St Joseph’s Preparatory and College is stepping into an exciting new chapter as they welcome Alan Webster as the new school principal and unveil a new school building.
With a vision of academic excellence, a passion for nurturing young minds, and more than 33 years of teaching under his belt, Webster has expressed his excitement with the new challenge in an all-new environment.
“A new school, that was built literally in the past three years, offers an incredible opportunity to create something excitingly different in East London. It feels as though we are artists with a blank canvas, about to paint with any colours that we wish to us.
“In my case, it’s a jazz gig with a new band, fresh music and an enthusiastic audience. Every day I greet a sea of faces, fresh and eager to learn and who trust that we will feed them what they need to achieve their goals. The staffroom of every school is filled with good people making an impact on society. Who would get tired of that?” Webster said.
Webster has made a name for himself, not only as an educator but also as a jazz instructor, having founded the Stirling jazz band and leading it to earn worldwide accolades.
“The response has been humbling and people have been kind in their words and deeds. My wife and I had lunch at a restaurant on Saturday and when I asked for the bill it came back as zero with a little note saying, ‘Thanks for what you taught me’. It was from a 2003 past pupil having lunch there with his son who noticed us and paid for our meal! I’ve really enjoyed settling into the new school and position and have felt very welcome.
“As I was walking through the foundation phase the other afternoon, a little guy ran up and hugged me, so I’m feeling accepted,” Webster said.
Peter King shared his congratulatory words in a Facebook post. “I don’t doubt that St Joseph’s will thrive under Alan’s leadership, and Stirling will be the poorer. He is one of the gems of SA’s school landscape,” King said.
The new building is a mirror image of the preparatory building that was completed in 2023 and will be used by all the college students.
Construction on the school’s shared hall is said to be completed by the second term.
According to Webster, what makes this building so special is the modern design.
“The architecture, which was designed by local company Imbono, is unusual for a school, emphasising light and space as well as the stunning views of nature each classroom has.
“It is technologically modern, with solar power, fibre cabling and the latest trends throughout,” Webster said.
The school still has more plans of improvement, ranging from expanding the list of extramural activities to possibly establishing IEB systems.
