The 2025 Chronicle

with guidance from Ms Riette White. Having a high-quality set of materials that ensure consistency across all the E Block class es is an integral part of keeping high standards of learning for our junior boys. A significant portion of our Michaelhouse-curated D Block cur riculum focuses on understanding and pursuing investing. To this end, the D Blockers register on the Investopedia trading platform, which allows them to simulate the New York Stock Exchange, whilst learning how to buy, sell and analyse shares. In 2025 we also continued with our aim to register all our D Block boys on the Easy Equities trading platform, in conjunc tion with Mr Justin Pearse, of the Purple Group (under which Easy Equities resides). Registering on this app enables the boys to simulate the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, as well as begin their investment journey on the JSE, whilst ensuring that the protection of parental approval for any investments made is incorporated. To assist us in the registration and ed ucation process on the platform, Mr Pearse addressed all our D Block boys on the fundamental principles of investment. His message of “starting young”, to capitalise on compounding, is in line with the Economics Department’s vision of having our boys equipped to engage in real-world investing from their D Block year onwards. Our senior classes focus on delving into more intensive eco nomic theory. As such, we provide curated extension opportuni ties that are voluntary for the boys. These are in the form of an olympiad, mentorship for entering the John Locke Global Essay Prize, an Econo-thon and the SA Reserve Bank’s monetary pol icy committee schools challenge. In 2025 we had three groups of A Block Economics boys who wanted to enter the MPC challenge. This competition pro vides an opportunity for matric Economics pupils from schools around the country to explore how the MPC sets the repo rate,

and prepare essays in the format of the MPC statement. Ms Annabel Bishop (chief economist at Investec) once again as sisted us in evaluating the Michaelhouse groups’ statements. She selected the best entry from our three groups, which was then entered into the challenge. The Michaelhouse team consisted of Reily Elliot (acting as Reserve Bank governor), Lerotholi Seeiso, Simon Bailes and Oliver Bruyns. The Reserve Bank judging panel chose them as one of the top ten finalists out of more than 800 essay submissions. They travelled to Pretoria, where they delivered their final MPC statement in front of a board of judges, many of whom are senior economists at the Reserve Bank, and held a question-and-answer session afterwards. The winners were announced at a gala function, where Michaelhouse placed third and were awarded their prize by Lesetja Kganyago, the Governor of the SA Reserve Bank. This is an incredible achievement and we are enormously proud of Reily, Lerotho li, Simon and Oliver for their intellectual flexibility and insight into economic affairs. Additionally, the team unanimously decided to donate their prize money to their AP Mathematics teacher Mr Paul de Wet’s Shaya Izibalo Maths Institute (SIMI). The institute provides mathematics resources and educational support to under-re sourced schools, a cause the boys felt passionately about, believing that “a decent mathematics education should be a right for all”. Their decision was two-fold: firstly, to honour Mr de Wet’s exceptional contribution to their Mathematics education, and secondly, to acknowledge that “to whom much is given, much is expected”. 2025 proved to be a successful year for the Michaelhouse Eco nomics Department. We aim to continue pushing the boundar ies of traditional schooling, and intentionally create young men of thought and understanding.

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