History

On 1 May 1860, the Rev P.D. Lückhoff, head of the Rhenish Mission Church at Stellenbosch, founded a private school for girls. It was to provide schooling for the daughters of the Rhenish missionaries who were stationed in South Africa (for more than 30 years already) and would otherwise have had to send their daughters to school in Germany. In the first year there were only 8 pupils in the school but by 1866 there were already 47 girls, many of whom were from the wider Stellenbosch community and not just the daughters of the German missionaries.

The first Rhenish Girls' school was housed in a cottage in Alexander Street. In 1862 the school was moved to larger premises owned by Rev. Terlinden (now the P.J. Olivier Art Centre/the Rhenish Institute) and here hostel facilities were also provided. By 1874 Rhenish was training teachers and in 1877 the first candidates from Rhenish entered for the university examinations. Even then, Rhenishers were taking great strides as women in a male-dominated world.

In 1882 The Rev Jacob Weber came as a missionary to the Rhenish Church and became very involved in the Rhenish School, playing a vital role in keeping the school open and self-supporting during the depression of the 1890s, when other schools were forced to shut.

In 1901 the Rhenish Institute was taken over by the government and Rhenish became a state school. Our badge was designed in 1904 and in 1906 the main building of the Rhenish Institute became the administrative and boarding complex and the new school building was officially opened on the Braak. Over the next 50 years the school increased its enrolment every year.

By 1958, the school was beginning to out-grow its premises and a decision was made to it split in two - a high and a primary section. The high school moved to the present premises in Krigeville, whilst the primary school remained in the original buildings on the Braak. In 1984 the Primary School moved to its new (current) premises opposite the high school and the old buildings now house the PJ Olivier Art Centre (and also the regional offices of the Education Department).

Rhenish Girls' High has a long tradition of valuing diversity and inclusivity and it is no surprise that we were one of the first government schools to open its classrooms to all races in 1991.

In 2005, thanks to the co-operative teaching programme between Rhenish Girls' High School and Paul Roos Gymnasium, our girls became eligible to apply for Rhodes Scholarships upon completion of their first degrees. So strong are the Rhenish applications for this that five of our old girls have been awarded this prestigious scholarship.

Always on the forefront of progress and development, Rhenish Girls' High School has grown in number of learners and of staff as well as in our subject offering and ways of teaching. Infrastructure development has seen the addition and revamping of classrooms and the establishment of the Letitia Snyman Astro (named after a previous Principal), the building of an Aquatic centre and a computer centre.

We aim always to stay one step ahead of developments in education and Rhenish Girls' High is a leader in the field of eLearning. Our eLearning journey began in 2015 and the teachers have really made huge strides in leveraging the Learning Management System (GoogleClass and ITSI). It is in no small way thanks to this progressive and forward thinking approach that Rhenish Girls' High was well-positioned to take on distance learning when many schools were crippled by the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. Our teachers and learners quickly adapted to remote teaching/learning and while the social impact was certainly felt, staff ensured that the academic progress and results of our learners largely remained unaffected.

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Rhenish Girls' High celebrates its birthday on 1 May every year. Our celebrations are legendary resembling more a wonderful birthday party rather than a sombre remembrance. Every learner is grateful to be part of this celebration and part of the Rhenish Sisterhood.

In the words of Ms Helmien Slabber, Principal (2011 - 2023), "Rhenish Girls' High School has an indominable spirit. Through the Boer War, two World Wars and a global pandemic we have been tested. But through adversity, on each occasion, a new, stronger and more resilient Rhenisher rises. The Rhenish spirit is strong and the Rhenisher who emerges from our hallways at the end of her Grade 12 year has the steel to overcome challenges, to adapt to new ways and, always, to RISE. "