La Rochelle Girls' High School, ( af, Hoër Meisieskool La Rochelle) in

Paarl Paarl (; Afrikaans: ; derived from ''Parel'', meaning "pearl" in Dutch) is a town with 112,045 inhabitants in the Western Cape province of South Africa. It is the third-oldest city and European settlement in the Republic of South Africa (after ...

is the oldest girls' school in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

(tied with

Rhenish Girls' High School Rhenish Girls' High School is a boarding school for girls in Stellenbosch in the province of Western Cape The Western Cape is a province of South Africa, situated on the south-western coast of the country. It is the fourth largest of the n ...

in Stellenbosch).

History

The school was established in 1860 with 40 girls together with a seminary for young ladies open to the daughters of citizens and farmers in the Paarl district. In 1872, Jan de Villiers (Jan Orrelis) became head of the school, which he renamed Paarl Meisieseminarium. He held the post until his retirement in 1890. Andrew Murray, a strong supporter of

Afrikaans Afrikaans (, ) is a West Germanic language that evolved in the Dutch Cape Colony from the Dutch vernacular of Holland proper (i.e., the Hollandic dialect) used by Dutch, French, and German settlers and their enslaved people. Afrikaans gra ...

as a medium of instruction merged the Ladies' Seminary with the Huguenot Seminary he had founded in

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

. An American, Virginia Lee Pryde, was appointed to the school administration and under her leadership the enrollment increased from 80 to 240 in 1899. Martha Helena Cillié, who had been acting head during 1894, was appointed head in 1899, and remained in that post until 1921. In 1913, the school was separated from the Huguenot High School, essentially an extension of Murray's

Huguenot College The Huguenot College in Wellington, South Africa, is a private institute focused on training social and church service workers. Historical overview The Huguenot College has its origins in three educational institutions which previously existed ...

in Wellington, and was given its current name. In 1914, two of the school's teachers were killed in one of the first fatal car accidents in Paarl. During the 1960s, approximately 400 people were forcibly evicted from their land in order to provide the school with about two hectares to be used as hockey fields. In 2009 enrollment had increased to 537.

Location

The high school is located at a site in Faure Street in the centre of Paarl.

Curriculum

The school is dual medium with an almost equal split between English and Afrikaans. Although school fees in 2007 were R9,830, cheaper than many other state schools, the school has kept a wide choice of subjects, for example, two third languages, namely

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

(one of only 28 schools in the

Western Cape The Western Cape is a province of South Africa, situated on the south-western coast of the country. It is the fourth largest of the nine provinces with an area of , and the third most populous, with an estimated 7 million inhabitants in 2020 ...

) and

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

(one of only 27). However, Latin is no longer offered, but a

bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...

in Latin from 1762 is on display in the visitors' room of the school.

Notable alumnae

Alba Bouwer Albertha Magdalena Bouwer (16 March 1920 – 5 October 2010) was a South African Afrikaans-writing journalist and author. She is best known for her series of children's stories about the experiences of a small girl called Alie growing up in the ...

, writer *

Elsa Joubert Elsabé Antoinette Murray Joubert OIS (19 October 1922 – 14 June 2020) was a Sestigers Afrikaans-language writer. She rose to prominence with her novel '' Die swerfjare van Poppie Nongena'' (The Long Journey of Poppie Nongena), which was tra ...

, writer *

Marguerite van Eeden Marguerite van Eeden (born 6 June) is a South African actress and photographer. She is best known for her Afrikaans-language film roles in '' Vaselinetjie'' and ''Vergeet My Nie''. Early life Originally from the Cape, van Eeden grew up in Botsw ...

, actress and photographer * Joey de Koker, radio personality and actress.

Sources

* Schirmer, Peter. ''Die beknopte geïllustreerde ensiklopedie van Suid-Afrika'', Central News Agency (Pty.) Ltd. Johannesburg, 1981.

References

External links

The Western Cape's school information service
{{Cape Winelands School Paarl Girls' schools in South Africa Schools in the Western Cape Educational institutions established in 1860 1860 establishments in the Cape Colony Bilingual schools in South Africa