COLLEGIATE SECONDARY SCHOOL FOR GIRLS
School in Port Elizabeth

Collegiate Girls' High School was founded in 1874 and soon adopted a tradition of academic excellence and being a leading girls’ school. A balanced member of society is one who pursues excellence in all areas: the intellect; the physical; the social and the spiritual. Collegiate Girls’ High School was founded in 1874 to provide daughters of prominent families in the growing settler town of Port Elizabeth with a quality education. It is one of the oldest girls’-only schools in the country and is a leading girls’-only schools. From its inception Collegiate has progressed unerringly in its commitment to excellence, a proud tradition handed down by those who have served the school. Its headmistresses, its teachers and the young minds entrusted into its care, have shaped and will continue to shape the spirit of the school. The annual Carol Service, which has been part of Port Elizabeth’s cultural heritage for over one hundred years, is synonymous with Collegiate and its commitment to the Community Chest. This involvement and the annual Charity Bazaar teach girls that there is great fulfillment and satisfaction to be gained in the service of others. The active involvement of parents and past pupils, epitomized in the Old Collegiate Girls’ Guild, has enriched the lives of present pupils in the form of facilities, awards and bursaries and the aesthetically beautiful school buildings in which they work and play. This support of the School has also made an invaluable contribution to the success of Collegiate and its ongoing commitment to excellence. Although the school’s traditions and ethos are based on Christian values and beliefs, there is a full acceptance of and a respect for other religious faiths. The five values: integrity, compassion, responsibility, respect and a good work ethic are promoted and ascribed to. The Lamp of Service represents the ethos of knowledge tempered with honesty, loyalty and service to the community. Presented each year by the outgoing head-girl to her successor, it is a simple oil-lamp, but is imbued with the power of the past that lights up our course into the future.