Delta Primary celebrates 60th anniversary

Delta Primary School is celebrating 60 years of excellence in education with festivities throughout the year.

The school in Tambourine Street, Cafda Village, opened its doors in April of 1963 and was initially named Steenberg number four because it was the fourth school in the Retreat and Steenberg area.

Roleplayers at the time decided to change its name to Delta – the fourth letter of the Greek alphabet.

Principal Hilton Palanyandi, who has been leading the school since 2015, said Delta Primary has had its challenges over the years and started out with double shift classes to accommodate all the pupils who wanted to attend the school in the greater Steenberg and Retreat area.

Since then the school has achieved many feats under the leadership of principals such as Mr EW Adams, Mr W. van Beulen, Mr PA Engel, Mr JJ Geduld, Mr Y. Kader, Mr M. Henry, Mrs B Jacobs and Mr Deon John.

Mr Palanyani commended past staff and principals for their dedication to the ethos of the school and for laying a solid foundation over the past 60 years.

“I stand on the shoulders of giants who have taken the school’s motto ‘we strive forward’ and have been doing that since its humble beginnings in 1963. I am exceptionally proud to be the principal of a school that has evolved and grown to great heights.”

The school has a library, a kitchen that feeds the 637 pupils daily and was revamped in 2014.

“These are all the things we are celebrating and a wonderful foundation was laid and has served the community of Cafda in a troubling and challenging environment and we have pockets of excellence and are positive about the future of the school,” said Mr Palanyani.

Delta alumni Clive Jacobs, 60, praised the past and present staff of the school and said their commitment and hard work has produced upstanding members of the community.

“I am proud to have come from Delta and I am encouraging all past learners to come on board and help the school reach even greater heights.”

Mr Jacobs is on the planning committee for an event to raise funds for the school to open a computer and science laboratory which will be held later this month and encouraged all past pupils to support them.

“I feel that we have a responsibility to plough back and help the school achieve its goal to be able to enrich the current and future learners,” said Mr Jacobs.

Mr Palanyani said the event is part of a bigger plan to raise much needed funds for a world class computer and science lab, to extend their wi-fi coverage in the school, for the installation of solar panels, to construct a pupil waiting area, to extend the school’s food garden, to start a skills centre for youth development and for the construction of a mini stadium on the sportsfield.

The school will have a thanksgiving service for ex-staff members on Sunday September 17 and a Mr and Mrs Delta pageant on Saturday July 21 at the school hall from 11.30am. Tickets cost R20 per person and R10 for children and can be bought at the school.