Who is Dr Johlet Krause?
She is officially the new principal of Hoërskool Marias Viljoen High with effect from May 1 and she could not be more ready to take on this new adventure. Dr. Krause has been part of the school for the last 23 years.
Blue blood runs through her veins
Dr. Krause completed her B.Sc degree in 1986 with Zoology and Botany as majors at the Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education (CHE). Thereafter, she obtained her Higher Diploma in Education with Distinction in 1987, also at the Potchefstroom University for CHE. She then furthered her academic career and completed a B.Sc Honours degree, M.Sc, and PhD in Zoology at the University of the Free State.
Her first teaching position started in 1993 at Hoërskool Wesvalia in Klerksdorp, from which she also matriculated.
She remained at Wesvalia for four years whereafter she was appointed as a Senior Medical Scientist and Researcher at the Medical Faculty of the University of the Free State. She held this position until she relocated to Alberton and joined the Marais Viljoen team in 2000.
Dr. Krause taught physical science and was appointed in 2001 as the departmental head of physical and life sciences. During this time, she displayed excellent managerial capabilities and was promoted to deputy principal of Marais Viljoen in 2016. She gained extensive experience in school management and proved herself to be a capable and natural leader.
Dr. Krause currently serves on the senior management team, the SGB and various SGB subcommittees, the finance sub-committee, and is the SAT co-ordinator for the school. Dr. Krause was also successful as a netball coach during her years at Marais Viljoen. She coached the first team in 2003 that won the prestigious TUKS series.
She is passionate about sport in general and believes that a well-balanced learner will also excel academically.
In 2009, Dr. Krause’s passion for academics resulted in her being invited to join a group of Physical Science teachers who wrote the DocScientia textbooks for Physical Sciences. This series of textbooks is still in use in numerous high schools today.
Dr. Krause also supports all cultural activities and continues to encourage the learners of Marais Viljoen to participate in as many activities as possible.
Looking forward to the future
“I am so excited about the future and looking forward to every second of it as the new leader of the school. I am ready to lead the school with a phenomenal team of staff members behind me.”
The process of recruiting a new principal started in September of 2022 and it has been a long way since then for the staff, learners, and parents of the school.
“Let me tell you this, our school is blessed in every way.”
Dr Krause will follow in the previous principal, Martie Heystek’s, footsteps and she will go the extra mile to maintain the school’s standards.
One of her goals is to build better relationships with the primary and high schools in the Alberton area. “We need to be a unit and watch out for each other. At the end of the day, we are all responsible for the youth who will one day be the future leaders.”
In her speech on April 20, she said that she wants everyone in the school to have respect for each other.
“It all comes back to respect. I want the school to stay the same because of the strong foundation laid by the school’s previous leaders. Marais Viljoen is a school that cares and will go the extra mile for their learners,” she said.
Dr. Krause is relishing taking on the new challenges that come with being a principal. The best part about her job is seeing that all the needs of the learners are being met and seeing their progress and growth.
“I am driven by challenges and I enjoy finding solutions for problems. Challenges are what help us grow.”
“The SGB is committed to the school’s vision of delivering a world-class education to the school’s learners for them to become well-balanced and successful adults. In doing so, the SGB shares Dr. Krause’s vision that hard work in the classroom and on the sports field will ensure that each learner at Hoërskool Marais Viljoen High School can receive an excellent education and a variety of opportunities to develop their potential to full capacity,” said the school’s SGB.
On a personal note
Dr. Krause was born and bred in Welkom in the Free State with her younger sister, Ronél. Her family moved from Welkom to Klerksdorp where she matriculated.
Her fondest childhood memory is having both her parents at all of her sport games. “They
were there to cheer for my sister and me at almost every school event,” she said.
“My sister and I grew up in a very supportive, caring, and loving family. We had great parents.”
In 1999 Dr. Krause married Otto Krause who is currently a practicing attorney in the WestRand. They have two sons, Heinrich and Francois, who both matriculated from Hoërskool Marais Viljoen High School and are studying Law at the NWU.
“I want to add that I have a very supportive husband who supports me in every aspect of my life. His blood is just as blue as mine,” she added.
In her spare time, she likes to play golf with the three men in her life. “My husband and my sons all play golf so about two years ago I also started playing golf. The sport grew on me, and a bonus point is that I get to spend more time with them,” she said.
Something you will always find next to Dr. Krause’s bedside is a book. “I love to read almost any book I can get my hands on.”
She lives by the motto Carpe Diem, which means seize the day.
“Live life to the fullest and make the best of every second as tomorrow is not promised.” Something not many know about her is that she was a real tomboy as a child. “I spend most of my time in the veld exploring nature. I have this big love for nature and that part will never die in me.”
A message to the parents and the community
“Parents can rest assured knowing that I, the staff, the governing body, and the department will always work together as a team to build on the school’s standards. As always, we will go out of our way so that every learner knows that he or she has a special place in the school. I look forward to the school’s bright future.”