Matric Academy of Excellence

Schools are mostly focussed on getting good results, but for the Matric Academy of Excellence in Port Elizabeth, it is more important that students find their self-worth and realise how valuable they are in Christ, than academic results. Yet, the school had the best Grade 12 results.
According to the Principal, Mrs Janse van Vuuren, the main aim at the Academy is to educate and develop each student, enabling them, to discover and reach out on a journey to fulfil their God-given potential – each student is unique and the Academy’s first aim is to teach them self-awareness and self-worth and the most important is who they are in Christ.
Secondly is to improve academically and the Academy is blessed and proud at the excellent performance in the 2015 National Examination with the best results in the Eastern Cape.
On average the performance is improved by 10 – 17 %, and the highlight is the improvement in Mathematics and Physical Sciences of up to 28%. We are thankful to have Mr van Vuuren on our staff and we are so grateful for his excellent and dedicated work. He is one of a kind.
How is this excellent improvement in academic results achieved? Mainly by having fully qualified, experienced and dedicated Christian Educators, having a passion to educate our young people to become first class citizens with high moral values and of integrity, based on our seven foundational pillars of our Academy.
Integrity, Honesty, Diligence, Humility, Discipline, Love & Caring and Respect
In fact these names are also the names of the classrooms in use.

Student Development
“Our success is what the Lord gives,” says the Principal of the facility. “We are more concerned about changing lives here,” she says. “Part of our curriculum is a daily student development class. This period is of utmost importance and nothing will interfere with these classes. God directed us to teach biblical truths and principles, she says. “We look at the total development of a person. But accepting Christ as their Saviour remains their choice.” This forms part of building their self-image and discovering their self-worth. Every person that accepts Christ also gets a bible and is taught how to read and meditate on it,” she says.
Many students however face difficulties and we assist them during our counselling program. One of our Educators, Mrs van Niekerk is a qualified FAMSA counsellor and helps us a lot. We are ever so thankful to have her as part of our unique staff.
We have 3 different groups studying here:
• Some of our students have already passed grade-12, but they come to improve their results in certain subjects so as to obtain entrance to an Institute for Tertiary Education,
• Some who were unfortunate to fail Grade-12 and want to rewrite certain subjects enabling them to obtain a grade-12 NSC certificate,
• Some are under the previous syllabus, ( ASC )and study from June and write in June the next year to obtain a matric certificate.
Study groups
Study groups forms an important part of the success at the school. All students are part of daily study groups where top performers of the month are appointed on the best performance as leaders. It is so wonderful to see how they develop individually. The shy one’s gain more confidence and start to develop and even become the next leader of the group. “Students are very keen to become leaders. Students are happy in this school. You hear lots of laughing and see lots of smiles.

At the end of every year they have a farewell celebration where guest speakers from amongst the study groups are chosen. “We normally have 10 speakers, but at the end of 2015 there were 23 speakers sharing amazing testimonies,” van Vuuren says. It is all the outcome of Student Development

Needs
There are needs as in all educational institutions. Some needs to be addressed - that of food and finances. As the Academy is not subsidised in any way, Sponsors will be most welcome and in fact much needed to fill the grocery cupboard, as we provide food parcels and daily sandwiches, soup in winter. There is a tremendous need.
Even though students do not always have classes, they prefer to study at the school to be able to focus better. The atmosphere at the school is relaxed and caring, but strict discipline applies. “We not only want to change lives, but work to change habits as well,” she says. “We teach them when you do something wrong the first time, it is a mistake. The second time it is a choice, but the third time, it becomes a habit.”
When asked about their experience at the school, students admitted they have changed their behaviour and are not lazy anymore and study hard. But it is the change God made in their lives that has had the biggest impact.
The school started a grocery cupboard for needy students recently. “Sometimes students attend classes without having eaten for days. During the day we now have bread and peanut butter available so they can make themselves sandwiches. Because we teach principles such as honesty and integrity, only those who are really in need will make use of it,” she says.
And this is where the school needs donations of groceries for those who have no food at home. About a third of the students do not have parents and either live with grandparents or alone, with limited or no income. These students also need sponsors for their school fees. The school hope to find Christian businessmen or individuals to sponsor a needy student for a year. Every sponsored student signs a mutual agreement which requires specific obligations to be honoured. These include academic performance, class attendance and others.
Extra Mural
The school started a chess club for maths students. They thoroughly enjoy the time when they relax with their new found friends. “We’ve got the design for movable computer tables for laptops and it will be so good for the students, so we hope it will be possible in the near future.
An add –a-bathroom-to –your –house campaign is an ongoing project, though a lack of running water at some homes makes it impossible. “This is a basic need with which we try to uplift students’ lives” she says. “But when they live in a shack, they are not permitted to have a water connection and walk long distances to get water in a bucket”.
About the school
Students come from as far as Polokwane and Cape Town, but a number of them are from the top schools in Port Elizabeth. “It can only be the Holy Spirit who sends them here, how else would they know about the school when they live so far away?” Mrs. van Vuuren asks.
The school first opened its doors in 2011 with clear instructions from God. It uses class rooms from the Sakhisizwe Senior Secondary School in Zwide, which they upgraded at their own cost.
Academic subjects are presented from Monday to Thursday and on Fridays they focus on the study groups.
“We are so blessed with amazing teachers from different walks of life, who are dedicated and called to do God’s work,” says Mrs. van Vuuren. We are also so blessed with the handpicked students that are part of the Academy this year. We give God all the glory.
Contact details
For more information visit the website http/matricacademy.weebly.com or Matric Academy, their Facebook page.
To get more information on sponsorships or grocery donations, contact Mrs van Vuuren at goshenexcellence@gmail.com or tel. 0839223234.
We thank You.