Page 3 - Speech Day Booklet

IntroDuCtIon
Annus horribilis? Well yes, but with plenty of silver linings uppermost of which is what adversity has shown about Eastbournian spirit. My heart goes out
to those in our community with friends or relatives who have suffered from Covid-19. Everyone has been affected by the lockdown, prevented from normal interaction with their friends and extended family, as we have in school been prevented
from communing as an educational family. Year 13 pupils, in particular, were unable to enjoy this term. The final term is
often the most memorable, sitting in the sunshine with one’s friends, reminiscing about amusing episodes from earlier years, enjoying the moments of freedom together once the last exam is over. I am so impressed by how graciously they and all our year groups accepted the need to work from home. I am also impressed by how quickly my colleagues rose to the challenge of providing meaningful and enriching online teaching. The fact that attendance at these sessions was almost double the average for other independent schools, and almost three times the average for all schools, speaks volumes for the way our pupils engaged with their remote learning. My heartfelt thanks to everyone for helping to make this work, not least to Jonny Gilbert and the IT Department for overseeing the logistics, and to Will Longden for helping to get my colleagues and me up to speed delivering our online lessons in an exciting and purposeful way.
While this year will always be remembered for the impact of the lockdown, I did not want to let it pass without recognising so many of our pupils’ achievements inside and outside the classroom. As ever, it has been a great pleasure to witness our boys and girls achieve so much on so many fronts, and I hope you share with me the joy of seeing them making the most of their abilities during their time at the College. Owing to space this booklet can only give a flavour of what our ambitious
and energetic pupils have been up to; many pupils deserving recognition cannot fit in a publication this size.
Last year we celebrated our 50th anniversary of educating
girls, and it was great to see Dr Siobhan Gardiner OE win
the Commonwealth Award at this year’s Woman of the Year Awards in recognition of her work empowering people to make changes in their own communities. We are very proud of her, just as we are of all our pupils who embody the values we hold so dear at the College, values which we hope will see them go out into the world to lead successful, generous and fulfilled lives.
We were also honoured this year to welcome back Peter Homburger OE who, as an 11-year-old Jewish boy, managed to escape Nazi Germany on the Kindertransport train. He and his brothers were all offered places at the College as refugees, and it was humbling to hear him speak to our pupils about the importance of forgiveness and reconciliation.
As well as celebrating our pupils’ achievements, we also want to recognise the work of our OEs and parents in fighting the effects of the virus. The College enjoys a special connection to the medical profession. Our founder Dr Charles Hayman successfully led the fight against an epidemic of scarlet fever in Eastbourne
in the early 1860s and, since the College’s foundation, thousands of our pupils have entered the profession. We hope Dr Hayman would be proud that, this year, we numbered 32 aspiring medics in our School of Pre-Medicine Programme and, likewise, that two of our girls have been awarded places to read medicine and veterinary science at Cambridge this September.
There are so many examples in this booklet of pupils breaking new ground in their chosen field. As a school located by the sea, we constantly want our boys and girls to be inspired by the idea of endless horizons, of never feeling limited in their aspirations.
May I take this opportunity to wish you all a healthy and happy holiday, and to bid a fond farewell to all our leavers as they embark on the next stage of their lives.
Tom Lawson, Headmaster
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