Educator Subjects and Roles

Jennifer Wallace started her teaching career in 1996 at St Cyprian’s School, in the History and English Departments, and became the Deputy Principal of the school 15 years later. Over the course of her teaching career, she has been fortunate to have had many opportunities to travel – teaching short courses on Apartheid and post-Apartheid South African history in Denmark, the USA, Canada, England, and Peru, and helping to lead international service projects, cultural history tours, and conferences with learners to various countries. These experiences helped to shape her firm belief in a holistic approach to education that is of global relevance, while at the same time remaining firmly rooted in, and committed to, the South African educational landscape.

In 2014 she completed her MPhil (specialising in Educational Administration, Planning and Social Policy) degree through the University of Cape Town and began her part-time study towards her PhD a few years later, graduating in 2020. Her thesis, entitled ‘The Gift of a Scholarship: The reflective accounts of scholarship recipients attending elite secondary schools in post-apartheid South Africa’, focuses on the narrated experiences of scholarship students from historically disadvantaged communities who attended elite secondary schools in South Africa. A book based on this research, and co-authored with Dr Jennifer Feldman, has been published by Springer Nature as a part of their international Cultural Studies and Transdisciplinary in Education series.

In January 2020 Dr Wallace was appointed the Principal of Wynberg Girls’ High School and is very proud to lead this dynamic, diverse, and values-driven public school. Her key focus areas in this position include: ensuring that WGHS constantly builds upon its fine reputation for academic excellence and relevance; empowering our learners to be self-sufficient, inquisitive, and compassionate critical thinkers and engaged, environmentally-aware citizens; creating an inclusive environment in which all can find a sense of belonging and feel valued; ensuring opportunities for growth and the building of character by means of involvement in a wide range of cultural, sporting, and service-driven activities; creating dynamic learning spaces to inspire and support our educational vision; and investing in relationships with strategic partners to the benefit of our school and our community.

A warm welcome to Wynberg Girls’ High School! Founded in 1884, we are proudly recognised as one of South Africa’s preeminent public schools for girls, and all who consistently identify as girls. Wynberg Girls’ High School embraces a values-driven approach to education, with our identified core values of Integrity, Inclusivity, Courage, Accountability, Respect, and Empathy forming the foundation of our approach to who we are, all we do, and what we stand for. We believe in providing holistic opportunities for exploration, growth, and development through our wide range of activities offered in each of our four Pillars (Academics, Culture, Service and Sport) in addition to our two Portfolios (Communication and Sustainability).

On the academic front, we are firmly established within the annual Top Twenty Schools of Excellence in the Western Cape by means of our Grade 12 National Senior Certificate results, as awarded by the Western Cape Education Department. We recognise that in addition to cognitive engagement and curiosity, learning is an emotional experience. As such, we believe that by creating a happy and inclusive environment in which all can find a sense of belonging, and providing the physical infrastructure to support our teaching practices, our learners will be inspired to challenge themselves, and each other, in their pursuit of knowledge and understanding.

It is both an honour and a privilege to be the Principal of this wonderful school. I hope that whether you are a learner, an educator, a parent, and Alumnae, or a visitor, you are as inspired by this place as I am and that together we will continue to produce young women and leaders of character who will make a significant and positive mark on this world.