Paarl Gimnasium

Public & boarding school in Paarl, Western Cape, South Africa

33°43′13″S 18°57′31″E / 33.7203°S 18.9586°E / -33.7203; 18.9586InformationSchool typePublic & BoardingMotto"Sol Justitae Illustra Nos" "Sun of justice, shine upon us "Religious affiliation(s)ChristianityEstablished1858; 166 years ago (1858)School districtDistrict 9School number+27 (021) 872 1541HeadmasterPaul ViljoenGrades8–12Gender1858-1963 boys
Since 1964 coeducationalAge14 to 18Number of students1,300 pupilsLanguageAfrikaansSchedule07:30 - 14:00CampusUrban campusCampus typeSuburbanColour(s)

AccreditationWestern Cape Education DepartmentNewspaperSollieWebsitehttp://www.paarlgim.co.za

Paarl Gimnasium is a public Afrikaans medium co-educational high school situated in the city of Paarl in the Western Cape province of South Africa.

History

Rev. van der Lingen founded the school in the centre of town in 1858. The school has produced some of South Africa's top rugby players, including Schalk Burger, Jean De Villiers, Marius Joubert, Handré Pollard and De Wet Barry.^{[citation needed]} Other alumni include the theologian Stephanus Jacobus du Toit^[1] and politician Liezl van der Merwe.

The view of the School Hall during assembly

The primary school section of Gimnasium was founded in 1858 as a Dutch Christian school for boys, with the high school being founded much later. In the mid-1930s the school's language of education shifted to Afrikaans. After the high school section was completed the school enrolled its first female student.

Paarl Gimnasium High School has a large sporting program and takes part in the interschools tournament against Paarl Boys' High School, an event which attracts tens of thousands of spectators every year.

Notable alumni

Springbok Rugby

Name	Test debut	Springbok number
Japie le Roux	10/10/1906	94
Boy de Villiers	17/11/1906	95
Pietie le Roux	24/11/1906	103
Steve Joubert	24/11/1906	110
Gerald Thompson	23/11/1912	142
Attie van Heerden	13/08/1921	152
Pierre de Villiers	30/06/1928	195
Xander van der Westhuizen	21/07/1928	203
Manus de Jongh	18/08/1928	205
PK Morkel	01/09/1928	211
Jan Pickard	19/09/1953	301
Hugo van Zyl	26/07/1958	340
Wynand Mans	10/04/1965	398
Schalk Burger (snr)	02/06/1984	535
Kobus Burger	26/08/1989	552
Kobus Wiese	26/06/1993	585
Balie Swart	31/07/1993	595
Mornay Visser	13/04/1995	625
Pieter Rossouw	28/06/1997	652
De Wet Barry	10/06/2000	690
Louis Koen	08/07/2000	693
Chris Rossouw	no tests	699
Marius Joubert	21/07/2001	711
Jean de Villiers	09/11/2002	735
Schalk Burger (jnr)	24/10/2003	754
Ashley Johnson	23/07/2011	810
Lourens Adriaanse	23/11/2013	853
Handré Pollard	28/06/2014	857
Louis Schreuder	02/12/2017	891

Other

Marciel Hopkins, model and Boer Soek 'n Vrou presenter^[2]
Marguerite Wheatley, actress^[3]
Perlé van Schalkwyk, businesswoman and owner of the Lollipop Lounge^[4]
Liezl van der Merwe, Member of the National Assembly of South Africa^[5]
Mandy Rossouw, journalist^[6]
Martelize Brink, author and radio presenter^[7]

References

^ Giliomee, Hermann (2003). "The" Afrikaners: Biography of a People. London: C Hurst & Co. p. 215. ISBN 1-85065-714-9.
^ "Miss South Africa finalist". Netwerk24 (in Afrikaans). Retrieved 2022-08-03.
^ Nel, Ronel. "Marguerite Wheatley: Terug Weskus toe! (sommer kaalvoet)". Sarie (in Afrikaans). Retrieved 2022-08-03.
^ Beyers, Lise. "GiGi: From Perlé of Paarl to top stripper". Netwerk24 (in Afrikaans). Retrieved 2022-08-03.
^ "Liezl Linda van der Merwe". People's Assembly. Retrieved 2022-08-03.
^ "Statement on the passing of Mandy Rossouw". News24. Retrieved 2022-08-03.
^ Hudson, Mari (2022-05-30). "Ontmoet onverskrokke Martelize Brink". RSGplus (in Afrikaans). Retrieved 2022-08-03.