Alexander Sinton Secondary School

The school was named for its benefactor Alexander Sinton, who bequeathed money to found the school in 1951. ==1976 uprising==

During the youth uprising of 1976 protesting the imposition of the Afrikaans language as a mandatory medium of instruction in schools, the students at the school and Belgravia High School nearby in Athlone boycotted classes on 16 August during a period that saw marches, random acts of arson and battles between students and the police. In 1976 Nabil ("Basil") Swart, a teacher at the school, was arrested after helping a student who had been shot during the protests. Swart was released on bail after being detained for a weekend. ==1985 protests==

Internal resistance to apartheid intensified, and a state of emergency was declared in parts of the country in 1985. The Committee of 81, a student organisation representing coloured schools in the Western Cape which organised student boycotts and protests, held some meetings at the school in 1985. encouraged its members not to resign for the sake of the children. Teachers decided to teach, but not to co-operate with the authorities. led teachers, uniformed students and parents who sang protest songs. Teachers and parents supported the students and their protests against injustice. After the arrests were made, the police were surprised to find that they themselves were effectively prisoners, as the exits from the school were blocked by vehicles brought there by protesters outside the school. Swart was again jailed for two weeks in 1985 for helping to re-open the school. Swart was again jailed for eighteen months in 1986 for his involvement in the school unrest. In addition, 15 others, including 13 children and 2 adults, were wounded. Students and activists had gathered where they regularly had battles with the police and were stoning vehicles. Police officers who had been hidden in crates on board the back of a truck opened fire on stone-throwing protesters. A CBS television crew witnessed and filmed the incident and images thereof were broadcast to the world. A Truth and Reconciliation Commission hearing was held into the incident in 1997, after the end of the apartheid era. ==Other controversies==

In 2012, the then principal Fazil Parker was involved in a dispute with the Department of Basic Education after he was given late notice that his teachers needed to mark national exams. The teachers considered the request unreasonable and did not comply with it, resulting in Parker being summoned to a disciplinary hearing. ==Notable alumni==

• Ronald Harrison, artist and activist who created the Black Christ painting banned in South Africa. ==References==