La emergencia climática y modelo de desarrollo

The cultural component of the extra-curricular offering at Bay View High School has declined. Of the variety of cultural activities offered in the early years of Bay View High’s existence (see Chapter 2) only a handful remains. Mr Smit regards cultural activities as important to Bay View High School and explains that not all learners are talented or interested in sport and that it is the duty of the school to also provide these learners with opportunities that may enrich their lives (personal

communication, 2015).

Mr Smit ascribes the decline in cultural activities at Bay View High School to a

number of factors. He believes that cultural activities today have to compete with the number of new interests that now attract the attention of learners and that there is a greater number of sporting activities that is now offered to girls (girls have always been more active participants in cultural activities at Bay View High School).

According to Mr Smit, the changed learner composition of Bay View High School played no particular role in the decline of cultural activities at this school aside from the fact that the black learners have shown less interest in particular cultural

activities compared to the white learners. He also explains that there is a greater number of learners who now attend Bay View High School that make use of public transport to travel home, which prevents these learners from participating in extra- curricular activities. The majority of cultural activities that remain at Bay View High School do not require extensive time commitment.

Eisteddfod, Oratory and Debating

In the course of the past twenty years (since 1994), the cultural activities and the learners participating in cultural activities have gradually decreased. Eisteddfod, oratory and debating are three of the cultural activities that have remained a yearly fixture at Bay View High School. Learners who participate in these activities are identified by language teachers on grounds of their academic achievement in Afrikaans or English. Learners who meet the requirements set by the language department are then coached by the teacher that coordinates the school’s

participation in these events. The coaching forms an important part of this activity as it contributes to the success of learners who take part. The coaching ensures that

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the work delivered by the learners is at a required standard. This standard is set by the school to ensure that the school is reflected in a positive light when the pieces are judged.

Participation in Eisteddfod, oratory and debating is dominated by white learners. Ms Miller, who coordinates the school’s participation in the Eisteddfod, puts this down to ‘mere coincidence’ and the academic ability of learners. She does however remark that a barrier that she has identified in the participation of black learners in the

Eisteddfod is that for the majority of black learners at Bay View High School, English is a second language. With language ability and academic performance forming two crucial components for participation in all three these events, it has become evident that it is the same learners who participate in all three events.

Oratory and debating activities are organised by the school. Oratory and debating evenings are held in the school hall. During these evenings, teachers and members from the community are invited to act as judges. Following these evenings, learners who perform the best are selected to represent the school in the annual inter-schools competition.

Revue

The yearly school concert continues to be a highlight on the calendar at Bay View High School. The concert is the single most important cultural event at the school. Mr Smit, the school principal, following in his predecessors’ path, has continued to insist that a production is put together yearly, giving the learners of Bay View High School the opportunity to show off their talents. Putting together a production requires long hours of commitment from both teachers and learners. According to Ms Jansen, it typically takes her up to seven or eight months to produce one show from start to finish. The first point of call when putting together such a production is to decide on the theme and nature of the show. In the recent past, the themes of the concerts put together at Bay View High School have centred around the prescribed literary work of the learners, particularly that of William Shakespeare.

Once the script of the play is finalised, learners are invited to audition for the show. To provide opportunity for a variety of talents, the productions typically include

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singing, dancing and acting. Regardless of talent, learners who wish to participate in the school concert are required to commit to a strenuous rehearsal schedule that would normally include long hours over weekends, during school holidays and weekdays into the evening. Learners who are not able to commit to these hours are excluded from the concert. Learners who do commit to the schedule and miss a maximum of two rehearsals are also removed from the cast. This practice has been put in place to, according to Ms Jansen, ensure that the production which is

eventually put forward adheres to her expectations. She insists that her reputation is on the line every year that she produces a concert and will not compromise on the quality of the production. Similar to other cultural activities, the limitations that is placed on participation in the revue, results in that it is the same learners who participate in the revue year after year.

Although Mr Smit has indicated that culture is important to the school and has insisted on the yearly show, school management does, according to Ms Jansen, make a reasonable budget available for the production of a top quality show. Ms Jansen explains that the rental of lighting and sound equipment comes at a premium and the cost of renting this equipment has to be covered by ticket sales for the show. The problem however, as Ms Jansen indicates, is that years of doing the show have indicated that the learners and community is price sensitive, meaning that the cost of tickets have to remain low. To meet the needs of learners and the community, Ms Jansen has to compromise on the quality of sound and lighting which has a negative impact on the quality of the show and detracts from the experience of the audience.

In spite of the show limitations and the concerns that Ms Jansen harbours, it is apparent from the number of tickets sold for the yearly revue in the recent past, that this is a popular event amongst the learners, parents and members of the

community. Ms Jansen believes that it shows that there is a need amongst the learners for more cultural activities.

Matric ball

The matric ball is regarded as the highlight of a learner’s high school career. At Bay View High School all effort is made to ensure that this event is an evening to

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contrast to the financial struggles that the majority of learners from Bay View High School experience daily.

Over the past ten years, the matric ball has developed into an event that both

parents and teachers have described as exorbitant. Ms Marx, who has arranged the majority of matric balls in the recent past, describes how the event has developed from a formal dinner and dance in the school hall into a major event that is now held at an exclusive private venue. Ms Marx believes that the school has followed the lead set by neighbouring schools. As the organiser of this event her mandate has always been to ensure that the matric ball is as good as, or better than, that of the neighbouring schools. To achieve this requires finances and planning.

Learners are informed of the cost of the event six months in advance. This allows parents and guardians to plan for this expense. It has also become a tradition at Bay View High School that it is the duty of the matric learners to raise funds which pays for the teachers and their partners, the governing body, and school guests, to attend the matric ball at no cost. The money is raised exclusively by means of cake sales. Matric learners are expected to sell cake which they bring from home once a month until enough money is raised to cover these expenses.

The evening itself is usually based on a theme. Ms Marx explains that she tries her best to please everybody, but admits it is not always possible. To be impartial amongst a diverse group of learners she typically selects a theme for the matric ball based on a popular movie. Food comes as a buffet where ‘traditional’ dishes (roast beef, lamb, roast potatoes, vegetables etc.) are served. The most contentious arrangement to be made for the matric ball, as Ms Marx explains it, is the selection of a disk jockey (the person who plays the music). The diversity of the student population means that their taste of music varies from Afrikaans to pop music, rap and traditional African music. To avoid conflict amongst learners, Ms Marx as the main organiser of the event, hires the services of an external disk jockey. His duty is to ensure that the learners enjoy the evening, taking into consideration that the teachers, their partners and school guests are also in attendance.

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