50 years of Happy Days

A Somerset West preschool that has become synonymous with a high standard of education, celebrates its semicentennial this year.

It will be the happiest of days for Happy Days Pre-primary School when the learning institution blows out 50 candles on their birthday cake this July.

“[I am] extremely proud of how the school has grown from strength to strength, and of what the school has achieved. I am very excited about taking the school forward,” said principal Darlene Galloway, who took over the reins from the beloved Bridget Vermaak, who served as principal from January 2020 until December 2021.

The passionate educator and lifelong learner boasts 35 years’ of foundation phase teaching and leadership experience.

The school, located in Reservoir Road, was established in 1972 and opened its doors at the Coronation Avenue Methodist church on 12 July.

The preschool was founded by former principal Doris Rönner with the support of church members, Reverend D. McCrystal, Mrs U. Pienaar and Helen Tough, and operated from the church hall.

Owing to limited space coupled with the inconvenience of running a school in a hall, a proper school building was a matter of urgency. Following a petition, the municipality identified and leased an open parcel of land to the Happy Days Committee, who later secured a building loan for the construction of a formal school building.

The school’s third birthday coincided with the start of the building construction at its current premises in the Parel Vallei community in July 1975. Back then the location was devoid of residential homes, and Bulties Way and Oldenland Road were gravel roads; there was no Parel Vallei High School, just open fields, and no fences around what was to be the small parking area; only the playground was secured.

Following the completion of the school’s construction in 1976, altogether 66 learners entered the doors of the new building at the start of the academic year, eager to be taught by three qualified teachers including the principal.

“Every area of the school, inside and out, had to be started from scratch,” recalled Suzanne Martin, whose journey with Happy Days started when she joined as a teacher in July 1978.

“Fundraising and parents’ support aided in the slow but steady progress and success of the school. There were no plastic products nor photocopiers and staff had to improvise classroom materials and sand play apparatus for many years.

“Every bit of equipment was bought on a shoestring and appreciated with great respect by staff and learners.” Martin served as principal from 1998 until December 2019.

From its humble beginnings, Happy Days continued to go from strength to strength, living up to its aims and objectives of providing quality learning for all preschoolers in a happy, stimulating and professional educational environment, and working in the spirit of harmony and partnership with the parent community to facilitate learners’ full spiritual, intellectual, emotional, social and physical growth.

Before long, an increase in learner numbers set a new goal – the expansion of the existing facility.

By 2000 it became priority to expand infrastructure, adding a new entrance, administrative offices, storerooms and car park. Martin said the process, hindered by red tape, took almost 10 years of planning.

The school expanded in 2006 and by January 2007 ushered in a new era with a new-look, further modernised by replacing the old steel windows and door frames with aluminium years later.

Fast-forward to the present day and Happy Days is an independent pre-primary school partially subsidised by the provincial education department.

It accommodates 90 learners (in two Grade R classes and one Grade RR class) and has nine permanent staff members including teaching assistants.

Among a list of successes the preschool boasts is being awarded for excellence by the education department; hosting memorable concerts and fun days; its outstanding outdoor playground; maintaining the special ethos that is Happy Days and a sense of forever belonging to the “Happy Days family” for learners, parents or staff members; learner achievements in all areas of their future schooling (such as head boys and girls), sporting achievements as well as successful entrepreneurs and professionals in their adult careers; and boasting a third generation of Happy Days learners and becoming a family tradition for many previous learners

Other successes include the annual Happy Days Matric Reunion (a tradition since 1992 and greatly looked forward to by all past learners in their matric year) and the Happy Days train, which has a history of its own has won over many a little boy wanting to attend the school with the big train!

“[Our wish is] that Happy Days will remain the warm, welcoming place that it is and that our parents will know that we are always available to support them, as we prepare their children for formal schooling together,” said Galloway, who expressed gratitude for the ongoing support received from the community. She implored parents of prospective preschoolers to give the school a call and arrange to see what Happy Days has to offer.

Put a face to the name

Secretary Natalie Goble, whose two children attended Happy Days, served on the school’s governing body until her last child left the school in 2010. In 2012, Goble returned to the school to serve as secretary.

Butterflies teaching assistant Patricia Carelse started at Happy Days in the housekeeping position for two years and would fill in for assistants in the classroom when they were ill. “I’ve always loved butterflies; they remind me that it’s never too late to transform yourself. I used to talk to the Lord and I said: ‘One day if I can be an assistant, please can it be in the Butterfly class?’ and here I am! I wake up excited to go work.”