Tiger Kloof School

Hey, I got to check out Tiger Kloof School on Friday.

I've always been interested in it because the church and other buildings sit off to the side of the road on the way to/back from my shopping town. 

My curiosity was hightened still, after seeing a Dave Matthews/Tim Reynolds concert tee-shirt on a South African shopper in town.  The concert t-shirt said something along the lines of "A benefit concert for the Tiger Kloof School, SA."

Dave Matthews?  THE Dave Matthews of the Dave Matthews Band?  (He's a big, big rock star in the US and a very talented and gifted musician.)

The very same one.  And now I know that Tiger Kloof is a school.  What's the connection of this rock star to this Tiger Kloof School?

Well, it seems that Dave Matthews is the nephew of a most recent principal of the school and it seems uncle has asked favors of his rock star nephew.

Very curious, I am.

And then, I find out that one of my supervisors taught there.  I wanna go, I wanna go.

So my big whine got me a tour of Tiger Kloof School on Friday.  Emily/Lesego went with me, and speaking for myself, I had a grand, grand time.  A gentleman "in charge" of the school, I'll call him Mr. Z to protect his privacy, gave us most of his morning and early afternoon.

It's a wonderful, wonderful school, rich in history.  If you want all the information, be sure to visit their website:

http://www.tigerkloof.nw.school.za/

I was curious about the title of the school: Tiger Kloof.  When asked, I was told that the original white settlers to the area found leopards.  However, they thought leopards "tigers" and named the kloof after "tigers."  A kloof is a large, very large, V-shaped valley that the school property overlooks.

(I also learned that tigers are not native to Africa and there are no tigers on the continent (save the zoos).  Tigers are native to India.)

I was impressed with all of the school but super impressed with the primary school and the library.  I was drooling at all of the resources available to the learners.

Although the school is a public school, it receives a great deal of financial support from outside donors.  (Hence, the rock star nephew.)  However, it receives support from donors all over the world.

The school has an organic vegetable garden and raises livestock.  I'm hoping to go back to see this operation, as we ran short of time.  I've also asked if I might come "help out" and maybe learn some techniques I can pass on to my village's community garden.

It was a wonderful trip for me, not only to see such a wonderful school but to have a gardening resource.  I hope to visit often, and I hope they can put me to work!!

More pictures are posted to my Facebook page at the following link.  You need not be a member of Facebook to see the photos:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=58293&id=1239371142&l=71605c9df5
 

Soon, Karen

ps. I'm off to training and may not be online for a week!  No worries!