Fairmount High School pupils had the privilege of forming part of the Junior Guard of Honour at the 30th State of the Nation Address (SONA), outside the City Hall in Cape Town last Thursday, February 8.
They were joined by pupils from The Centre for Science and Technology, Mfuleni Technical School and Eros.
Their teacher, Hilton Meyer, who spearheaded the initiative, said the pupils were blown away by the order and discipline of the army, navy and marching bands, which were all part of the opening proceedings.
Mr Meyer said the pupils were selected from Grade 10, 11 and 12. “I asked educators to nominate learners that were willing, confident and self-motivated. They attended rehearsal on Wednesday February 7.”
Five of the Fairmount High pupils were chosen to be on the red-carpet to meet President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Mr Meyer said: “As an ex-learner of Fairmount it was my experience of a lifetime seeing it through the eyes of my learners. I am both humbled and super excited that this experience has influenced the trajectory of their journey.”
Terrance Klassen, former principal of Fairmount High, said: “Thanks to Mr Meyer, for making this historic occasion possible for our learners, school and community as the SONA is watched by the whole country and the International community.”
Ridewaan Salie, acting principal of Fairmount High, said: “I want to express my gratitude to the government education department for selecting Fairmount learners to be the guard of honour for SONA 2024. I’m extremely proud of our learners in the manner they diligently perform their duty as citizens of South Africa.”
Jodene Booysen, a Grade 10 pupil, said: “It was so amazing to be there because I saw the president and most of the people don’t get the opportunity to see him.”
Cloë Van Der Vendt, a Grade 12 pupil, said: “It was a great honour to attend the SONA. I am from the community of Parkwood, it’s very hard for people to believe that I actually got to see the president. People often think that only bad things come out of the community of Parkwood, but I clearly proved them wrong. It was such a great honour for me to have taken a picture with Cyril Ramaphosa’s bodyguard and that I could have been a part of this.”
Sharfaa Rajab, Grade 12,in said: “I had the most amazing time and I learned a lot. Seeing the president, watching the army match, hearing the 21 shots, it was all amazing. Listening to the Parliament workers, actually gave me a thought and some day, I would actually want to work there. Thank you so much for the experience, I had a great time.”