The school, ranging from Grade 1 through to Teacher and Ministerial Training, grew to where, in the mid-1950’s, Pastor CC Marias began dreaming of a “Greater Good Hope” that would be located in the rural farmlands of the Cape.
This resulted in Good Hope Training School moving to the farm, Vorentoe, in Kuils River at the beginning of 1963. Its first principal was Ps G Coetzee. The school started with just over 90 pupils, ranging from Grade 5 through to the Teacher and Ministerial diploma programmes.
The School, with its farm, slowly expanded to where the enrolment grew to well over 300 students, with many of them travelling from Durban, Johannesburg, East London, Port Elizabeth and further afield to obtain a Seventh-day Adventist Christian Education.
Initially consisting of a four-classroom double story block, the current boy’s dorm, the dining room with the two adjoining worship rooms, the plant expanded rapidly:
- 1964 Four additional classrooms and offices
- 1966 The “Admin Block” housing the business office
- 1968 The Cyril Bender Hall College and Library Block
- 1969 Girls Dorm
- 1969 A J Raitt Hall
Other buildings that followed were the woodwork block, the science building, and the primary school.
When the Theology section of the College was amalgamated with Helderberg College from the beginning of 1975, the school went through a transition to where, by 1982, it was changed to a high school. The primary school had also been under separate management since the early 70’s.
Over the years, beginning with Mr G Jordaan, the College – and now the High School – built up a reputation of excellent choirs that have won many awards and accolades at numerous eisteddfods.
Other choir directors have been Mr R Petersen, Aunty Dawn Smith, Dr G T du Preez and, currently, Mr R de Buys.
The principals at the school down through the years have been:
- G Coetzee
- J Smith
- A J Raitt
- W Murray
- W Hurlow
- C Lawrence
- I Petersen
- K Langenhoven
- B Parkerson
- R Links
- P Plaatjes
Dr I F du Preez, long-serving Registrar, Academic Dean and Director of Teacher Training, is well remembered for his gentle nature and his personal interest in each of the students.
He was responsible for establishing the Primary School and served as its first principal, while carrying his other responsibilities at the College.
Today Good Hope High School maintains a reputation of being a values-based, Christian school where everyone feels like “family” and where students can truly develop into individuals who learn the joy of service in this life and the greater joy of wider service in the world to come.
Today, the High School has a staff complement of 20 educators, an administrative staff of 6 and auxiliary staff of 7 and 354 learners.
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Dr GT du Preez
SAU
Education Director
