THE QUADRANGLE From the President
To improve is to change; to perfect is to change often. It has certainly been a period of change for College and the Association since our AGM in February, all of it for the better.
parents – to meet Garth and one another. They are slightly different functions from Old Boy only events and attending them is a great way to hear more about how College is doing and also to show your support for the school. Old Boy specific events remain a cornerstone of our existence and will, of course, continue. Another key change this year has been an emphasis on lifting the profile of Old Boys around College. You may have seen the notices in In Black & White calling for Old Boys to participate in College Conversations and the Thought Leaders programme. When you see such notices please get in touch either with the Association or College and volunteer. The Association is also working with College on other initiatives to bring Old Boys into the school in ways that are relevant to the current boys. The fourth change this year has been to the way we communicate with you. Quadrangle will only appear in the College magazine from now on. This has been done not just with an eye on saving expenditure, but to align our communications with those of the school and in recognition of the shift towards email. Accordingly, instead of separately printed issues of Quadrangle, we now have our e-Quad newsletter that comes out monthly. That newsletter contains Old Boys’ news, updates on College events and reminders about upcoming functions and reunions. If you are not receiving it please drop us a line with your latest email address to ccoba@ccoba.com. We hasten to add that the printed In
Memoriam will continue, and the Committee is looking at including more information with it as an annual formal record for the Association. Finally, in March this year after many years of debate, the committee decided to change the way scholarships are awarded from the Scholarship Fund. The CCOBA has traditionally awarded a handful of small supplement type scholarships, normally of around 10% - 25% of a single year’s fees. Awards were for one year at a time only, although some boys applied in, and received support for, multiple years. Given the rising cost of education, the committee felt these were no longer making a material difference. The new process will be to make one award a year for up to five years. The Old Boys’ Association Scholarship will go to a boy who, due to his educational achievements and character, would benefit from attending College but who, without the scholarship, would otherwise not be able to attend. More details can be found on page 74 of this issue. The Old Boys’ Association Scholarship is a great example of the support that the Old Boys have given to College in the past and its existence is a challenge to all of us to continue that support – whether we give time, talent or treasure.
First there has been the physical change of the Association’s office. We are now housed in the heart of College, in the Hare Memorial Library. One of the focuses this year has been greater co-ordination and co-operation between the Association and College and this physical move is part and parcel of that. Why this renewed focus on working with College? Our new Executive Principal, Garth Wynne, talks of the school providing excellence and innovation wrapped in tradition. While, as Old Boys, it is one of our tasks to monitor and uphold College’s traditions, it is even more important that we support College in delivering an excellent and innovative educational experience. That is why we have asked our branches to embrace the second change this year – the advent of Community Events. These events aim to draw together those from across the College community – Old Boys, past parents and prospective
Jeremy Johnson (12355)
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Christ’s College Canterbury
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