177
VALETE
Mark Grantham-Hill CHRIS OTTEWILL
Mark has also been the Examinations Officer since 2000, seeing many thousands of students through the process of entering and taking exams over the years. His thoroughness and attention to detail have led, in Mark’s words, to ‘no major incidents, at least not at the time of writing’. From my time as Head of Department I can attest to Mark’s amazing ability to juggle the different entry procedures for different boards and the changing criteria for coursework administration, not least in seeing the entry process at A level go full circle from end-of- course examinations through to biannual modules and back again to terminal examinations. His colleagues in the examinations team attest to his professionalism and thoroughness, noting his preference for keeping any bit of information, no matter how out-of-date, his motto being, when in doubt, ‘keep it; you never know: you may need this one day’. It is clear that his good humour, friendly and calm demeanour have been greatly appreciated by those who have worked closely with him. Within the Science Department Mark has been described as the ‘oracle of all things biological and chemical’, being able to instantly supply the answer to any detail of the current syllabus and beyond. He will also be remembered for being seen lugging piles of exercise books around with him, having no permanent desk in the Science Block, as well as for his innovative approach to online learning in the pandemic, managing to create a seamless chain from an old OHP to Microsoft Teams. Mark will also be missed in the Common Room, where he could often be found socialising at the end of the day. In addition to his onerous duties as exams officer, Mark somehow also found time to be master in charge of ordering crisps, a role from which he was regularly sacked when stocks ran low, only to be reinstated when it was found that no-one else was willing to take on the responsibility. In all, Mark is an immensely intelligent colleague with a wealth of knowledge of his subject, whose calm and never- failing good humour has endeared him to a great many colleagues over the years. Showing that there can be teaching life even after so many years at Dulwich, Mark will be taking up a full-time post in September, teaching Biology at St Paul’s school in Brazil, under the headmastership of Titus Edge. We wish him all the very best in the next chapter of his life.
Mark joined the College in September 1994, making the move over the hill from Whitgift, having taught at St Joseph’s College in West Norwood before then. Any idea that he was joining a bastion of serenity and calmness was quickly corrected when, on parking his car by the North Block on his first day, he narrowly missed being hit by a ruler that had been thrown out of a ground floor window (not aimed at him, he hastens to add). As was usual in those days, Mark’s first year here involved a full load of Middle School teaching, with three Year 9, three Year 10 and three Year 11 groups. Colleagues who taught with him back then report being unnerved by the discovery that Mark had an entire year’s worth of lesson plans in place for every year group, including A level. Mark has taught Biology ever since, along with Physics and Chemistry when needed, and has always been willing to take groups across the age and ability range. He also joined the select group of teachers who have lived in the Chestnuts across the road from the main College, enjoying the rare privilege of being given the two rooms at the top of the house, since abandoned as unfit for accommodation. Mark’s first major role outside of teaching was in the CCF as the Officer Commanding Dulwich’s RAF section from 1994 to 2004, being in charge of up to 70 cadets a year, many of whom have since gone on to active senior service in the RAF. As well as holding weekly sessions, Mark helped run trips to RAF camps across the UK as well as overseas to RAF Brüggen and Rheindahlen in Germany. His dedication to the RAF trips is illustrated by it being on one of these trips that he received a call at 1.00 in the morning to say that his wife had gone into labour, which led to a hurried trip to Poole hospital to welcome his son, Harry, into the world. Under Mark’s leadership, the RAF section won the Air Squadron Trophy in 1997, being runners-up in many other years. One of his early innovations led to him receiving a call in the middle of a lesson to say that the decommissioned RAF aircraft that he had ordered to allow boys to get some experience sitting in a cockpit had arrived, complete with wings, on the back of a lorry and was waiting for his signature. The problem of storing the aircraft was only solved by removing both wings and dragging the remainder into the basement of the North Block.
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