Following the closure of the Genadendal Training College, the local minister, Rev. L. R. Schmidt (after whom the primary school is named) wrote a letter to the Superintendent of Education on 13 March 1937. In this letter he listed the reasons a secondary school should be opened in Genadendal. The Department of Education responded favourably. Caledon’s School Council was then ordered to establish a secondary school in Genadendal in January of 1938.

On the 24th of January 1938, villagers and friends congregated under the oak trees on the Moravian Church Square, where they participated in the opening ceremony of the secondary school. Mr. Emil Weder, a member of the School Council, opened the ceremony. This was followed by a number of speeches. The nominated principal, Mr H. A. Dudley, delivered the closing speech after which the school choir sang, “Loof die Here, die almagtige Koning” (Praise the Lord, the almighty King).

The school was named after Mr Emil Weder, who was the chairperson of the Caledon School Council at that time.

At that stage the secondary school at Genadendal was the fourteenth school for coloured pupils in South Africa. Mr G. A. van der Ross, along with the principal, Mr Dudley, taught 26 standard 7 pupils : fifteen from Genadendal, three from Elim, four from Bredasdorp and four from Greyton.

The school badge was divided into three parts with an sheaf of corn, a sickle and a springbok as symbols. The motto at the time was “Facta non verba”, translated as “deeds and not words”. The school uniform consisted of a black blazer with the school badge, white shit, black tie, grey pants/black tunic.

In the 1970s, the school colours were changed to navy blue, sky blue and old gold. A new school badge was designed with the motto, “Mens Sana in Corpore Sano”, meaning “a sound mind in a sound body”.