RAISING TOMORROWS LEADERS tsEsT FOR HIS GLOR OPGE Annual Report 2023 ## **January** - [Started the year with 74 students. ] - [Prize giving for academic and sports awarded for 2022 achievements. ] - [Parents day, where all parents/guardians were invited to come meet their child's teachers and ] coaches, and hear about our goals and plans for GRA for 2023. - [New intern joined our team and will be with us until June 2023. ] ## **February** - Finalised our Senior Girls Netball trip to Northern Ireland. - Senior girls netball teams flights booked and VISA’s acquired. ## **March** - [Received R200 000 from Mergon Trust (approximately £8800). ] - [Senior girls netball team traveled to Northern Ireland. Played 11 netball matches and won all 11 ] games. - [Started fundraising for a new and bigger bus to accommodate our growing school. ] - [Started a Just Giving page to fundraise for our bus. Raised £6 000 on the page from a number ] of donors. Received two generous donations, one £30 0000 and the other £17 0000 which was raised while on tour in Northern Ireland. ## **April** - [Purchased our “new” school bus. ] - [Three boys teams traveled to Wynberg Boys Soccer Tournament in Cape Town. Our u/15 and ] u/17 boys teams walked away champions while our u/19’s won the plate final. - [Eden ladies netball league commenced. ] - [Received a further R200 000 from Mergon Trust. ] ## **May** - [Launched a new internship initiative. Four GRA grade 12 students were selected and offered an ] opportunity to join our team for a 1 year internship. They will work in different capacities at school, complete leadership courses, join weekly youth clubs, discipleship, complete their CrossFit certificate as well as serve and help with sport and training. We want this to be a valuable year for our interns where they grow spiritually, grow in confidence and enter the working world, or attend university, with a better understanding of what field they want to be in. - [Created an exit strategy for school leavers. Talked to each student about their future and plans ] when they leave school. Helped them with paperwork to apply for bursaries and universities. - [Grade 12’s wrote NBT (National Benchmark Tests) test necessary for all students applying to ] Universities in South Africa ## **June** - [Girls day 2023 - Be brave. Had an incredible weekend with the girls, serving and ministering to ] them. - [Our senior boys completed their Man Made Course. ] - [Held mid year examinations and completed the second semester of academics. ] - [New intern joined our team and will be with us until September. ] ## **July** - [Exodus team from the Presbyterian Church in Northern Ireland arrived and served and ] ministered to the students. - [Grade 8 and 9 students had a youth camp with the Exodus team. ] - [Mid year update goes out to our Business for Blessing partners. ] - [Our Principal, Caroline Struwig moved back to Northern Ireland with her family. Ms Mary Mc ] Collum stepped in as interim principal. - [Celebrated our grade 12 students with our first Matric Farewell. ] - [Wayne McAfee travelled to the US to establish new partnerships. ] - [Met with Bishop Bret Fuller, from Grace Covenant Church, who committed $25 000 and wants ] to establish a long term partnership. Wayne also traveled to Orlando World Outreach Church and met with Pastor Tim Johnson and his team. He met with Every Nation New York team and is building a relationship with Nathan Lewis. ## **August** - [Our u/16 boys team won the plate final at the Saint Andrews Grahamstown Soccer ] Tournament. - [Grade 11s completed three days of job shadowing. It was an incredibly insightful and valuable ] experience for all of them. - [Bob & Berts Run the Race Series had two runs this year. Our North Coast run was the biggest ] we have had to date with over 800 runners. Also had a North Down 10km. Combined they raised a total of £19 000. ## **September** - [First round of GRA’s Academy Cup. ] - [Received £6000 funding from Souter Charitable Trust for stationary. ] - [New Principal, Hendri Swanepoel, signed on and will be joining our team in January 2024. ] - [Mary Mc Collum will now move to the newly created role of Vice Principal staring January 2024. ] - [School outing to Red Berry Farm. ] - [Hannebeth Witteaker, from Grace Covenant Church, in the US, travelled to George to come see ] our school and meet the students. She spoke at assembly, ministered to student and met our staff. She came to finalise a mission team coming from their church to GRA in 2024. ## **October** - [Second round of Academy Cup where 15 students were selected to make up the intake of ] grade 8 students for 2024. - [Senior boys soccer team become the Grey College Bowl Winners. ] - [Pastor Charles and Pam Heath from Orlando church in the States travelled to George to ] - discuss a long term partnership. Ministered to the students, the staff and toured our school. - •[Grade 12’s final GRA assembly. School leadership elected for 2023. Headboy/Girl, Deputies ] and Prefects. ## **November** - [All GRA students start exams. ] - [Top Merit earners announced for 2023. The students with the most merits in each grade ] awarded a trophy and prize. - [Orientation day for 2023’s grade 8 students and their parents. ] - [Grade 12 students write their final exams. ] - [Our biggest annual fundraiser. Strictly Come Dancing, took place on 11 November and raised ] R715 000 (£32 000) ## **December** - [GRA students finish end of year exams. ] - [End of year activities with students 5-6th December. ] - [School starts 17 January 2024. ] - [Calvin and Chloe Craig from Northern Ireland will be joining our team in January ]