St Andrew’s School, better known as Saints, in Bloemfontein celebrated its 160th birthday on Thursday (16/11).

“It really is a great honour to be celebrating 160 years at St Andrew’s, and the story of this school is as old as the story of Bloemfontein, so we find it a very special occasion,” said headmaster Roland Rudd.

He added at the start of the year, the school marked the year with a opening celebration and on Thursday, on the birthday, they had a special chapel service for the junior and senior school where they reflected on the past, looking forward to the future.

Saint boys at the chapel on Thursday morning where they were reminded to always serve others, and the junior and senior school leaders washed each others feet as Jesus did. Picture: Facebook.

“On Friday, we will be finishing the year with our legacy function, a formal dinner for parents, supporters of the school, old boys and the community who have been actively involved in making the school a success,” he said.

He added they’re privileged at St Andrew’s to have a dedicated old boys’ network that forms part of the broader Bloemfontein community and further afield who’re actively involved in running the school. 

“We identified our chapel as being a key feature in our 160th celebration. We decided on the chapel because we wanted to make a definite statement about Christian values being the core foundation stone of St Andrew’s.” In a changing world, St Andrew’s sticks to its Christian values.

Junior Saints celebrating with doughnuts. Photo Facebook.

“This year, we embarked on a legacy project, the new astro turf, which is a first of its kind on the African continent. We are setting a trend and it is wonderful to be able to add an asset to the Bloemfontein community.”

He added that St Andrew’s remains a school of good stories, they encourage stories to the community, they encourage their boys to be good husbands, fathers, gentleman and members who will add value to South Africa and Globally.

“As a school, we are immensely proud of Bloemfontein and the province of the Free State and for many years to come, St Andrew’s will continue to service this community and be a beacon of excellence in South Africa,” Rudd added.

OFM News/Heidrè Malgas Morné