Chess at Jeppe is one of the cornerstones of the cultural programme. Chess is a game that teaches boys how to think critically and plan properly, and it challenges them to compete against one another on an intellectual level. The Jeppe Chess Club is a busy, happy place. Many boys play chess socially and some are beginners who enjoy learning about the game and honing their skills against their friends. The serious players, however, work hard to be among the best of the best.

In recent years, Jeppe has consistently placed in the top three in the Johannesburg Central Chess League. Jeppe also participates in the individual and team tournaments organised by the GDE. The under-15, under-17, and under-19 teams are often rated among the top ten chess teams in the province. In 2019, the under-15 team placed 3rd overall in their division at the Gauteng Champs.

You should join the chess club if you:

• Want to develop your thinking skills and improve your memory
• Want to increase your problem-solving skills
• Enjoy working in a competitive environment
• Want to learn to see things from someone else’s perspective
• Want to stimulate your creativity and learn better planning skills
• Are imaginative yet decisive, ambitious yet private, or amazingly curious.

Jeppe High School for Boys offers two streams of debating: Worlds School’s style debating as well as Model United Nations (UN) debating. In World School’s style debating is open to both senior and junior teams. Each team consists of five members who are either for or against a motion. The nature of these debates are impromptu, with motions being handed out on the day of the debate, and attracts students who with a strong general knowledge and the ability to think on your feet.

Jeppe participates in both Atheneum Debating League and well as the South African Council for English Education (SACEE) national debate tournament. Model UN focuses on issues that affect the world. Teams are made up of three members and follow the format of The United Nations council debates. Each team acts the part of a country and enters debates concerning world security, environmental issues and human rights concerns. This stream of debating encourages boys to be aware of current events and world news.

Jeppe has participated in Model UN since 2016 and have several notable achievements in mini-Model UN debates including Best Speaker and Best Delegation Awards. We also take part in The South African Institution of International Affairs Nationwide Model United Nations Debate Tournament.

You should join the debating club if you:

• Are thinking about a career in law, politics, journalism, sports analysis, etc.
• Like to ask lots of questions
• Enjoy arguing
• Are interested in making the world a better place
• Can see things from many perspectives
• Can speak clearly, think quickly
• Clarify arguments, provide examples, maintain persuasive speech, and maintain a professional tone and body language.

The Emergency Medical Care club is an extracurricular activity, as well as a crucial service organisation at the school. It is the school’s first aid department, providing first aid assistance on the side-lines at all major sporting activities at the school.

From high-impact injuries on the rugby field, to everyday standard injuries around the campus, first aiders see their fair share of bruises, broken bones, and blood.

The club is made up of 30 to 40 boys who are trained in First Aid Levels 1, 2 and 3, and are on call during the school day to treat any medical and traumatic injury that may take place.

Boys attend training sessions after school and compete in the annual inter-school provincial first aid competition, together with Jeppe Girls First Aid. They have won the provincial competition for the last seven years the competition has been run.

Jeppe Emergency Medical Care has an excellent reputation around Johannesburg when it comes to the services they provide, and you will often see them outside of the school at festivals, markets or other events.

You should join the emergency medical care team if you: 

• Don’t mind the sight of blood (or worse) 
• Are interested in assisting others 
• Are interested in a career in the medical field (nurse, paramedic, doctor, etc.)
• Can think on your feet and make quick decisions 
• Enjoy learning practical skills that you will use throughout your life
• Enjoy being a part of a bigger team. 

The online battle arena is open for gamers interested in completing in a virtual world!

The birth of e-sports as a recognised activity at Jeppe High School for Boys began late in 2015. It was in October that year that we joined MSSA (Mind Sports SA) which is the governing body of gaming in South Africa at all levels: schools, clubs, and universities.

We take part in a variety of online games namely Counter-Strike Global Offensive, Dota (Defence of the Ancients), and League of Legends. The club is growing at an incredible rate and games such as Call of Duty and Fortnite are close on the horizon.

E-sports was one of the few activities unaffected by the Covid-19 lockdown. Boys continued competing from home under the Jeppe banner – an advantage of running through an online platform.

You should join the e-sport team if you:

• Are a gamer
• Can focus under pressure
• Spend more hours on your Xbox than you do sleeping
• Can tell Ahri, the Nine-Tailed Fox from Keith Icahn, the famous zombie hunter
• Like to strategise
• Can live in more that one world at a time. 

The marimba is a percussion instrument consisting of a set of wooden bars struck with rubber mallets to produce musical tones. Resonators are suspended underneath the bars to amplify their earthy, full sound. The four-year-old Jeppe Marimba band perform an array of multicultural set pieces, and are often found front and centre of every Jeppe event.

