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country. He helped to create our Strength and Conditioning programme, and could often be found putting our elite athletes through their paces both before school and late into the evening, even turning his hand to the odd spot of personal training, helping OA Beno Obano move from the Bath Rugby Academy to the England squad and, more locally, transforming the health and fitness of a recent member of the RT Department! Simon will be sorely missed. He and Meaghan relocate to Cambridge, as Simon takes up a new post as Head of Rugby at the Leys School. He is a loyal and steadfast friend, a top- rate historian and a transformational sports coach, so we will need to find at least three new teachers to take on all of Simon’s work. He leaves very big shoes to fill.
Simon Thomas
David Flower
S imon Thomas joined the Common Room in September 2009, having learnt his trade at Sherborne. A graduate of Exeter University in History and Politics, Simon taught both subjects to A-level. His own interests were primarily medieval, and he immediately brought the period to life in the imaginations of his students. Fellow historians were always impressed by the number of Simon’s former charges who went on to pursue primarily medieval courses at university, due in no small part to Simon’s inspirational teaching. Simon’s teaching methodology was instinctive. His style was often immersive: he would put boys in role to negotiate the Treaty of Versailles, or to attempt to avoid nuclear holocaust in Cuba. One piece of pupil feedback stuck with me: ‘Sir: if Mr Thomas can’t teach you History, you can’t do History.’ A great ally in times of adversity, Simon single-handedly provided a point-by-point rebuttal of a particularly harsh examiner’s critique of our Crusades exam papers at the end of the summer holidays in 2013, painstakingly demonstrating that the mark scheme was woefully inaccurate and out of step with the latest historical thinking (all of which he had read); our marks were transformed and a small handful of boys had their places at university saved. A final feature of Simon’s teaching should not be allowed to pass without comment - namely, Simon’s encyclopaedic knowledge of the College’s Video Library, which was, of course, immortalised in the 2012 Leavers’ Video, ‘the College of God’s Goons’. In this, he will prove irreplaceable. To those who witnessed his skill and dedication in the wider role of schoolmaster, it is no surprise that Simon’s time at the College coincided with an unparalleled level of success on the rugby pitch. Primarily coaching the 1st XV forwards, Simon made four end-of-season trips to Twickenham, returning with silverware in 2012, 2013 and 2014. The renown of Dulwich’s rolling maul, masterminded by Simon alone, knew no bounds. Just when teams thought they had devised a coping strategy, Simon would add a new level of complexity, and the tries (and national press coverage) continued to flow. Simon was also part of a group of Athletics enthusiasts who helped turn the College’s team into one of the strongest in the
Kelly Galvin K elly joined the Economics and Politics departments in September 2017, and has been a dedicated member of both departments. Kelly came to the College after a long and distinguished career teaching Economics and Politics in both the maintained and independent sectors, most recently at Croydon High School for Girls. In addition to working tirelessly for her students, Kelly is politically active, standing for election to her council in the May 2018 local elections. She leaves us to take up a post teaching Economics and Politics at the Judd School in Tonbridge, and we wish her all the very best for the future. Nick Fyfe
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