VALETE
our departmental photographer. Alan’s main area of support was with the boys (and teachers!) in the workshops imparting his incredibly
comprehensive knowledge of all things technical. He will be dearly missed by all as he embarks on his retirement this summer: he is hoping
to spend more time in the country following his hill-walking passion as well as enjoying extra time with his daughters, Rebecca and Anne.
Simon Parsons ٶÇÝn¨¯
S imon joined Dulwich College in September 2013 after a long stint in academia. After studying for a bachelors and masters in Natural Sciences at Cambridge University, he then went on to complete an Engineering PhD at Cranfield University, which focused on soil sciences, and then finally a PGCE at the Institute of Education. A presence in and out of the classroom, both physically and metaphorically, he quickly established himself within both the Physics department and the wider College community. Alongside his excellent teaching, Simon has been a stalwart of the Physics Department’s huge co-curricular schedule. He has been involved with Oxbridge preparation, run countless help sessions, presented a ground-breaking talk on soil science to the Physics Society and worked closely with Dulwich’s team for the International Youth Physics Tournament,
accompanying the team to Russia last year as they finished in an impressive eleventh place. Simon has accompanied boys on trips to CERN and also, on trips of his own devising, to the synchrotron at Diamond Light Source, and to learn about rocket engines at Airborne Engineering. Simon has also spread his wings beyond the department, giving up huge amounts of time to help the swimming squad and accompanying sailing trips. Simon took on the role of Head of Physics this year at a tricky time for the department, with nearly 100 years of experience having just left for new roles or to retire and new syllabuses to deal with in Year 9 and 13. He has not only steered the department through this time safely, but also leaves it in a better state than when he started. Under his leadership, three new members of staff have settled in well; the many Physics-based societies go from strength to strength Kevin Olding ¨ÇªËIÐÐݪ¯¯ and Z}Ç}¨+ǪǟǝÐ¨Ë involved with the university entrance preparation classes in the Upper School, helping many students with the Oxford entrance paper in particular. Equally, with a view to a wider teaching experience, he has also been keen to teach lower down in the school, having
and numbers at A-level have stayed roughly constant, despite the move from four to three A-level subjects. Simon has been hugely popular with his students, commanding respect and admiration for his excellent subject knowledge, his easy humour and the belief among students that he would likely be able to take on the rest of the Science Department on his own. While not all of his colleagues would necessarily agree with this, what we do all agree on is how much he will be missed. He has been a great colleague, leader and friend, someone who cares deeply about those around him. As he moves on to be Head of Physics at Emanuel School, our thoughts and wishes go with him. We know that this new role will be a great fit for him, providing him with plenty of challenges and opportunities for further success – and a perfect staging post for his escapes to the New Forest.
K een to broaden his teaching experience, Kevin left Westminster School in 2012 to teach at Dulwich. As an Oxford graduate, Kevin has always been keen to teach at the top end of Further Mathematics and to be fully
taught year groups from Year 7 up. He enjoys thinking about the best way to put ideas across to students about a range of key topics, from plotting graphs to solving simple equations, and he has been a keen advocate of ‘flipped learning’, regularly
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