“I love my children. I protect them and speak up for them and I will continue. I won’t cut my ties with the school. Never.” Mary Waters Secondary School principal Samuel Wessels retires this month, but he has no intention of abandoning the school, and the children, he has come to call his own.
“I love my children. I protect them and speak up for them and I will continue. I won’t cut my ties with the school. Never.” Mary Waters Secondary School principal Samuel Wessels retires this month, but he has no intention of abandoning the school, and the children, he has come to call his own.
Wessels has actually spent much of his life in the Mary Waters hallways, as a pupil, teacher and principal. “But it’s now time for me to move on.I’m going to leave with a clear mind, a clear conscience and soberness knowing that I served the school to the best of my ability.”
First walking into the school’s gates in 1971, the future principal matriculated in 1976 and moved to Cape Town to study law. During his studies at the University of the Western Cape he changed the direction of his career path to his true calling however, teaching. Once his training was complete in 1981 Wessels received a phone call from his former English teacher and then principal, Mr Parsotam, who convinced him to come back to “plough back what I was taught”.
And that’s exactly what he did, encountering challenges and frustrations along the way like teacher shortages and battles with the Department of Education.
One thing that remained constant throughout, however, was his unfaltering voice. “I’ve never been afraid to speak up.” With a loud, stern voice Wessels commanded classes of learners and progressed through the ranks of school staff. Being in a leadership role at a government school hasn’t been a smooth ride, he admits, but he knew he was going in the right direction when doing what was best for the school.
“We need to ask, 'what are we doing for our children?’ It’s not just fighting, it’s knowing what’s right and wrong,” he said. “I don’t keep quiet, but sometimes it does fall on deaf ears.”
Matric pupil Asanda Koliti has worked closely with Wessels and says he has been influenced by his headmaster’s motto, ‘what can you do for your school?’ Koliti expressed his gratitude for the principles Wessels has passed on, both in and outside the classroom. “Mr Wessels leads by example,” Koliti explained, and said the next principal will have some pretty big shoes to fill.
School secretary and former pupil of Wessels’, Cindy Bokboard, said she couldn’t bear to imagine what it will be like when he leaves. “For me, he is a fatherly figure,” she said. Bokboard said she felt free to speak to him about anything, anytime.
Even as the school grew from a student body of 650 to about 1 100, Wessels’ dedication to his brood remained the same, he said. “I love my children. I protect them and speak up for them and I will continue. I won’t cut my ties with the school. Never.” But the time has come for him to step down. The reason for his early retirement needs no bells or whistles, he says. “It’s time now for me to move on."
"I’ve been criticised for abandoning ship. But I’m not,” he explained. “I’m leaving because I need a break. It’s my decision and I’m standing by it. “It’s a personal decision. It’s time.”
Words from colleagues:
From barefoot laaitie to principal
Some of Samuel Wessels’ colleagues knew him since he was boy – and a barefoot long-distance running boy at that. Gerald Accom, Head of English at Mary Waters and a teacher at the school since 1976, has been working alongside Wessels since his journey at the school began. “I was his teacher,” Accom reflected. “He was a quiet pupil and he did well in sport.” Wessels was the first Mary Waters pupil to qualify for the Eastern Province athletics long-distance team, Accom said and “he preferred to run barefoot”.
Accom could see potential in the future principal from early on as he showed interest in administration as well as taking on the role of an understudy for the principal at the time. “He has a no-nonsense leadership style. The students are scared of him, for the lack of a better term, and his presence demands respect,” Accom explained. Even working with staff members generally been older than him, including his former teachers and superiors, “he maintained respect of and for,” Accom said. “He has done a fairly good job under tremendous difficulties.”
‘A true Mawarian’
Chairperson of the School Governing Body, Errol Goliath, has worked alongside Wessels since 2000. Although they have bumped heads along the way, their mutual respect for each other cannot be faulted. “He has done a lot for the school and community, as much as humanly possible,” said Goliath. “A legacy will be left behind and learners and staff will adapt to follow in his footsteps”.
Driven by incredible passion, Goliath noted that Wessels is not the kind of person to be hoisted up onto a pedestal. He recalled the times Wessels relentlessly confronted the education department for the good of his school and the community. Like anyone who has been around Wessels, Goliath sees him as “a mentor, a father figure and a leader in the community with strong Christian beliefs”.
“He lived up to the school’s motto ‘per scalum scientae’: read the book of knowledge and climb the ladder of success. Samuel is a true Mawarian,” he said. “He has made his mark and put Mary Waters on the map”.
Where to now?
Early retirement for Wessels means a break from his demanding yet rewarding time as an educator at Mary Waters. Throughout his career Wessels has juggled life between the school and the church, while also trying to find time for family and other responsibilities.
“I have a family and I haven’t spent enough time with them. I never just switch off, I’m always thinking about the next school year and the new challenges,” he said. “Although my family understands, I’ve lost quality time with them. I’m with my children here more than my own,” he said, referring to his school kids.
“Now I need a break to re-assess and continue to serve the Lord,” Wessels revealed. Not that he hasn’t been devoting time to his spiritual calling for the past few decades. Wessels has also been a minister and District Elder of 12 congregations belonging to the New Apostolic Church for 30 years.
Wessels plans on travelling a little and enjoying time to himself and in the church. But Mary Waters is not a fully closed chapter in this man’s life story. “I love teaching! I have passion. If they need me to teach my favourite subject, then I’d be up for it,” he assured.
“I’m not foolish enough to say I won’t ever teach again.”
Despite frustrating challenges at the school and sadness to leave all he has known, a smile remains on his face, revealing contentment and a glimmer of hope. “Things will be OK here, I trust the people who remain here. I have the fullest confidence in them,” Wessels said.
This isn’t the last Grahamstown will see of him.
