2. The Alfred Mkhize Quad Bishop Alfred Mkhize was the first Chairman of the School Council. The quad near the hall was named after him in 1990, and he was presented with a school cap at the same time.
3. The Basketball Courts In the Wykeham days, what are now the basketball courts were tennis courts. Mini Tennis was played at St Nicholas in the early 1990s, but then the courts were converted first to netball courts, and later to courts for both basketball and netball.
4. Memorial benches Benches in memory of learners and staff who have died are found outside the Office. Their names also appear on the Memorial Board in the Chapel
5. The St Nicolights Board The Rev Frankie Thacker coined the Phrase “St Nicholights” at Prizegiving in 2001. This board usually has encouraging messages on it.
6. The Chapel In the early Wykeham days, what is now the Chapel was used as a San or Sick bay. It was built with donations from the Hodge family
7. The Chapel In 2000, the swimming Changing Rooms were converted into a Chapel for use by staff and learners. Staff who had been at St Nicholas during the first 10 years paid for the windows.
8. The Foyer Clock The Gr 12s of 2010 collected money to buy a clock for the Foyer. The Gr 7s have been giving gifts to the school since the mid 1990s. Many of their gifts of benches are used every day.
9. The Car Park Before 2000, the car park was a dusty or muddy field where teachers’ cars broiled in the sun or got stuck in the mud. In 2000, the driveway and the first shaded parkings were installed.
10. The Old Gates Mr Singh, Grounds Manager in the 1990s, found these gates in a room under the Grade 7 classroom, and hung them between the car park and the playground.
11. The Honours Board For the school’s 15th Birthday in 2005, an Honours Board to remember learners who had achieved Provincial or National colours in different disciplines was set up. It is found in the Foyer
12. The Foundation Phase Playground When the school started in 1990, there was no playground equipment, only a big hole where a trampoline had been taken out when Wykeham moved up the hill to TWC. Swings were the first things installed
13. The School Bakkie A grey VW kombi was purchased for the school in the early 1990s, and was the only vehicle for almost 10 years. We now have 4 STNICS vehicles.
14. The “Broekie Lace” Fence This fence was originally on the outside of the school and was our barrier between Loop Street and the school. As security was tightened, the fence was moved inside to create a barrier at the end of the van Velden Lawn.
15. The Lottering Shield This shield was donated by the Lottering family. Mrs CharmaineLottering ran the Aftercare for many years, and all 4 of her children – Jethro, Paddy, Cindy and Candice - attended the school. The shield was carved by their father.
16. The MofokengTrophy for Leadership This trophy was donated in memory of Mr Joel Mofokeng, a member of staff for 10 years. It is made from the Nkosi headband that he gave to Mr Ford.
17. The Railway Line Bell This “Bell” was used in Wykeham days to let the grounds and domestic staff know when it was lunch time. In recent years, we have used it to note a minute of silence at midday, as we pray for peace.
18. The Plane Tree This wonderful, shady tree was planted in former staff member – Mrs Yvonne Poole’s_ first year of teaching at Wykeham School.
19. The Swimming Pool When the pool was built by Wykeham in the 1960s, it was the only school pool in Pietermaritzburg deep enough for diving. The pool was completely renovated in 2008.
20. The van Velden Lawn Still commonly known as “The headmaster’s lawn”, this lawn was named after Mr Anthony van Velden, Founder principal of St Nicholas in 1990. It is still forbidden for children to walk across it.
21. The Workshop When St Nicholas took over the buildings from Wykeham in 1990, what is now the workshop was the old laundry. It had been gutted by fire, but the old stone wash troughs were still there.
22. The Wykeham Gate This gate used to be on Loop (JabuNdlovu) Street, opposite the Hall doors out onto the lawn. It was moved in 2000 when a wall and fence, making the front of the school more secure, were installed. The gate is now between the playground and the Library.
23. How did you do? What was your score out of 21? Did you learn something new?
