Jeppe Boys' High

Description

Jeppe Boys' High is a public boys’ school with boarding facilities in Fairview, Johannesburg. Established in 1890, it is the oldest public school in Johannesburg. The school teaches Grade 8 to 12 and has 1046 students. Jeppes Boys' reflects the rainbow nation of South Africa with students from diverse socioeconomic, language, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds. It is one of the top 20 boys’ schools in South Africa and focuses on forming men with principles of loyalty, honour, and friendship. The school is celebrating its 125th anniversary in 2015.

HERITAGE

Jeppe Boys' High was founded in 1890 by Sir Julius Jeppe. It began just 4 years after gold was discovered on the Witwatersrand and the Anglican Church established St Michael’s College in Troyeville to provide education for the children of the mineworkers. The school buildings were bought by the Witwatersrand Council of Education in 1897 and the school was renamed Jeppestown Grammar School. The school was closed for the duration of the Anglo Boer War and reopened in 1902 as a government school. It was renamed Jeppestown High School for Boys and Girls in 1903.

The beautiful stone buildings were built in 1909 on land donated by Sir Julius Jeppe. The old buildings in Troyeville were occupied by the Prep School before a new Prep School was built in 1916 on land that was also donated by the Jeppe family. In 1919, after the First World War, the Girls’ School was established further down Roberts Avenue and the Boys’ School became Jeppe High School for Boys.

When Joburg celebrated its Centenary in 1986, the main building and dome-shaped First World War Memorial were declared national monuments. Other notable buildings include Oribi House, (the oldest hostel, built in 1912), Friedenheim stables which are now used as change rooms, and Roan House with its striking wooden staircase and stained-glass windows.

The school motto is “Forti Nihil Difficilius” which means “for the brave nothing is too difficult.”

ACADEMICS

The Matric pass rate in 2014 was 99.5%

SPORTS & CULTURE

Jeppes Boys' High is best known for its rugby, hockey, pipe band, and rowing club. The most important sports ground is Collar Field, the main rugby field.

SPORTS

• Water Polo
• Hockey
• Basketball
• Cricket
• Orienteering
• Rowing
• Rugby
• Squash
• Swimming
• Table Tennis
• Tennis

CULTURE

• Chess
• Choir
• Debating
• Drama
• Christian association (JAM)
• Junior City Council
• Music
• Public speaking
• Wildlife Society

SCHOOL FACILITIES

• 2 halls
• Swimming pool
• AstroTurf
• Library
• Computer centre
• Museum

SCHOLARSHIPS

The Theo Jackson Scholarship Fund is aimed at giving boys from underprivileged backgrounds the opportunity to attend a traditional boys' school.

NOTABLE GRADUATES

• Jake White
• Daryl Impey
• Wilf Rosenberg
• Herman Charles Bosman
• Eric Rowan