Chisipite Junior School is an

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

, preparatory, day school for girls in

Harare Harare (; formerly Salisbury ) is the capital and most populous city of Zimbabwe. The city proper has an area of 940 km2 (371 mi2) and a population of 2.12 million in the 2012 census and an estimated 3.12 million in its metropolitan ...

Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozam ...

. The school was founded in 1929 by Maisie Jenkinson as a small farm school. Chisipite Junior School is a member of the

Association of Trust Schools The Association of Trust Schools (ATS) is an organisation of independent primary and secondary schools in Zimbabwe that was founded in 1962. Each of these schools are run by their own Board of Governors and are not for profit entities. The Heads ...

(ATS) and the Head is a member of the

Conference of Heads of Independent Schools in Zimbabwe A conference is a meeting of two or more experts to discuss and exchange opinions or new information about a particular topic. Conferences can be used as a form of group decision-making, although discussion, not always decisions, are the main p ...

(CHISZ).

History

In Salisbury, Southern Rhodesia (now

) a land surveyor named Mr. Jenkinson bought a farm for his retirement and named it "Chisipite", a

Shona Shona often refers to: * Shona people, a Southern African people * Shona language, a Bantu language spoken by Shona people today Shona may also refer to: * ''Shona'' (album), 1994 album by New Zealand singer Shona Laing * Shona (given name) * S ...

word meaning "water from below" or "spring". He and his family moved into the house in 1922. When he died, his wife Mrs. Gertrude May (Maisie) Jenkinson (a teacher by profession) decided to educate Betty, her only daughter, at home, as she felt she was too young to go to boarding school. Thus, Chisipite was opened as a farm school with Betty Thomas, Molly MacIlwaine and Sue Ludgater as the first pupils in 1929. By the end of the year there were twenty pupils. The school was government aided and still had to conform to government regulations. Maisie Jenkinson retired in 1943, and the school bought by Tom and Beryl Anderson. Mrs Anderson, an alumnus of

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

and a teacher at

Prince Edward School , streetaddress = , city = Harare , country = Zimbabwe , coordinates = , type = State school, boarding and day school , established = , headmaster = Dr. Aggrippa G. Sora , gender = Boys , lower_age = 13 , upper_age = 19 ...

prior, became headmistress and her husband took care of the school’s maintenance and the building of additions. The school at that time had 23 pupils, boys and girls, and the term’s fee for boarders was £22. By 1950, the enrollment rose to 100 and many additions made: a new dining room, more classrooms and dormitories. Mrs Anderson became aware of the need for a senior school and in 1951 a number of girls stayed on for the Form One year. Mrs Anderson formed a private company to take transfer of additional land and started the building of the senior school. By means of a loan and funds raised by parents and friends, the buildings were started, and in 1954 the first section of

Chisipite Senior School Chisipite Senior School (or Chisipite) is an Independent school, independent Single-sex education, single-sex Secondary school, secondary Day school, day and Boarding school, boarding school for girls, located in Harare, Zimbabwe. The school is si ...

opened. Mrs Anderson retired after 21 years as headmistress and was succeeded by Mrs Kay Purvis in 1965, during economically challenging times in

Rhodesia Rhodesia (, ), officially from 1970 the Republic of Rhodesia, was an unrecognised state in Southern Africa from 1965 to 1979, equivalent in territory to modern Zimbabwe. Rhodesia was the ''de facto'' successor state to the British colony of S ...

. The school houses – Bluebird, Blackbird, Robin and Sunbird were born. Mrs Purvis retired in 1973, being succeeded by Joan Howard. In the early 70’s the viability of the school was threatened due to the dwindling number of pupils from

Zambia Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as being in Southern Africa at its most cent ...

. Because of the political isolation of

then, the Zambian border was closed. The school at this time had 120 pupils of whom only 20 came from this country. Major changes took place in the school. A bank of cypress trees was cut down, the skating rink was demolished thus expanding the Jubilee Field. In 1982, construction of the school hall commenced. In May 1993, Allan Mayger became the first male headmaster of Chisipite Junior School after the Mrs Howard's retirement. Mr Mayger’s own aim has been to develop the facilities, without threatening the character of the school. In spite of a harsh economic environment much refurbishment and construction has been achieved, with the help and support of the stakeholders involved with the school.

Academics

Class sizes are limited, and apart from the classroom teachers, the school is staffed with specialists in art, computers, Shona, sport, music and remediation. The overall pupil: staff ratio is 20:1, and this allows a variety of activities and interest to be actively pursued.

List of Chisipite Junior Heads

* 2014- Head girl: Anesu Nyachiya * 2014- Deputy Head Girl: Kate Mason * 2015-Head Girl:Hannah Mae Mitchell * 2015-Deputy Head Girl: Hannah Van Rooyen * 2016-Head Girl: Sinead Higgins * 2016-Deputy Head Girl: Matipa Nkomo *2017-Head Girl: Molly Honey *2017-Deputy Head Girl: Anesu Mhembere

Notable alumnae

Janine Murray Janine Murray (born 10 March 1990) is a Zimbabwean born Australian rhythmic gymnast. She won a gold medal in the team event at the 2010 Commonwealth Games and represented Australia at the 2012 Summer Olympics. Personal Nicknamed Jeannie, Mur ...

- Australian gymnast

Notes

References

External links

Chisipite Junior School
Official website
Chisipite Junior School Profile
on the ATS website {{Authority control Schools in Harare Private schools in Zimbabwe Girls' schools in Zimbabwe Day schools in Zimbabwe Educational institutions established in 1929 Member schools of the Association of Trust Schools 1929 establishments in the British Empire