A journey shaped by tragedy, teamwork, and triumph

King David Victory Park (KDVP) matriculant Eitan Klein lost his dad tragically in his Grade 11 year, and thought his academic career was over. 

The tragedy occurred at the start of his Grade 11 year, to him the most important. However, by setting goals and relying on the support of friends and family, he ultimately achieved more after his father’s passing than he had before. It helped him to focus and push himself further. 

“I really wanted to do better in sport and academics,” he said. “It paid off. I earned my captaincy; received awards for sport and academics; and took part in everything I possibly could.” 

Through strong support, particularly sport and teamwork, he was able to cope. “Now that I’ve finished my school career, I can see how far I’ve come. I’m finally at the end, and it’s paid off,” Klein said. 

He said he made a point of getting involved in as much as possible throughout school, particularly sport, and the relationships he built became a crucial source of support during difficult times. 

However, high school was initially challenging because of having to adjust to life after the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“Coming out of COVID-19, we were back in classrooms, but I didn’t really know anyone,” he said. “We hadn’t been able to socialise properly, moving between online learning and in-person classes. Trying to make friends – especially with students from other schools – was difficult, and adjusting back to normal classroom life took time.” 

The hardest part was dealing with the workload and juggling academics with sport and other activities. “It was tough. But I was determined and I figured that doing a lot of sport at school would teach me to stay focused and help me to stay strong and get through matric.” 

When Klein put his pen down after his final exam, he felt a mix of relief and sadness. As a third-generation Victory Parker, he would be part of the last group of students to graduate from KDVP. 

“I really loved school,” he said. “I had lots of friends and enjoyed being there, but it was even more painful knowing that the school was closing. As a third-generation student, it hit me that I would never be able to come back.” 

The highlight for Klein was participating in the South African Police Service Junior Commissioner Project, where he collaborated with students from other schools and joined a nearby police station. It focused on addressing violence and other issues affecting South African schools, with students writing speeches proposing solutions. 

The competition had three stages: police station level; Johannesburg level; and Gauteng level. “I did well in my speech and was selected to advance,” Klein said. At the Johannesburg round, he was named Junior Invisible Policing Commander. After winning the local level, he prepared speeches representing their schools at the University of Johannesburg in front of thousands of people. 

Klein was later selected for the Gauteng level, where he spoke to Gauteng commissioners, generals, and the Gauteng premier. Through the project, he discovered a passion for criminology and social work, and plans to study criminology, psychology, and criminal justice at Emeris.