Week 2, wowee!

I can’t believe it’s Week 2. It feels like we’ve been back at school for a long time now, not because time drags on when you’re not having fun, but because of the sheer number of awesome activities the school has produced in the short amount of time we’ve been back!

Week 1 is always a blast, seeing the students after a massive break and getting to hear all their awesome stories and adventures while they were away. Over the past weekend, as I’m sure you’ve heard, PPN celebrated it’s 50^th birthday! And we celebrated with a massive party that lasted the whole weekend.

On Saturday, as we came together for Sabbath at Para Vista Seventh-day Adventist Church across the car park, we heard heartwarming stories from past staff reminiscing about the wonderful times they had while working here at PPN. Past teachers, students and principals all got up the front of church and shared their unique perspective on how God has moved through this school over the decades, and has miraculously cared for the school and its journey.

It was surprising and yet not surprising at the same time, to hear them talk of a culture that I had fallen in love with. Not surprising because I am here living it right now, and surprising because I never thought about how engrained in the history of this place its culture sat. God has been leading this place from the get-go, from 50 years ago. And the seeds that God planted in this place back then, are now beautiful fruit that we as a community get to enjoy every day we come to work, every day we step into the class to learn, every day we step onto the playground to supervise, every day we step into the church to worship, our community sits at a feast of opportunity prepared for them well before they knew about the banquet.

The following day on Sunday, a massive fun-filled day full of activities took place. Themes from each decade were expressed through a multitude of games. The treasures of a time capsule dating back to 1999 were on display and the entertaining letters form student’s past were hung on our hallways for all to enjoy. It was a truly special event. We re-sealed the time capsule with artworks and stories from all our current students, addressed to the future. We did so, praying that God blesses PPN over the next 25 years just as much as He’s blessed our last 25.

And just when we thought the fun was all over, the next day on Monday marked the beginning of our swimming week. Watching the students swim and listen to their instructors intently is always warming to watch. We live in a country surrounded by beautiful beaches and no ones a stranger to riverbanks and pools during the summer holidays. Seeing the students learn valuable life-saving skills disguised as fun and laughter with friends sparked the thought, “This is what real education looks like” in my mind.

I praise God that He’s returned our little ones back to us safely, and I’m thrilled He’s prepared our staff to hit the ground running this term. Let’s continue to pray for energy and patience for all our staff as a community. As they passionately pour into our kids during one of the busiest moments in our school calendar. I’m convinced that if I were in any other workplace, I’d be surrounded by zombies counting down the days till our next break.

But when I look around, I see smiles rushing at every opportunity to prepare and educate our kids in new and exciting ways. Praise God.

Toby Ackland