Victoria Park High
Soccer in Port Elizabeth

Founded in 1940, the school retains the founder’s emphasis on a concern for the development of all aspects of young people. By the time Mr Thorp took over as headmaster in 1947, the school had its own buildings comprising of just two floors of classrooms, which is currently the front of the school. An important highlight of his term of office was the creation of the Dave Weinronk Sports Complex, opened in The badge bears three distinct symbols: the laurel wreath, the Victoria Cross and a crown. The laurel wreath is a classical symbol that comes to us from the time of Roman Empire, symbolising victory and power. The Victoria Cross is a somewhat religious symbol, as well as a token of symbol of bravery and courage. It was given to war heroes as a sign of their commitment to the crown, itself a symbol of the majesty and pride of the monarch and devotion and service of the people who were governed thereby. The fact that our school was founded at the wake of World War II somewhat inspired the choice of a motto which supported courage in the face of adversity. It is a quotation from a classic of antiquity, Horace’s Satires. The courage of the Victorian is a classical virtue: as relevant for the ancients and the warring soldiers as it is for our Victorians today. Our Principal, Mr Michael James Vermaak studied a BComm (Ed) at the University of Port Elizabeth, before embarking on his teaching career. He came to Victoria Park as a deputy principal in 1997, and was elected as principal in He is an energetic and popular public-speaker, able to motivate adults and teens alike. stalwart, and ex-provincial sportswoman and is our Academic Head. She is also in charge of the HR portfolio at the school. Victoria Park is in the fortunate position of having a full-time school counsellor, Mr John Hutchinson, who runs the school's Guidance Department. The Guidance Department has played an important and integral part in the school system by assisting learners to discover and use their unique potential to beter themselves personally. The Guidance Counsellor works towards enabling learners to explore issues ranging from subject choice to career resource information, to more personal issues such as self-esteem, interpersonal relating, self acceptance, emotional intelligence and pro-active behavior and accountability for actions taken. Ultimately the counselling process and guidance method in general should serve to self-empower the learner to act pro-actively through informed decision making. The Guidance Department organizes an annual Careers Day, bringing in representatives from a wide variety of institutions, exposing learners to different course and career options available in the market place.