Ruzawi School

Ruzawi School
Ruzawi School Badge
Location
Marondera , Mashonaland East Zimbabwe
Coordinates	18°14′09″S31°33′19″E / 18.2359°S 31.5554°E / -18.2359; 31.5554
Information
Type	Independent, preparatory, boarding school
Motto	Learning Knights
Religious affiliation(s)	Christianity
Denomination	Anglican
Established	February 1928 [1]
Founders	Robert Grinham Maurice Carver
Oversight	Ruzawi Schools (Pvt) Ltd
Headmaster	Paul Davis
Gender	Co-educational
Age	6to 12
Number of pupils	231 (2016) [2]
Houses	Fairbridge, Grenfell
Song	Ruzawi Anthem
Sports	8
Affiliations	ATS CHISZ
Alumni	Ruzawi Old Pupils Association (R.O.P.A)
Website	www.ruzawischool.co.zw

Ruzawi School is an Anglican, ^[3] independent, co-educational, preparatory, boarding school for children aged 6 to 12. It is located near the town of Marondera in Zimbabwe. Ruzawi, which was founded by Robert Grinham and Maurice Carver, ^[4] has a pupil population ranging from 205 to 220 depending on the balance of boys and girls and the number of pupils in each age group. In the Infants' Department there is one class each for Grade One and Grade Two. An additional entry point at Grade Three enables there to be two classes from that level up to Grade 7. ^[5] The school is situated some five kilometres south of Marondera in extensive grounds surrounded by many hectares of indigenous miombo woodland and exotic eucalyptus plantations.

Ruzawi School is a member of the Association of Trust Schools (ATS) and the Head is a member of the Conference of Heads of Independent Schools in Zimbabwe (CHISZ). ^[6]

History

In 1926, Robert Grinham and Maurice Carver decided to establish a boys' school in Southern Africa. South Africa was a possible venue but eventually it was decided to establish the school in Zimbabwe (then Southern Rhodesia). Various sites were visited in and around the capital but the most suitable venue was a few miles south of the then village of Marandellas, now Marondera. ^[7]

The old Ruzawi Inn, for many years a staging post on the carriage and wagon route from the capital to the eastern border, was up for sale. Neither the new road nor the recently built railway passed close to the Inn, which was no longer, an essential stopping place for travelers. The bedrooms, dining room, kitchen and ancillary buildings proved ideal as both accommodation and classrooms for the newly established boys' boarding school. ^[8] An important use was found for the old stable building close to the inn. It was appropriately converted into the School Chapel. ^[9] The building, now over a hundred years old, is equally appropriately in use as the School Museum. ^[10] The founders of Ruzawi enlisted academic and domestic staff to help convert the Inn to a boys' boarding school. At the time, the boys attending Ruzawi ranged in age from seven to fourteen years. ^[10]

From 1932 to 1934 plans were discussed and finance arranged to replace the old buildings with the present large dormitory block. It became known as the Birchenough Building in recognition of the work Sir Henry Birchenough did on behalf of the school, particularly in the field of raising funds for the new buildings. ^[11] Other major events in the school's history include the building of the Robert Grinham Hall and the Maurice Carver Music Centre, the establishment of the Computer Centre. ^[10]

In 1955, the School Chapel was built. The Chapel is a memorial to the Ruzawi boys who died in the Second World War. ^[12]

In 1978, The Grinham Carver Trust was founded by the Ruzawi Old Boys Association (now the Ruzawi Old Pupils Association) on the occasion of its 25th anniversary and in honour of the school's founders. ^[13]

In 2003, Ruzawi School became co-educational with the acceptance of girls into the school's student body. ^[10]

In 2013, Ruzawi became a registered Cambridge International Examinations centre and adopted the Cambridge Primary curriculum. ^[14]

Motto

The motto is of special interest suggested to us in 1921 by Canon Arthur Davies, Principal of St. John's College, Agra, and later Dean of Worcester. In an old Northumbrian Gospel (circa A.D. 1150) the word disciple does not appear. When any mention is made of the followers of our Lord, the words used are "Learning Knights". It would be difficult to find two words which better define the aim of the Christian life for Prep. School boys. — Ruzawi: The Founding of a School. ^[15]

Academics

Ruzawi School, alongside the ZIMSEC Primary curriculum, adopted the Cambridge Primary curriculum which was developed by Cambridge International Examinations. ^{[14] [16]}

Sports

Ruzawi School offers the following sports: athletics, ^[17] cricket, ^[18] cross-country, ^[19] hockey, ^[20] netball, ^[21] rugby, ^[22] swimming ^[23] and tennis. ^[24]

Clubs and Societies

Ruzawi School has the following cultural and extramural activities: Ballet, ^[25] Conservation Club, ^[26] Cub Scouts, ^[27] Design and Technology Club, ^[28] Golf, ^[28] Guitar, ^[28] Music & Drama, ^[29] Squash, ^[28] Table Tennis, ^[28] WildLife Quiz. ^[28]

Houses

Within the school, students are divided up into two 'houses' that compete along academic and sporting lines. The houses are named Grenfell, represented by olive green and named after Julian Grenfell the first born of William Grenfell – Baron of Desborough; and Fairbridge, represented by light blue and named after Kingsley Fairbridge, a South African educator and statesman. The link between the houses, comes from the apt and fierce competition between Julian and Kingsley at Oxford University in the sport of Boxing.

