Kloppers appointed as first female principal

Date: 19 June 2015 By: Isabel Venter

Not only is the new school principal of the Soutpansberg Primary School a Soutie to the bone, she is also the first female principal to be appointed at a Louis Trichardt departmental school.

Mrs Adri Kloppers has been at the helm of things at Souties, as the school is more commonly referred to locally, after her official appointment by the Department of Education in April this year. She has been the interim principal of the school since November last year when the previous acting principal, Mrs Stienie Fourie, retired. Fourie took over when the previous full-time principal, Mr John Whitely, retired.

Kloppers is no stranger to the school. She started teaching at Souties in 1990, when she and her family settled here in Louis Trichardt. In the following years she got to know each classroom personally. “I got to know every brick in this school,” said Kloppers when the newspaper interviewed her.

Kloppers qualified as a teacher in 1980 as a foundation-phase teacher. She also specialised in teaching children with brain and learning dysfunctions. “Children are my passion,” said Kloppers.

Another great passion of Kloppers is books - she devours books in her private time and makes no secret of her intention to convey this love of reading to her students. It was therefore no surprise that one of her first projects as the new principal was to renovate the school’s library. Following the re-opening of the school library, Kloppers introduced the “Drop all and Read” campaign at the school. At the end of each school day, every student has to read for 30 minutes as a “reading-is-fun activity”.

Furthermore, the school’s motto, Digna Sequi (aim high), will be found at the core of Klopper’s future plans for the school. “Digna Sequi is my personal motto as well.”

Her vision for the school is to offer an all-inclusive education to students, based on first-world values within a caring and patriotic environment. “I want to make sure that each child gets the best education our teachers can offer. I endorse a holistic development for each learner in different areas such as academics, sports, cultural events, fun days and in general life skills,” said Kloppers.

Her other plans also include developing each educator to the best of his or her abilities, so that they can develop as leaders.

“This is a new challenge in my teaching career, but with the help of my excellent management and governing body, I feel confident that we can take the school to new heights.”

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Isabel Venter

Isabel joined the Zoutpansberger and Limpopo Mirror in 2009 as a reporter. She holds a BA Degree in Communication Sciences from the University of South Africa. Her beat is mainly crime and court reporting.

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