VALETE
W hile it would be wrong to claim the Classics Department lacked vitality when Rosie Coombs joined our ranks in 2013, it is a fact that several of our number have haunted the halls of Dulwich College since before she first set foot in kindergarten. Her youthful vigour and positive demeanour have been at the centre of the Renaissance of our subjects over her four years here, both for the boys and for her colleagues. For a less engaging and personable teacher, finding a place amongst this phalanx of fogeys could have been a challenge, and while the incident of the lost suitcase may have led Rosie to take ‘fitting in’ a little too literally, there can be no doubt that she quickly became an integral member of the team. Rosie has accompanied four expeditions, to Sicily, Crete, Turkey and Greece, and her profound understanding of archaeology and passion for the ancient setting the task of studying the key concepts of a topic at home before giving lesson time over to consolidation and practice. To this end, Kevin started up a website, mathsaurus.com, the core of which is a set of videos recorded by Kevin teaching a range of topics across the syllabus. This site has been visited by large numbers of students from both his classes and others, including those from other schools, with a noticeable peak before key public exams. Kevin has always had a keen sense of the wider aspects of boys’
education, for example, promoting an awareness of the effects of homophobic language in his first couple of years. Over the years, Kevin became more and more involved with promoting wellbeing at the College, leading to him being made joint Deputy Head of Wellbeing in 2015. In this role, he has co-ordinated a number of courses and liaised with a large number of staff, proving himself to be very capable and creative with a strong eye for detail. He has helped on a number of whole- College projects, including offering
a critical eye when staff and pupil wellbeing survey results were being collated, and provided a listening ear to a number of staff where his counsel and enthusiasm will be much missed. He has been an active member of the Common Room during his time here, always willing to put across his views in discussion after school and in meetings. We all wish him the very best with his return to academia, studying for a PhD in Statistics at Bath University.
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world, particularly the pre-Classical Mycenaean and Minoan cultures, have elucidated and enthralled all lucky enough to share those trips with her. Just don’t ask her to get in a cable car. Beyond the department, Rosie has been a wonderful form tutor to boys in the Upper School, always believing in their potential, supporting them in their weaknesses and championing them in their strengths. No other group in the school, perhaps, has appreciated her efforts more, nor will so miss them once she has gone. Rosie has also contributed broadly to the life of the school, serving two years as Visiting Tutor of Orchard House, and two years as Co-Ordinator of Upper School Charities. In this capacity she founded the Foundation Schools’ Charity quiz, which not only raised £8,000 this year, but is also now fixed as a highlight of the school’s social calendar and a
rare opportunity to see Seb Wakely outside of his natural habitat. Rosie has also been a stalwart on the sports field: we can blame her first teaching post at Rugby School for the 70-0 drubbing her U14F rugby team received at the hands of St Paul’s in her first year, and take credit instead for the outstanding work she has done as coach of the U15B hockey team and U14A tennis squad for the past three years. Sadly, Rosie’s time in London was always likely to be limited, as the desire to return to the more rural pleasures of the South West has always proved strong to our botanist’s daughter. She will be taking up a position at Clifton College and will undoubtedly prove to be as valued a member of their school community as she has to ours. Dulwich College may be poorer for her leaving, but we are undoubtedly much richer for her time here.
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