The 2025 Chronicle

MEDIA CENTRE

Written by Mr Jed Coventry

demic requirement but as part of a broader culture of conver sation, self-development and shared intellectual life. This culture reached one of its high points during Library Week in March, when the Makan Centre became a lively festi val of participation and curiosity. Sessions on neurodiversity, 3D printing for beginners, mind-and-body wellness, marathon running, barista skills, culinary experience and reptiles reflect ed an expansive understanding of learning that reached well beyond the conventional classroom. The week culminated in a live Zoom interview with Nigerian author Femi Kayode, father of two Michaelhouse Old Boys, whose 2021 novel Lightseek ers was studied as the C Block setwork. Hosted through the Makan Centre with a live audience gathered in the MLT, the event gave boys the rare opportunity to engage directly with the writer behind a text they had encountered in class. In do ing so, it transformed a prescribed novel into a living conver sation about story, voice and contemporary African writing. Kayode’s connection to the school added warmth and imme diacy to the occasion, while his stature as a serious novelist lent real intellectual substance to the discussion. The week closed with an exuberant open-mic night that invited boys and staff alike into music, reading, performance, humour and cre ative self-expression. Taken together, these events captured the Media Centre at its best: intellectually serious, but also warm, energetic and open to many kinds of talent. That same spirit increasingly shaped the academic use of the centre. In April, departments were given a lesson-ideas pack intended to encourage staff to think of the Media Centre as an extension of the classroom rather than simply a venue to be booked. The response was encouraging. English and isiZu lu used the green-screen studio for literature-based projects, Founders filmed a Mother’s Day message, Life Sciences set a 12-lesson project-based learning module in the centre, and the Michaelhouse Entrepreneurship, Leadership and Networking Society hosted filmed interviews with Old Boys Jason McCor mick and Jacques Burger. These examples showed that the centre was becoming more deeply embedded in the school’s academic and co-curricular life. This academic current found particularly compelling expres sion in FutureBuilders 2025 during Integrated Studies Week, when E Block boys were challenged to imagine Michaelhouse in 2050. Each House identified a problem, carried out re search, built a website, filmed a pitch, produced a working model, and presented to judges. The resulting projects, which ranged from hydroponic and sustainability solutions to mod ular learning environments and student media concepts, demonstrated how naturally the Media Centre now supports research, design thinking, media production, collaboration and problem-solving. It was a strong example of the centre’s growing ability to bridge traditional academic enquiry with practical, future-orientated learning. The same movement from scholarship to application could be seen in the achievements of boys working at a high level be yond the ordinary classroom programme. That strength was car ried further in May when Sihle Ludonga, Thomas Wayne, Brent Tayengwa and Gabriel Isabwa represented Michaelhouse in the IEB TechWays Hackathon 2025 as House of Logic. Their AI-driv en solution, designed to improve taxi transport efficiency by mod

“The time for small thinking is over. The time for trivial fights is behind us.” – Donald Trump

The Media Centre consolidated its place in 2025 as one of Michaelhouse’s most dy namic academic spaces, serving simultane ously as a library, study venue, print and textbook hub, maker space, studio, and collaborative teach ing environment. More important than the range of functions was the growing coherence between them. Rather than operating as separate services alongside one an other, the library, print room and Makan Centre worked more convincingly as a single academic ecosystem in which read ing, research, creativity, production and innovation continually strengthened one another. The year began with a strong sense of purpose and possibility. Boys and staff returned to Book Blasts that highlighted new arrivals and the creative possibilities of the Maker-Lab and Studio, while guidance on accessing ebooks and audiobooks through Snapplify reinforced the department’s commitment to reading across both physical and digital platforms. Early Febru ary’s observance of World Read Aloud Day set a fitting tone for the months that followed by emphasising reading as a shared, communal act that builds confidence, empathy and connection. At the same time, firmer operational foundations were put in place. New handbooks for the Makan Centre brought greater consistency to expectations around hours, noise levels, book ings, security and shared use of the space. The Outlook-based booking system gave staff and boys clearer access to the centre for class projects and individual work, whereas new equipment widened the range of what could practically be done there. Four Creality K-series 3D printers, a Falcon 2 Pro laser cutter, up graded camera equipment, and portable green-screen set-ups significantly broadened the Maker-Lab and studio’s capacity. This future-facing spirit was already visible during SW@M week end, when visiting scholars rotated through masterclasses in bridge building, drone racing, a library scavenger hunt, and social media production. These sessions served as an early demonstration of the centre’s interdisciplinary potential and the kind of active, hands-on learning it can uniquely support. Reading culture remained central throughout the year, and Mrs Melissa Ross played a major role in ensuring that the library’s public face was lively, inviting and imaginative. Love Your Library Month in February brought the Valentine’s Ten Word Story or Poem Challenge, a themed photobooth, and a visible celebration of student and staff participation. Maximil lian Murray, Mrs Paula Meyer and Griffon Erasmus were rec ognised among the winning entries, and Khethelo Mazibuko won the lucky draw. Around the same time, Book Talk: Read, Share, Grow was launched as a reading and discussion fo rum that encouraged boys and staff to engage with books in a more social and reflective way. With Atomic Habits as the opening selection and Rise by Siya Kolisi following thereafter, the initiative helped position reading not simply as an aca

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