This year marks the end of an era as South Peninsula High principal Zeid Baker, 60, and secretary Joan Bezuidenhout, 65, bid farewell to the institution they’ve called home for decades.
Together the two stalwarts leave behind an impressive combined legacy of 69 years in education.
Mr Baker’s journey with SP began in 1978, when he walked through its gates as a pupil during a turbulent time marked by the 1980s anti-apartheid uprisings.
"The learners took on the State during those years," he recalls. "That was part of my high school experience, and it shaped my understanding of resilience and the power of community."
After catching his teaching degree at the University of Cape Town, Baker applied to several schools, but it was the SP that offered him his first post.
"I started teaching Science in 1988. Walking into the school as a teacher and being welcomed by the very mentors I looked up to was a profound moment," he says.
Baker quickly rose through the ranks, becoming Head of Department in 1994, Deputy Principal in 1998, and eventually Principal in 2017.
Over the years, he has cherished the "light bulb moments" when learners grasped complex concepts: "Seeing our learners succeed at tertiary levels and make a success of their lives is the ultimate reward," he adds.
Mr Baker says he wouldn’t change his 37-year journey at SP “for anything”.
Ms Bezuidenhout’s tenure at South Peninsula High began in the 1980s when she joined as an administrative assistant under then palie Mr. Moerat.
She has served three principals, including Mr Baker, who she first met as a Standard 9 learner.
She adds: "This place is like a family. I got married here, had my kids while working here, and grew up here from the age of 18."
tracy-lynn.ruiters@inl.co.za