Notable alumni

• Andy Blignaut - former Zimbabwean cricketer
• Ryan Higgins - former England under-19 cricketer
• Kennedy Tsimba - former Zimbabwean rugby union player
• Guy Whittall - former Zimbabwean cricketer

See also

• Springvale House
• List of schools in Zimbabwe

References

1. Geoffrey Gibbon (1973). Paget of Rhodesia: A Memoir of Edward, 5th Bishop of Mashonaland. Africana Book Society. pp. 39–. ISBN   978-0-949973-05-4. ... the Diocese should lend them £800 to get the school started, and that it should buy Cedric with its 30 or 40 acres as a site for a senior school. In February 1928 Ruzawi School opened with 19 boys. Looked at in one way it was a harebrained ...
2. "ATS CHISZ RUZAWI SCHOOL » » Schools Directory". ATS CHISZ. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
3. David McDermott Hughes (12 April 2010). Whiteness in Zimbabwe: Race, Landscape, and the Problem of Belonging. Springer. pp. 78–. ISBN   978-0-230-10633-8. In 1928, two ex-missionaries founded the Anglican Ruzawi School for whites outside Marondera because, as they later wrote, the area boasted a "climate as nearly perfect as could be found" (Carver and Grinham n.d.:25). Farmers, however ...
4. Rhodesiana. Vol. 39. Rhodesia Africana Society. 1978. pp. 75–. In 1928 two young men, the Reverend Robert Grinham — who is still a well loved and highly respected citizen of this district — and Maurice Carver opened our present Ruzawi School using the buildings of the old Ruzawi Inn. One can ...
5. "Ruzawi School – About Us". Ruzawi School. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
6. "ATS CHISZ Primary » » Schools Directory". ATS CHISZ. Retrieved 19 December 2015.
7. Seventy Five Proud Years: Pioneers and Progress of Rhodesia. H.C.P. Andersen. 1965. pp. 96–. Ruzawi School, Marandellas Rhodesia is fortunate in having a number of her schools situated in lovely surroundings far from the hustle of crowded centres, and often accommodated in attractive and beautiful buildings. Such a school is Ruzawi School ...
8. Publication ... of the Rhodesia Africana Society. 20-22. Rhodesia Africana Society. 1969. pp. 88–. The Ruzawi School is fortunate that its early days have been so well documented. ... It starts with the erection of Ruzawi Inn, built on twenty acres of land offered by Cecil Rhodes to anyone willing to establish a coach stop and provide shelter ...
9. Rotary Club, Marandellas, Southern Rhodesia. Marandellas: diamond jubilee, 1913-1973. pp. 51–. Robert Grinham and Maurice Carver, opened Ruzawi School using the buildings of the old Ruzawi Inn, 4 miles from ... the bar became the library, a nursing home (built in 1924-5) was adapted as a dormitory, and an old stable 50 yards ...
10. "Ruzawi School – History". Ruzawi School. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
11. George Henry Tanser; Phillippa Berlyn (1967). Rhodesian panorama. G. H. Tanser and P. Christie. pp. 136–. Sir Henry Birchenough of the Beit Trust came to the rescue and the school was bought out by a company — Ruzawi ... New buildings were put up in 1937 to create proper boarding facilities for the ninety pupils, but these were still not enough. ... Intervention of the Second World War halted the drive of the country's progress, but did little to remove the numbers off the long waiting list for Ruzawi School.
12. Winter Cricket: The Spirit of Wedza : a Collection of Biographies, Articles, Memories, and Recollections. S. Macdonald. 1 January 2003. pp. 91–. ISBN   978-0-7974-2721-1. ... He came to Rhodesia shortly after the Great War and served for a while with the British South Africa Company at ... On 2nd July 1955 he laid the foundation stone at the dedication of the Ruzawi School Chapel.
13. "Ruzawi School – Grinham Carver Trust". Ruzawi School. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
14. "Ruzawi School – Curriculum". Ruzawi School. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
15. "Ruzawi School – School Philosophies". Ruzawi School. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
16. "Ruzawi School - Zimbabwe Schools Guide". Zimbabwe Schools Guide. Retrieved 23 May 2016.
17. "Ruzawi School – Athletics". Ruzawi School. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
18. "Ruzawi School – Cricket". Ruzawi School. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
19. "Ruzawi School – Cross Country". Ruzawi School. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
20. "Ruzawi School – Hockey". Ruzawi School. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
21. "Ruzawi School – Netball". Ruzawi School. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
22. "Ruzawi School – Rugby". Ruzawi School. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
23. "Ruzawi School – Swimming". Ruzawi School. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
24. "Ruzawi School – Tennis". Ruzawi School. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
25. "Ruzawi School – Ballet". Ruzawi School. Retrieved 12 September 2015.
26. "Ruzawi School – Conservation Club". Ruzawi School. Retrieved 12 September 2015.
27. "Ruzawi School – Cub Scouts". Ruzawi School. Archived from the original on 18 January 2015. Retrieved 12 September 2015.
28. "Ruzawi School – Other". Ruzawi School. Retrieved 12 September 2015.
29. "Ruzawi School – Music & Drama". Ruzawi School. Retrieved 12 September 2015.

External links

• Ruzawi School Official website
• Ruzawi School Profile on the ATS website