Dear Novaneers,
Welcome to 2025, and to another exciting year of learning, growth and achievement!
I hope you are as excited about the year ahead as I am! Be it in class, on the sports field, on a stage or on a school trip – the joy of learning, the striving to develop what lies within you, and the discovery of what you are capable of when you do – is one of life’s most rewarding opportunities. It is a discovery that you are capable of more than you previously knew yourself to be. It is what I call the “I can” discovery, and one of the core reasons we started Nova Pioneer a decade ago. It energises the start of each school year. So much possibility and discovery lies ahead!
I hope you are ready to dig into a new year of possibility! Whether you are a returning Novaneer or you are joining Nova Pioneer for the first time; whether you are entering grade 1 or grade 12; whether you in the past have taken school in stride or found it to be really challenging; dig into this year as the new experience that it is. Each new year is a new opportunity to try new things, build new positive habits, build new friendships and strengthen old ones, and discover more about who you can be. Embrace our six culture principles of Joy of Learning, Always Growing, High Expectations, Greater Together, Solutions First and Servant Leadership… and commit to yourself to being 1% better every day.
As we look ahead to 2025, let us also appreciate and celebrate the legacy that Novaneer students are already building. With 360 graduates in the Class of 2024 globally, Nova Pioneer has now graduated over 1,500 young innovators and leaders. They have been admitted to over 100 different universities worldwide, including all of South Africa’s leading universities. Academically, our students have achieved 90-100% annual pass rates on the rigorous Cambridge A-levels exams. In primary school, our sixth graders consistently meet or exceed international benchmarks on Cambridge’s English, Science and Maths exams. As they have achieved academically, they have also built stronger habits of scholarship and the joy of learning to last a lifetime.
Beyond the classroom, in 2024 our Novaneers took full advantage of our Innovation and Leadership programmes, competing in the World Robotics Olympiad, launching a first annual Nova Pioneer Shark Tank social entrepreneurship competition, presenting at science fairs and getting immersed in weekly Exploration classes. In 2024, our students were also active on the sports field – at school; at the InterNova festivals that bring together different Nova Pioneer campuses to compete and connect; and by competing with other schools. With the expansion of our competitive sports programme and facilities across our senior schools – particularly for netball and soccer— our senior school student athletes now have more opportunities than ever to compete with other schools, and to learn the lessons and build the relationships that come from committed teamwork. We look forward to continuing to grow competitive sporting opportunities for Novaneers across both primary and senior schools.
Last year I made a point of connecting with more of our alumni. They are remarkable young women and men, pursuing paths of growth and contribution in diverse fields. Already our alumni have started companies, are leading social initiatives, and have developed technical innovations that our schools are using to support student learning. In 2024 we held our 3rd annual Global Alumni Summit, an event that brings together Novaneer alumni from across the continent for developmental workshops, peer network building, and guest speakers that have included inspiring African leaders and innovators such as Chimamanda Adichie, William Kamkwamba, Fred Swaniker, Ndidi Nwuneli, and Jocelyne Muhutu-Rémy. In 2024 we even hired our first Nova Pioneer alumnus as a colleague!
As you can tell, I am very proud of our students, and of the faculty and staff who support their growth! While I am proud of their achievements, I am most proud when I see our students live and lead our six culture principles. Those are the values, mindsets and behaviours that make us Novaneers. I invite you to learn about them, interrogate them, make meaning of them for yourself… and then please own, live and lead them. While there are as many ways to be a Novaneer as there are Novaneers, what binds us as a community are our educational mission and our six culture principles. The culture principles hold tremendous positive power for each of us individually, and for all of us collectively as a community, country, continent and world.
So welcome to 2025! Welcome to a new year of possibility and discovery. I look forward to bearing witness to your growth!
Warmly,
Chinezi
CEO, Nova Pioneer
