grow in strength. The school stabilised at approximately 400 learners, while maintaining its impressive 100% matric pass rate.

This period was another important part of the history of Calvary Christian College, demonstrating the school's continued commitment to academic excellence and the consistent progress of its learners, even while development plans faced ongoing delays.

Highlights during this period included:

• "Calvary’s Got Talent" events.
• Construction of a Futsal soccer court. Supersports helped with coaching.
• We continued our outreaches into Jacksons Drift with blanket drives and soccer support.

We were still busy with the approvals we needed, but the Town Planner was dragging his heels.

COVID Changes Everything

Lockdown forced a shift from classroom teaching to online platforms. This required a major shift in thinking for our learners, but they negotiated the change well. Unfortunately, we lost one primary school learner to COVID. We also purchased two park homes which were converted into classrooms for the high school.

Despite challenges, the school achieved another 100% matric pass rate.

The church adapted to online services, while house churches met via Zoom or in person where possible. Losses during this time were deeply felt, but God sustained His people.

Our 35th Anniversary

Calvary Christian College History

Another meaningful milestone in the history of Calvary Christian College was the celebration of 35 years of God's faithfulness. Throughout this journey, our commitment to serving our community continued through various outreach initiatives, including blanket and Easter egg drives.

One particularly meaningful initiative began when a high school learner took the lead in organising a sanitary pad drive for matric girls at Elethu Themba High School. Recognising the challenges faced by young women who may miss school due to a lack of access to menstrual products, the initiative aimed to ensure that no learner would have to miss her matric examinations because of her menstrual cycle.

This learner-led project became a powerful example of compassion in action and demonstrated how our learners themselves can make a meaningful difference in the lives of others.

As we look back on the history of Calvary Christian College, moments like these reflect not only our academic journey, but also our commitment to developing young people who care for others and live out their Christian values through practical service.

Some reflections on our 35th anniversary:

• God is faithful.
• God provides.
• God leads.
• God is not finished with us yet.

Some Things Change But Some Things Don’t

We moved on quickly from the COVID pandemic of 2020/21. We can scarcely remember what it was like during lockdown because time just flew by. We were suddenly propelled into a future where so much was different and yet so much hadn’t changed.

Some learners were finding it difficult to make the transition to online education and didn’t grasp that this was the future of education. Studying online was never the issue but rather the lack of self-discipline, self-motivation, and diligence in studying. Learners needed to embrace the change.

On the other hand, God made people interact socially — this is a basic fact of life. We are social beings. We discover ourselves in our relationships with others. As we left 2022 behind and went into 2023, God gave us wisdom to know what to leave behind and what to take with us into the future.

This was also the year we welcomed Pastor Sandile to the Calvary staff and when the contract between Calvary Christian College and Keswa Construction was signed for the building of the new high school.

A Year of Great Achievement and Great Disappointment

Another significant year in the history of Calvary Christian College brought another outstanding academic achievement, with our matric learners achieving a 100% IEB pass rate. Academic excellence continued to be one of the hallmarks of our high school, while learners also had opportunities to develop their skills and talents beyond the classroom.

Our first high school Inter-Schools Futsal Tournament was launched and proved to be a tremendous success, adding an exciting new sporting event to the school calendar.

This was also the year that Keswa Construction began building our new high school. The project was originally scheduled for completion by the end of the year, but various challenges, including delays and adverse weather conditions, affected the construction timeline. As a result, the completion date was moved to the end of the first term of 2024.

School life continued to be filled with enriching experiences outside the classroom. Learners visited the SAA Technical Centre, attended theatre productions, took part in a Geography outing to the Bush Trail in Magaliesberg, explored Soweto on the Red Bus tour, welcomed representatives from the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants, and enjoyed a school camp at the Warthog Inn near Brits.

Our regular activities also continued, including soccer, netball, public speaking, chess and the Endemic Science Fair. From academics and sport to cultural activities and educational experiences, our learners continued to embrace every opportunity available to them.

Looking back at this chapter in the history of Calvary Christian College, we are grateful for the many achievements, experiences and opportunities that shaped our learners. Through every success and every challenge, we were reminded of God's faithfulness.

The Good Always Outweighs the Bad

Our principal Mrs Potgieter left at the beginning of 2024 and Mr Barkhuizen took over as principal. We were anticipating moving the high school learners into the new high school buildings. In anticipation of this, we appointed Mrs Thomas to lead the primary school.

Sadly, Mr Keswa, the builder, did not finish the construction of the buildings as promised, and the Building Control Section of the municipality closed the site down until all the necessary approvals had been obtained. He had also issued us with various fraudulent approvals. This meant that we would have to start the approval process all over again and lay out money for new surveys and reports.

Some of the good moments:

• We had a great group of leaders and matrics this year. They certainly managed to increase the participation of learners in our various school activities. This was when the chant of "Pride, Passion and Participation" rang out.
• We achieved remarkable results in various Olympiads; certain learners came within the top candidates on a district level or won the Olympiads.
• Our outreaches to St Mary’s Home, the Randvaal Old Age Home, and the Door of Hope created compassion in our learners. We also collected cans of food for the men living in shelters behind the Booysens courts and for the Family Care Ministry.
• Our annual pad drive for Elethu Themba High School continued.
• Our second Endemic Science Fair was a massive success, drawing participation from 12 schools.
• Our second Inter High School Futsal Tournament and first Inter Primary School Futsal Tournament were huge successes.
• We extended our leadership training to include grade 9’s, making Calvary uniquely positioned to offer a stable leadership base for prefects, monitors, and guardians.
• Our matrics added to our proud tradition by obtaining a 100% IEB pass rate for the past 15 years.

We Keep Moving Forward

Describing the culture at Calvary Christian College is not easy, but at its heart is a Christocentric, leadership-focused and values-driven environment where learners are encouraged to grow academically, personally and spiritually. For many years, this culture has been built on our vision, mission and pledge, supported by strong leadership training, academic excellence and firm discipline.

Another chapter in the history of Calvary Christian College brought further challenges to the development of our high school property. New studies were required to be undertaken, making the process both costly and time-consuming. Despite the delays, we continued to move forward and were once again making progress towards our goal.

The school also became increasingly involved in sporting activities within our district. The hill behind the new high school began being used for cross-country events, and we had the opportunity to host four inter-high events. As a school participating in these events for the first time, our learners performed exceptionally well.

Our sporting programme continued to expand, with our first soccer team beginning to play home and away fixtures against Rustenburg Educational College. These opportunities gave our learners valuable experience both on and off the field.

We were also blessed with an outstanding group of prefects who demonstrated leadership and responsibility throughout the year. Once again, our matric learners achieved a 100% IEB pass rate, continuing a remarkable tradition of academic excellence.

As we look back on this chapter in the history of Calvary Christian College, we continue to press forward with faith, knowing that challenges may come, but trusting that there is always a "But God" moment around the corner when we remain focused and faithful.

Our 40th Year of Developing Future Leaders of Integrity

This year certainly started off with many new initiatives:

• The decision was made to move the entire primary school to the Independent Examination Board (IEB) for its assessments.
• We redesigned all the badges for the primary and high schools, which were well received by all.
• The primary school now wears blazers from grade 4 onwards.
• We took the grade 7’s down to primary school again and aligned the school with other public and private schools.
• Mr Barkhuizen, our principal, introduced new lapel shields as leadership badges and pins for other activities, instilling a more intense competitive environment.
• Four of the district inter high school cross country events have once again taken place at Calvary. We hosted 17 schools for the first event, and our junior boys finished first on the log.
• We have just finished resurfacing our school netball court and will tackle the high school netball court soon.