Always Part of Our Community

BSN Launches New Alumni Community Network

Our alumni are an important part of our extended community. They helped shape and define the BSN as students, staff and parents. As alumni, they can continue their involvement with the BSN and impact our students and their futures—by sharing their stories, wisdom and experience. Our alumni form an incredible, diverse, international and intergenerational global network, bonded by their shared BSN experience.

The BSN is committed to building stronger ties with our alumni, strengthening the community for the benefit of all its members. To help alumni connect with each other and stay in touch, we recently launched a new online platform: the BSN Alumni Community Network. Alumni and Sixth Form students can build or expand their professional networks, request/offer (career) advice, sign up for events and read alumni interviews: www.bsnalumni.com

The Big BSN Reunion 2022 & Career Networking Event

We were delighted to host over 100 alumni from different years at SSV in October. It was wonderful to see old friends reunited and reminiscing. 17 alumni from diverse professional backgrounds also participated in a career networking event with Sixth Form students, providing valuable real-world insights.

The Spirit of Alumni Award

Established in 2012, this award is given to Year 13 students (one each from the A Level and IB pathways) who have served the school community with energy, enthusiasm and selfless dedication, and have shown commitment that we believe they will continue to demonstrate, actively supporting the BSN and its values long into the future. This year’s recipients are:

Ahnaf (A Levels)

Since Ahnaf joined the BSN in 2020, he has been an active and valued member of our community. He has participated in events, cooked and fundraised with food, worked in our Secondhand Uniform Shop and taken on the role of Student Leader. His work with the Voorschoten community through the ‘Voorschoten Promise’ will reap results for years to come. Ahnaf’s kindness and empathy has touched our hearts, and his contributions will be long remembered.

I feel incredibly humbled and honoured to have received this award and I couldn’t have asked for a better end to my time at the BSN! I experienced an exceptional amount of personal and academic growth over the years, made possible by the wonderful, kind, and supportive teachers and peers I had – I will definitely miss their kindness the most!

‘’Having discovered my love for our environment and passion for serving our community at school, I have decided to pursue a Liberal Arts and Sciences degree related to Global Challenges at Leiden University next, where I hope to major in ‘Earth, Energy and Sustainability’ while also following courses related to ‘Governance, Economics and Development’.”

Carlotta (IB)

Since Carlotta joined the BSN at three years old, she has demonstrated what it means to be a dedicated member of our community and has played a pivotal role in shaping our school’s culture. Alongside organising fundraising events for charity and mentoring younger students, Carlotta has taken on the role of Student Leader, Biology Subject Ambassador, MUN delegate and leader of STEM club. Carlotta has worked tirelessly to foster a sense of belonging among students, and we know that she will continue to inspire others with her dedication, passion, and kindness.

I am proud to say that the BSN has laid the foundation of my values and moulded me into the character that I am today. I particularly enjoyed providing service to others, through projects such as the Health Buzz and Bags for the Homeless as part of CAS in the IB programme, which would have not been possible without the supportive students and staff.

“I will definitely miss the welcoming and tight-knit BSN community, but at the same time, I am looking forward to studying Medicine at the University of Groningen. It has been an incredible 15-year journey at the BSN. I look forward to keeping in contact with this amazing community through the Alumni Community Network.”

Mike Weston

Our archivist, the marvellous Mr Weston, known very fondly to so many alumni, is celebrating his 50th year at the BSN (and 80th birthday)! This is what has kept him involved through the years:

When I arrived at the English School of The Hague in 1972, I knew within a fairly short time that this was something very different and very special.

“I was struck immediately by the mix of boys and girls from all over the world and from every ethnic, cultural and religious background. And they got on so well together! It was a remarkable experience that we – students and staff alike – shared; because we had, nearly all of us, moved away from our own homes, our backgrounds, our own countries, our own language even. Rather unusual in those days. So the school became our new family.” ■