Cape Town - After 40 years of dedicated service to the Garlandale High School community, principal Dawn Crowie has bid farewell and will officially be retiring at the end of the month.
Rondebosch East resident Crowie, 61, originally from Belthorn Estate, saw her last day occupying the principal’s office, at the “place where it all started and ended” on June 14, when the school closed for the June holidays.
“I was always wanting to be a Physical Education (PT) teacher and so that's what I studied after matric.
“And then I got a post at Garlandale High from the first of January 1984 and I was a teacher of Physical Education and Typing.
“I taught that for a number of years and then also, I think in 1989, I started teaching History. And so I taught those subjects for just over 20 years,” Crowie said.
“And after 20 years or so I became the deputy principal and I didn't teach Typing any longer because now there was CAT or Computer Applications Technology, there was no more typing.
“I continued to teach History and Physical Education while deputy principal.”
Crowie would then move on to take on the principal role from 2012, a position held at the time of her retirement.
While principal, teaching became less but did not stop and she continued to teach until her last day at the school, teaching Physical Education to Grade 12 learners.
“I always felt they (learners) needed to be exposed to more than just the academics and so that was always my passion to give them as much as we can outside of the classroom as well. So that we can develop them holistically. So that’s what I’ve done for the 40-odd years, we tried to do as much as we can.”
It was no easy decision to retire, she said, but this was driven by a need for more “me time”.
On how she would be spending her retirement, she said there aren’t major plans just yet but that she would be spending more time with family, joining boot camps for physical activity, and going on road trips.
She also plans to learn how to play the guitar, something she has wanted to do for a very long time, as well as other activities she was not able to do throughout the years.
Western Cape Education Department spokesperson Millicent Merton said the department thanked Crowie for her dedication and commitment to educating and positively impacting thousands of learners who have come and gone through her classroom and school.
“Thank you for guiding, inspiring and motivating your colleagues and investing in the future of the children of this province. Congratulations on your well-deserved retirement!,” Merton said.
shakirah.thebus@inl.co.za
Cape Argus