Michael Conroy By James Humphrey
Amy McGillivray By Laurell Milton
Olivia Berriff By Robert Baylis
arranging of visiting speakers for the Modern Languages and Cultures Society. Further to this commitment, she has assisted on every Spanish trip, ranging from her first trip to Cantabria in 2019, to her work with the Year 7 Spanish Morning, via trips to Granada, Mallorca and Valencia – thank you! Olivia’s caring, organised and pragmatic approach has been showcased through the strong contribution she has made to the College’s co-curricular and pastoral pro- gramme. She has been an excellent Middle School tutor, a Boarding House tutor, and a committed officer in the CCF. Scotty Swalwell writes: ‘Olivia joined the Royal Navy section of the Combined Cadet Force in 2021 and was appointed to the rank of sub-lieutenant, having complet- ed her Initial Officer’s course at Britannia Royal Naval College Dartmouth. After just one year, Olivia found her- self back at BRNC completing her Section Commander’s course; shortly after this, she was appointed Head of the RN Section. During her time in the CCF, Olivia has gained her Field Gun Instructor’s qualification, a subject I know she has thoroughly enjoyed teaching to our cadets. Ever present at camps and always willing to help, Olivia will be hugely missed by both officers and cadets alike.’ She has also been a great support to the boarders in Old Blew and The Orchard, and in addition to her weekly duties, she has successfully run trips to exhibitions at London’s array of museums. Her warmth, energy and enthusiasm for the boarding house will be missed, as will her Monday evening Spanish lessons with the boarders. Olivia has been a great colleague and an asset to the Modern Languages team, and she will be greatly missed. We wish her and Andrew all the best for their move out of London and into the next exciting stage of their lives: I am sure she will make as much of an impact at Christ’s Hos- pital as she has at Dulwich. She will always be welcome back in SE21. ◎
Olivia joined the College in Sep- tember 2018, quickly becoming a respected and popular teacher of French and Spanish. All of the pupils in her care have benefited immensely from her diligence, her kindness and her thorough approach to teaching. She not only sets the highest standards for both herself and her pupils, but she is also a very strong linguist, with
Michael joined the Design and Technology Department in Sep- tember 2018, initially as a materni- ty cover, but he went on to accept the offer of a permanent position later that academic year. Previous- ly Michael had been working for Dyson as part of their product de- sign team, and he brought indus- try skills such as CAD/CAM and graphical presentation techniques
Amy leaves us after two years in the English Department. Her enthusiasm for the subject and her open willingness to share her love of reading have inspired her both her peers and her students, and she has made sure that students have engaged with the subject critically and curiously. Amy’s classroom practice has developed significantly since she
a calm and rigorous, yet understanding, approach. She is also a supportive and sympathetic colleague, and has made many lasting friendships within the Modern Lan- guages Department and the wider Common Room. Olivia is a committed, supportive, hard-working, versa- tile and reflective teacher, who has made a real impact on language learning at the College. Her commitment to innovation led her to restructure and boost the cultural content in the Spanish Year 10 scheme of work, and her use of famous works of Spanish art when teaching GCSE content was particularly impressive. Olivia is always gen- erous with her time, whether that be in helping her pupils with extra speaking sessions or in supporting colleagues through many different situations. This desire to help has been exemplified by her commitment to mentoring Mod- ern Languages SCITT trainee students in her classes at all levels, and, more recently, by her taking on of the Col- lege-wide role of mentoring PGCE students. Her support and her valuable feedback have been welcomed by those whom she has mentored, and she can feel very proud of how she has helped students develop their practice during their time at the College. Olivia has also taken the lead in many areas of wid- er Modern Languages provision. Her adaptability and flexibility came to the fore during the period of remote learning, when she very ably organised a Valencian virtual cookery session for all Year 10 students and, more recently, when she was the driving force behind the
that benefited everyone in the department. Michael was a very popular teacher, especially in the Middle School and the Lower School, where he became a form tutor for Year 7. He really valued those residential trips to Wales where he enjoyed getting to know his new tutees whilst partici- pating in outdoor adventure activities. In addition to his pastoral commitments, Michael focused on becoming an electronics specialist for Key Stage 4, which involved learning many additional skills. He used these along with his natural creativity to encourage his pupils to be innovative and bold with their GCSE final projects, a memorable one being a large black plastic dog with illuminated red eyes that growled at foxes to scare them out of the garden. Michael was always keen to get involved in co-curricular initiatives, and he accompanied colleagues on trips to Mini/BMW in Oxford as well as spending three days in Prague, where he visited the Skoda manufacturing plant. He will be greatly missed, and will be remembered as a very popular teacher who had a good sense of humour and a sweet tooth! I am pleased that Michael has stayed reasonably local, becoming Head of Department for Computer Science and Design and Technology at Sevenoaks School. ◎
started at the College. Her schemes of work and her academically challenging resources have been credited for their thoroughness, demonstrating her desire to foster excellence among her students. Those whom she has taught have benefited from her intellectual rigour, and she has inspired them to think critically about the world around them. In addition, they would say her drive for excellence is balanced by her witty, caring and supportive manner. Her dedication to supporting students in her care is not limited to the classroom; she is happy to give time to any student who wishes to speak to her, and this means that she is not only an exceptional teacher but also an exceptional educator. Amy has been an EPQ mentor during her last year at the College, and the same dedication she gives to her class- room practice, she has given to her mentees. She leaves us to continue her studies in creative writing. Working with Amy has been a pleasure; the department will sorely miss her cackle in the office. We hope she will keep in touch as she navigates the next chapter in her life. ◎
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