Work hard, play hard – matrics eye year ahead

As the matric students of 2025 begin their final year of school, the SA Jewish Report asked them to tell us their expectations. Here are a selection of their responses.

Cape Town Torah High

Minna Wineberg

I expect to make the most of my learning and grow in Yiddishkeit. I’m excited to finish high school, but it’s sad to be leaving this amazing school after six great years.

Batsheva Popack

As I start my final year of school, it’s bittersweet, but I’m excited to make the most of it. I want to take every opportunity to grow and create memories. I hope to use this time to prepare myself for what’s ahead while appreciating what I’ve had here.

Esti Hecht

I expect to grow in secular and Jewish studies. It’s bittersweet knowing it’s my last year, but I hope to make amazing lasting memories and finish strong.

Yedidya Ziegler

I’m looking forward to pushing myself and exploring who I am. Many opportunities will come, and I plan to take them with both hands. I can’t wait to see how this year changes my identity and perspective.

Mendy Silman

I intend to focus on my studies this year, and expect to grow and learn a lot. I know matric won’t be easy, but I’m prepared and excited for it. Although I feel sad that my school career is almost over, I look forward to the new experiences that the future holds.

Matteo Coscia

I want to make the most of this year, to create as many amazing experiences as possible for myself and my friends, and use this opportunity to realise my leadership potential. I would also love to push myself academically and grow personally and spiritually.

Yeshiva College

Jacob Hoffmann

I hope to have a school year where I can achieve the results I want by working hard. I also hope to have a meaningful and powerful final year.

Yoel Krasner

Matric will be the hardest yet most fulfilling year of my life. It will set the course of the rest of my life.

Yehuda Galvad Schneiderman

A year filled with valuable memories and expansion of knowledge.

Elnatan Sosnovik

I’m expecting a tough year in which I learn about hard work, dedication, and discipline, and find out a lot about myself.

Brett Joffe

Matric is going to be like a road in South Africa – there’ll be a few potholes along the way, but you keep going forward.

Josh Uria

I’ll strive to work consistently so that I can work hard, play hard.

Akiva Bome

I expect my year to be a hard but fulfilling year filled with opportunities to grow, achieve my goals, and make unforgettable memories with my friends.

Jonty Price

I’m excited to see where this year takes me – inside and outside the classroom.

Liav Lewus

I’m excited to reach this milestone, meeting all my expectations and cementing awesome friendships. Leaving Yeshiva College proud and fulfilled, with hard work and good times!

Madison Matthews

I expect my year to be challenging and rewarding. I look forward to creating lasting memories, achieving my goals, and embracing every opportunity to make this final year unforgettable.

Ella Trope

I’m looking forward to being a part of the wider community after school. I’m also excited to have a year of fun and new firsts with classmates and friends.

Yael Willemse

I expect it will be stressful and time-consuming. However, provided I work hard, I should be able to manage the pressure.

Torah Academy

Shevi Lazarus

I want this year to reflect all the work I have put in over previous years, and I hope that the conclusion of my school career will be balanced, consistent, and fulfilling. Please G-d, it will be a strong opening for future possibilities and opportunities.

Yeshaya Glass

I’m only two days into matric, and I can already tell how hectic this year is going to be! In just these first few days, my hands are already full with assignments and extra lessons. This year, my goal is to achieve top marks in academics, and dedicate all my time and effort to studying. I know it’s going to take hard work and focus, but in the end, I know the effort I put in will shine through and make it worthwhile. This is the big year it all leads up to. The pressure is on, and I’m going to give it my all!

Aharon Cohen

While excited for the year ahead, matric is intimidating as the whole school career has led up to this pivotal moment. Your academic future and occupation rests on the efforts you put into this final year. But I hope to make matric “the year” by enhancing my academic achievements while continuing to grow in my Judaism, and building a strong foundation for my future.

Herzlia

Connor Amsdorf

I expect this year to be filled with many incredible highs and hopefully some not-so-low lows. I look forward to pushing hard to achieve the best results I can. This year will be one to remember!

King David Victory Park

Kira Katz

Matric is a huge milestone, and I feel excited and nervous about what lies ahead. It’s a year that will shape my future, so my expectations are to work hard, spend time with my best friends, and make the most of every opportunity.

Raquel Meyerowitz

Going into matric is a bittersweet moment. On the one hand, I know it’s my last opportunity to achieve my academic goals in school, which puts a lot of day-to-day pressure and stress on me, yet on the other, this is my last year of school, where I get to spend every day with my best friends, having fun, and making lifetime memories together.

Aimee Shull

As I embark on my Grade 12 year, sorrow fills me as I know I am travelling closer to my departure from my Victory Park school family, however, what awaits me in my future outside the brick walls excites me. I’m grateful for all the support and encouragement my teachers have given me throughout my high school career. Together with the rest of Victory Park’s Class of 2025, I’m certain we will tackle this year to its fullest and go out with a bang like true Parkers.

King David Linksfield

Gabriella Romberg

I’m excited about this year but also nervous as matric is a lot of work and will determine our future degree.

Benji Furman

I’m incredibly excited about the independence that comes with matric, and I hope that I can form even more everlasting bonds this year.

Abigail Kaplan

My expectation is to do my absolute best in every subject, and to excel. I feel exhausted but excited.

Raz Oudmayer

I’m excited about my last year at King David. I’m looking forward to working hard and enjoying school while it lasts.

Cameron Lyons

Starting matric feels surreal! I can’t believe that we have worked so hard for 11 years to get to this important year in our lives. It’s daunting and nerve-wracking as I, along with so many others, take my academics seriously, and therefore, I’m anxious about the work and exams that lie ahead. Overall, it’s scary being in matric, but also fun, knowing that this will be our last year making memories with so many of our peers.