Children’s Creative Workshop (CCW) preschool and Point Dume Marine Science School hosted two seventh-grade students and their teacher from South Africa Jan. 20-29 for an educational visit. The students, Arid Meyer and Anuschka Van Neikerk, and their teacher, Reginald Newman, are from The Devon Valley School near Cape Town. Malibu’s CCW and Devon Valley Primary have a “Sister School” relationship. The Malibu school first made contact with the staff in 2006.
The Devon Valley School Board selected the girls based on their academic achievements, good character, desire to travel and English language skills (their first language is Afrikaans).
During their trip, the students visited the Long Beach Aquarium, Pepperdine University, Disneyland, Universal Studios, Olivera Street, Chinatown, Leo Politi School in Los Angeles, Huntington Gardens and Venice Beach, as well as Malibu’s local beaches, schools, churches and other sights.
The students and their teacher will present a report of their visit to their school board, staff and students when they return. The funds for the trip were raised at CCW’s annual fundraiser last May.
The Devon Valley School was started in a barn in 1942 and later moved to a church hall before its current building was built in 1984. The school serves 216 children in kindergarten through seventh grade with eight educators.
The school is located in South Africa’s wine region, and 95 percent of the students’ parents are farm laborers.