THE ALLEYNIAN 708 | OUT OF THE ORDINARY
THE ALLEYNIAN 708 | OUT OF THE ORDINARY
VALETE
VALETE
VICTORIA ARTER-FURLONG
Malcolm Cocks
W ith her edgy fashion sense, sharp-witted humour and frank demeanour, Victoria cuts a striking figure in the Common Room. Different people will know her in different guises: a staunchly loyal sub-lieutenant of the Royal Navy section of the CCF; a caring teacher and mother; a gregarious member of the Common Room; an engaging lunch partner who consumes enviably prodigious helpings of crumble and custard for one so slight; and a tenacious and brilliantly sporty competitor. A runner, netballer, water-skier and ice- skater (she flew around the rink at Somerset House like she’d been doing it all her life), Victoria is also, as we discovered at the Crystal Palace Olympiad, a darn good swimmer! But those who have come to know her best quickly realise that her fashionable exterior and effortless competence in a range of fields belie a down-to-earth, funny, kind and authentic human being. It is this sense of authenticity perhaps that sustains the excellent rapport she enjoys with the pupils, and the wide-ranging friendships she has forged across the College. Victoria is also, of course, a brilliant theatre practitioner and teacher. Her colleagues in Drama will miss collaborating with her on productions and sharing classes with her. They have been struck by her appetite for engaging critically with new ideas and experimenting with new forms in her own practice and teaching. I have had the privilege of playgoing with her on several occasions, and her insights in the post-mortem chats have been a real highlight of our friendship for me. Victoria has directed and co-directed some phenomenal productions during her three years at the College, collaborating with Peter Jolly in The Recruiting Officer
and with Emma Haxton on a striking new interpretation of Medea . Victoria would agree that one of her proudest professional achievements at the College was the ambitious and riveting Year 9 production of Lord of the Flies (complete with the aeroplane emerging from the stage floor!) which she adapted and directed in 2019. Part of her success as a director is her knowledge of the boys and her ability to recognise where their strengths and talents lie, which enables her to bring out the best in them all. This is also the key to her success as a pastoral tutor – a role she loves. The genuine affection and respect her tutees and pupils have for her is palpable even on a casual stroll with her from the Christison Hall to the Common Room. Victoria is a burgeoning playwright, and has fostered a love of script-writing in the pupils through her playwriting club. Under her tutelage, two pupils were long-listed for the National Theatre’s New Views nationwide playwriting competition. Outside of the classroom, the boys have also benefitted from her generous support in producing House Drama, in running endless workshops and rehearsals, working with them at Edinburgh Fringe and on tour, as a member of the CCF, and in the annual Year 7 trip to Wales. All this was packed into the three years since Victoria joined the College in 2017. In wishing her the very best in her exciting new role at Alleyn’s, we also acknowledge that her contribution to Dulwich has been unique and invaluable. No one could quite fill her boots – and how well those ash-black suede ankle boots become her.
VICKY TAMPIN
Ashley England
V icky joined Dulwich College and the Maths Department in September 2017, bringing lots of teaching experience from the state sector where she had worked as a Head of Department. She quickly established herself as an incredibly hardworking and caring teacher, giving generously of her time, and running countless revision sessions, which have even stretched beyond the gates of DC. Vicky has been a fantastic asset in terms of our outreach programme, working with Elm Green for several years, and this year expanding our work with City Heights to one afternoon a week. Vicky has also been a great help to our own teacher training programme, helping mentor several beginning teachers, and imparting her knowledge in a skilful and encouraging way.
The Maths Department have been known to jokingly refer to Vicky as a ‘part-timer’ when receiving from her a request for a week’s cover – most notably for her trips away with the school’s Ski Racing team. In addition, one year she was called away shortly afterwards for jury duty! Vicky will be deeply missed by her pupils and colleagues alike, and we wish her the very best as she moves to Alleyn’s to take on the role of second in department.
194
195
Made with FlippingBook - Online magazine maker