Helpmekaar Kollege is a private Afrikaans medium co-educational high school situated in Braamfontein, in the city of Johannesburg in the Gauteng province of South Africa. History Helpmekaar was the first Afrikaans high school in Johannesburg. The school was started by a group of Afrikaners who wanted their children to have an alternative to English high schools. The school was officially started in 1921 in the Irene Church opposite the Union Ground. Construction of the school started on 19 September 1925 with the foundation stone being laid by General Barry Hertzog. The land was donated by the Johannesburg City Council at Milner Park, Braamfontein. The school badge was designed by a matric pupil of 1925, A.J. Lessing. The slogan of the school "KOMAAN" was derived from a poem by Jan F. E. Celliers by the same title. Literally translated, Komaan Helpmekaar means “come on, help each other”. Campus The Helpmekaar Campus is situated on the corner of Empire and Melle Street, Braamfontein, Johannesburg. The school building consists of five parts: The Old Building (with the clock tower on top) The Newer Buildings The Terraces The Far East The DI Hub The school also has a rugby field, uniform shop, three tennis courts, two netball practice courts, two halls, a swimming pool and a boarding house. Curriculum Helpmekaar follows the IEB curriculum. Pupils are also given the opportunity to write the SAT, a standardized college admission test used in the United States, in Grade 11. Extracurricular activities The school offers a wide variety of extracurricular activities including: Sports Rugby Netball Tennis Hockey Swimming Cricket Adventure Racing Athletics Cross country Chess Golf Orientation Squash Equestrian E-Sports Mountain biking Cultural Choir Eisteddfod School paper Speech guild Debating Public speaking Dancing Orchestra ATKV (Afrikaans Cultural Organisation) School production Academic Hip2B2 Robotix Afrikaans Olympiad English Olympiad Mathematics Olympiad General Knowledge Olympiad Traditions School uniform Helpmekaar's school uniform has a style that forms part of the school's traditions and past. The basic uniform mainly consists of a brown blazer with a khaki jersey and white shirt, brown tie and khaki trousers or shorts for boys and a khaki dress for girls. Boys always wear caps, while girls always wear bashers. Girls do not have to wear ties during summer (except matrics; see below) and in winter they are allowed to wear long khaki pants or dark tights. The school has special, striped blazers for learners who perform