With instructor Bradley Lithgow at the helm, the band have become a popular showpiece that are not only talented, but extremely entertaining too. Wearing their signature white jumpsuits, the boys look like a band, move like a band, and captivate the crowds like a band.

Over the past few years they have had the privilege of playing in the Sounds of Celebrations concert which is held annually at Emperors Palace where they get the opportunity to work with other incredible local and international artists and directors. If music and performance are your passion – the Marimba Band is for you! 

You should join the marimba band if you:

• Enjoy having loads of fun with a group of friends
• Enjoy performing for an audience
• Are musically inclined
• Are a beginner who wants to learn a new, exciting instrument
• Want to meet a diverse group of people
• Want to extend your current musical talent.

Our focus in Performing Arts is to tackle things honestly and without apology. We aim to open up opportunities for boys to express their ideas about the world and it is our intention to follow through and expand on these ideas every year. Jeppe boys have an unyielding ability to find the potential to create anything from nothing. These young men are the magic that helps us manage the mundane. There is a place for everyone in Performing Arts be it in the spotlight, behind the scenes, as sound and lighting crew or even as part of the Dance Society.

The Performing Arts Society has grown exponentially over the past five years and has achieved much throughout the years including the highly successful Major Productions Macbeth and Rock of Ages. One of the highlights of 2019 was winning Best Overall Production at GRADS. Our boys do well to maintain their excellent achievements at the competitive schools festivals (GRADS, FEDA and EADS) they attended every year and many are nominated and awarded in categories such as best actor, best supporting actor, best backstage, best stage manager, best original script and more.

Augusto Boal once said that “theatre is the art of looking at ourselves” and this group of learners reveal so much about what it means to be a human. They not only hold up a mirror to interrogate more about who they are, but they also explore what they think the world should be. Some weekly practices may take place after hours to accommodate learners who commit to other sport activities.

You should join performing arts if you:

• Like to perform, direct, choreograph, or create
• Have charisma and confidence
• Have great speaking and memorising skills
• Can command the attention of a room
• Are interested in a career in acting, directing and sound
• Light engineering, broadcasting, theatre, etc.
• Have stars in your eyes. 

The Jeppe Pipe Band is the oldest school pipe band in South Africa and is well-renowned here, as well as internationally. The band won the South African Pipe Band Championships in 2014 and there has since seen a huge increase in membership.

The band plays regularly at functions around the country, including weddings, funerals, birthday parties, and corporate functions. The band has played at several high-profile events over the past couple of years, including The Nedbank Golf Challenge and the Princess of Monaco’s Father’s 60th birthday celebration at Emperors Palace.

The 2016 and 2018 tours to Basel, Switzerland saw the Jeppe Pipe Band performing in the world-famous Basel Tattoo – a rare honour, as we were only the second school band in history to take part in this event. The interest in the band from Africa resulted in Jeppe being the featured band leading up to the opening of the show. The world got the chance to share in the Jeppe experience, while the boys got a once in a lifetime chance to perform to hundreds of thousands of people.

Jeppe has great pride in the Jeppe Pipe Band, and we anticipate decades of continued growth and success.

You should join the pie band if you:

• Enjoy being part of a larger team
• Are a dedicated and hard worker enjoy performing at functions
• Can keep a beat
• Enjoy traditions associated with pipe bands would like to gain the skills associated with learning a new instrument. 

Jeppe Boys has had a long and rich history with public speaking. The skills taught in this activity promote confidence, articulation and thorough research; skills required in all industries and engagements. Topics are up for interpretation by the boys and often range from politics and social issues to general life as a school boy.

Communication is the backbone of our society. It allows us to form connections, influence decisions, and motivate change. Without communication skills, the ability to progress in the working world, and in life itself, would be nearly impossible.

Public speaking is a vital skill to develop. It affects simple, everyday interactions between groups, individuals, peers, and coworkers and can be an enormous boost towards a successful career path. Whether your son/ward is to become the captain of a national sporting side, the next president or even the best man at his brother’s wedding, public speaking skills will become invaluable as he navigates through life.

Jeppe High School for Boys participates in the nation-wide Speech and Drama College Speech festival, as well as various other inter-schools speech tournaments. In the second and third terms Jeppe Boys participate in our own hosted speech evenings, and are adjudicated by respected members of the Speech and Drama College.

You should join the public speaking if you:

• Have an interest in a wide variety of subjects
• Enjoy expressing your opinion
• Understand the importance of being a better communicator
• Can research a wide range of topics, even if it’s something you know little about
• Would like to grow your confidence
• Would like a skill that will help you in any career.