Farewell to a formidable editorial teacher

Inspiring a love of writing in her media team
After five years as the guardian teacher of the editorial team at M&K Gertze High School, Ms Dina Descande has handed over the reins to Ms Benjamin.
Dylan Haigira Ms Dina Descande is a teacher and passionate writer who has written poems, speeches and school anthems. As an English teacher for grades 10, 11, and AS, it is evident why she took on the responsibility of leading the editorial team. As the t
  • 5 Months Ago
Ms Dina Descande is a teacher and passionate writer who has written poems, speeches and school anthems.

As an English teacher for grades 10, 11, and AS, it is evident why she took on the responsibility of leading the editorial team. As the team's editorial teacher, Descande has ensured that the media team provides interesting, objective and unbiased news to the school, community and nation.

When we heard Descande was stepping down as the guardian teacher of the editorial team, we were devastated. We had to say goodbye not only to a teacher but also to a mentor, friend and most importantly, a role model.

Descande taught us hard work, commitment and dedication.

Leading the team

Since she was the only teacher involved in the editorial team, she has appointed other teachers to become involved in the team. It was not an easy job, but Descande made many sacrifices to ensure everything went smoothly. She was there, even if it meant staying after school hours, to assist us and make sure we met the expectations as a media team.

She pushed us to submit articles on time, and if we missed deadlines, she would say: "Excuses are the nails used to build a house of failure."

She always edited our articles to ensure we used appropriate vocabulary and headings and encouraged us to think outside the box, even if we didn’t see a box.

Her love for writing was evident.

For school events, she would write poems dedicated to the day's theme or event, whether it was Independence Day, Day of the African Child, or even the passing of our late president; she wrote a touching poem in his honour.

In 2022, Heroes Day was celebrated in Mariental, and our school participated in the celebrations. We decided to present a poem written by Descande, and unsurprisingly, one of the Hardap councillors was so impressed that he requested a copy of the poem.

Descande believes in quality work, and we, the media team members, always strive to deliver high-quality articles because she inspires us to do our best.

She has also expressed her gratitude towards the MyZone team, colleagues and learners who assisted and supported the media team. We salute Descande for the great impact she has had on our lives.