Damian Magerman Returns to His Former High School as Deputy Principal at Age 33

Damian Curtley Magerman knows Bernadino Heights High School from the other side of the classroom. He remembers the corridors as a learner and the responsibility of serving as head boy. Today, at 33, he walks those same corridors as the school’s deputy principal.

Growing up in Scottsville, Kraaifontein, Damian could hardly have predicted this particular career milestone. He wanted to become a preacher. Teaching entered the picture after his mother encouraged him to consider the profession, a suggestion that would eventually lead him into a career in education.

The decision took time to settle. After qualifying as a teacher, he spent two years working in Riversdale. Those years helped him recognise that teaching was where he wanted to build his career. His mother’s recommendation had opened the door, but the experience of working with learners gave him his own reasons to remain.

There was another moment in his early adulthood that now takes on a striking significance. On his 21st birthday, his preacher prophesied that he would become a principal.

Returning to Bernadino Heights brings his professional life back to the community that raised him. It also places him in a position where he can draw on lessons from his own years as a pupil.

One of the people who influenced him was the late Mr Henry Alexander, the school’s principal during Damian’s time as a learner. Alexander taught him to lead with discipline and fairness. These were practical lessons from a school leader who showed him that authority comes with responsibility towards others.

Damian had his first opportunity to practise leadership while still at school. His appointment as head boy in matric gave him a role among his peers and an early introduction to the expectations that come with representing a school community. Years later, he returns with the opportunity to help set its direction.

In a live interview with the Facebook page Kraai Love, Damian spoke about his vision for Bernadino Heights. He believes former pupils have a role to play in the school’s future and can inspire the children who are still finding their feet. For him, the connection between a school and its alumni should continue long after graduation. Watch the interview below:

Damain’s story is needed in our communities where young people need examples of success they can recognise and relate to. May it be an inspiration to students to take their own ambitions seriously, even when the future looks different from anything they have imagined.

About The Author