St David’s Marist School Alexandra Campus Hosts First Open Day
St David’s Marist Inanda School Alexandra Campus hosted its first Open Day at the school on May 25.
The school is a brainchild of St David’s Marist Inanda School in Sandton and St Hubert Catholic Church in Alexandra. The formation of the school came about when the late St Hubert’s Church priest Fr Ronald Cairns approached the St David’s Marist lnanda School with the idea of bringing catholic education back to Alexandra with the opening of a satellite high school campus for boys.
This was intended to build on the legacy of the old Holy Cross School, run by the Holy Cross Sisters from 1932 until 1962, when the school was forced to close down due to the apartheid government’s Bantu Education policy.
St David’s Marist Inanda Alexandra Campus opened its doors in January 2023 with a pioneer grade eight class, extending the tradition of academic excellence and achievement that the St David’s Marist Inanda School has built over eighty-two years and making quality education accessible for boys from Alexandra and surrounds.
Among the attendees were current students and parents from the Alexandra community who wish for their boys to attend the school next year.
The open day started with an opening prayer by St Hubert Church parish priest and school chaplain Fr Jeffrey Madondo OMI. His prayer was followed by a number of speeches from the Alexandra campus school principal, the Sandton school principal, a current parent and the headboy of the Sandton school. This was followed by a tour of the school’s classrooms and facilities.
Speaking on the sidelines of the event, St David’s Marist Inanda School Sandton executive headmaster Mike Thiel said that the primary intention of the Alexandra school campus was to ensure that quality education becomes available for the people of Alexandra on their doorstep.
“It’s all about making the people of Alexandra realise that one can achieve excellence in their own space. One doesn’t have to leave Alexandra to go and seek for excellence outside of the community. Whether it be for education or anything else,” he told The Southern Cross.
Fr Jeffrey Madondo OMI said that the open day was a wonderful example of what can be achieved when various educational communities across society come together for a common cause.
“The existence of this school on its own is a testament to what can and should happen when we rebuild on what was there before, in this case the old Holy Cross School with an eye into the future to rededicate the community of Alexandra to the ideals of faith-based Christian ethics and morality, and the nurturing of future leaders across society through educational excellence as embodied in Catholic education,” he said.
St David’s Marist Inanda School Sandton deputy head: Students Affairs Louis Manthata, a parishioner of the Regina Mundi Church in Soweto, said that in his view the Alexandra campus was in effect more than a school.
“I view the existence of this school as a calling by God to us as the St David’s Marist Inanda School community and the Catholic church, in general, to leave our comfort zones and serve Him through the upliftment of others, particularly in the community of Alexandra,” he told the Southern Cross.
Lara Klement, Head of Advancement at the Sandton campus outlined how the idea of starting the Alexandra campus was inspired by the Marist charism of reaching out to others in service to humanity.
“Service is fundamental to who we are as a Marist community. We’ve now extended this to the idea of social cohesion and excellence through education in a marginally advantaged social environment such as Alexandra through the St David’s Marist Inanda School Alexandra Campus.
We hope that this groundbreaking educational model will be replicated throughout Gauteng and the country by others,” she said.
Applications for the 2025 student intake of the St David’s Marist Inanda School Alexandra School Campus are now open. For further enquiries, please contact the school on the following contact details: Tel: (011) 215 7600, Email:
- A Celebration of Joy, Family & Jubilee Year at St John the Baptist Church In Pretoria - February 13, 2025
- Year of Jubilee Highlights Opening Mass at SACBC First Plenary Session - January 24, 2025
- Pretoria’s Mother Church Celebrates 104 Years - January 9, 2025