“Dennoch Fest und Frei” – steadfast and free in spite of all odds, is the motto of Wartburg Kirchdorf School and we have managed to uphold a hard working ethos amongst our learners for over 135 years.
The School has been closely associated with the growth of the German community in the district, which has its roots among the first settlers who came to Natal in 1848. The German settlers around Noodsberg Road founded the first church and school at Kirchdorf in 1881. Following from then, the Wartburg Church and School came into existence in 1892. In 1931, the two congregations, after many difficult negotiations, decided to have a combined school, Wartburg Kirchdorf Government School, which would serve the community better than two separate schools. This school was situated in High Street, Wartburg.
As more and more farmers began to settle in the area, the new Wartburg Kirchdorf School grew steadily and was given a tremendous boost during the 1960’s when a sugar mill was built in the district. This brought many more people to the area and the Wartburg Kirchdorf School had grown from strength to strength ever since. With the expansion of the numbers of learners, a separate site for the High School was found in Fountainhill Road and the Primary and High Schools separated in 1974.
Since 1881 the Schools in Wartburg were dedicated to the quality of education of the children from the district. This drive for quality led representatives from the Wartburg Kirchdorf Schools (both Primary and High) to engage in discussions that resulted in the promotion of the amalgamation of the two campuses into one facility at the “High School” premises in 1997.
The actual process of moving the Primary School was done very efficiently by a concentrated community effort. Children at the old school were sent home for four days, from Tuesday to Friday and by Monday the job was done, with a few minor tasks outstanding. Some minor building changes were effected. Mr Göhring retired as the last principal of the Wartburg Kirchdorf Primary School in 1997.
In 2000 plans were put forward to establish a Pre-Primary at the School and after some slight modifications the Pre-Primary was opened for business in January 2001.
This School has undergone many changes over the years and has grown from its very humble beginnings, into a School with a proud reputation for consistent academic excellence, steadfast and free despite of all odds.