Helpmekaar Kollege
Helpmekaar Kollege is a private Afrikaans medium co-educational high school situated in Braamfontein, in the city of Johannesburg in the Gauteng province of South Africa.
It was among the first Afrikaans high schools in Gauteng to be privately owned after it was privatized in 1994, and it remains among the only private Afrikaans high schools in central Gauteng.
History
Helpmekaar was the first Afrikaans high school in Johannesburg. The school was started by a group of Afrikaners who wanted their children to have an alternative to English high schools. The school was officially started in 1921 in the Irene Church opposite the Union Ground. Construction of the school started on 19 September 1925 with the foundation stone being laid by General Barry Hertzog. The land was donated by the Johannesburg City Council at Milner Park, Braamfontein. The school badge was designed by a matric pupil of 1925, A.J. Lessing.The slogan of the school "KOMAAN" was derived from a poem by Jan F. E. Celliers by the same title. Literally translated, Komaan Helpmekaar means “come on, help each other”.
Campus
The Helpmekaar Campus is situated on the corner of Empire and Melle Street, Braamfontein, Johannesburg.The school building consists of five parts:
The school also has a rugby field, uniform shop, three tennis courts, two netball practice courts, two halls, a swimming pool and a boarding house.
Curriculum
Helpmekaar follows the IEB curriculum.Pupils are also given the opportunity to write the SAT, a standardized college admission test used in the United States, in Grade 11.
Extracurricular activities
The school offers a wide variety of extracurricular activities including:Sports
- Rugby
- Netball
- Tennis
- Hockey
- Swimming
- Cricket
- Adventure Racing
- Athletics
- Cross country
- Chess
- Golf
- Orientation
- Squash
- Equestrian
- E-Sports
- Mountain biking
- Basketball
- Mountain climbing
- Jukskei
Cultural
- Choir
- School paper
- Speech guild
- Debating
- Public speaking
- Dancing
- Orchestra
- ATKV
- School production
Academic
- Hip2B2
- Robotix
- Afrikaans Olympiad
- English Olympiad
- Mathematics Olympiad
- General Knowledge Olympiad
Traditions
School uniform
Helpmekaar's school uniform has a style that forms part of the school's traditions and past. The basic uniform mainly consists of a brown blazer with a khaki jersey and white shirt, brown tie and khaki trousers or shorts for boys and a khaki dress for girls. Boys always wear caps, while girls always wear bashers. Girls do not have to wear ties during summer and in winter they are allowed to wear dark tights.The school has special, striped blazers for learners who perform exceptionally well in academic, sports and cultural activities. Traditionally these blazers may only be worn by seniors.
A white blazer is the highest, most honourable blazer in the school and is given to cheerleaders and the head boy and head girl to be worn on special occasions. Matrics also have special ties that are lighter than the traditional brown school tie.
Klets, Knibbel en Kykfees
The Klets, Knibbel en Kykfees, commonly known as the KKK fees, gives learners the opportunity to express their creativity by participating in various cultural activities. With boatbuilding, debating, cupcake decorating, stand-up comedy, graffiti, poetry, rapping, idols and even paper-jet folding, it provides fun and enrichment for each Helpie involved.Rugby spirit
Rugby season is in full swing, and at Helpmekaar, rugby is more than just a game. The entire school attends all home games to support their first team, and when they reach the finals, everyone joins them.The first team wears brown and gold jerseys, while the other teams wear white. First-team players can additionally wear customized scarves, hats, and shorts with their school uniform.