ISSUE I
2020
THE OLCS ALUMNI MAGAZINE
ISSUE I – 2020
Contents
Notices
3 New faces – welcome from the Chair
2020 dates for your diary
4 A bit of a do – a review of events
*Subject to change based on Public Health England guidance
6 Announcements
11 September
7 Link with the Lawn Tennis Association
Homecoming BBQ (for Classes of 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020)
8 A growth mindset – Minerva Day 9 Prize Giving 2019 10 Life at Emma Willard School 11 525 Celebrations 12 A note from the Head of Spiritual Life
19 September 10 year and 20 year Reunions 14 November 525 Gala Dinner, Plaisterers’ Hall, London
13 The Chapel Screen - A Parting Gift
Contact the Development Office Andrew Ball Director of Development a.g.ball@lsf.org, 01509 638922 Emma Fraser Data and Development Officer e.l.fraser@lsf.org, 01509 638920 Natalie Savage Development Manager n.savage@lsf.org, 01509 638921 Olivia Smith Alumni Engagement Officer o.smith@lsf.org, 01509 638920
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Updated Development Privacy Notice The Loughborough Schools Foundation Development Office have updated their Privacy Notice. The notice tells alumni how the Development Office manages and processes your data. You can read the full privacy notice at www.lsf.org/ development or alternatively you can contact the team for a copy. If at any time you wish to change how the Development Office communicates with you, or to stop hearing from them altogether, please use the contact details below.
Welcome from the Chair To all Our Lady’s Convent School Alumni
I
am extremely pleased to welcome you to ‘The Pelican’, the OLCS alumni magazine. I hope you enjoy reading this inaugural edition, in which you can hear about how your school is doing now, along with news of former pupils and staff. You will probably be aware that Our Lady’s Convent School is now operating as Loughborough Amherst School within the Loughborough Schools Foundation (LSF). If you still live in and around Loughborough I’m sure you will have seen evidence of many of the changes that have taken place. We have also seen changes within the OLCS alumni committee and are pleased to introduce some new faces. The current committee members are: Amanda Greaves (née Swann) – Class of 2004 Rachel Healey – Class of 1999 Mary Hopkins – Former Staff Grace Hutchinson (née Smalley) – Class of 2005 Liz Marshall (née Jenks) – Class of 1974 Natalie Savage (née Howarth) – Class of 1991 Isabel Tilson (née Wilkie) – Class of 2005 The committee meet each term to share ideas and suggest events for our alumni to join in and get together. Many of the events are tied in with the Loughburians, the alumni association for the other schools within the Foundation, which now includes recent leavers from Amherst. Sharing events will not affect our aim of preserving an identity for OLCS
alumni. Current and future pupils at Amherst will undoubtedly feel a closer association with the other Foundation Schools as they already share school events and some lessons. But of course there have always been links between the schools. Grammar School boys taking part in OLCS Christmas concerts, for instance! Many past pupils married the boyfriends they met at the barrier or had brothers who attended the Grammar School or perhaps sisters who were at the High School. So we began this journey with sound connections with the other Foundation Schools already in place. Joining with the Loughburians for some of their events means we gain from the professional skills available in the LSF Development Office. This will enable the OLCS alumni association to progress and flourish in a way we have not been able to before. If you know of any former pupils or staff not receiving any communication from us, then please encourage them to contact the Development Office or register their details at www.lsf.org/development. You will see there are a number of upcoming events. It would be lovely to see many of you at these, in particular the 525 Gala Dinner at Plaisterers’ Hall, London on Saturday 14 November. We already have some names of people who are interested in attending so do let us know if you wish to join us. I look forward to seeing you during 2020. Mary Hopkins Chair
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A review of events Class of 2009: 10-year Reunion 8 June 2019 It was lovely to welcome over 100 members of the Class of 2009 back to school for their 10-year reunion. Guests enjoyed touring their respective schools before convening at the Tower in the LGS Quad for drinks and a most satisfying BBQ.
Class of 1985: Reunion Tour 2 November 2018 It was wonderful to welcome back to school some of the Class of 1985. It was evident this group of friends thoroughly enjoyed their time at OLCS, remembering fun and laughter, perhaps, rather than heads down and working hard! Heading their separate ways, some to different countries, they kept in loose contact. However, five of them got in touch in 2018, visited for a reunion at school, and are now in regular contact, meeting a couple of times a year.
Class of 1989: 30-year reunion 29 June 2019 A glorious summer’s day welcomed 38 members of the Class of 1989 back to Loughborough. After checking out the changes made to their respective schools, a refreshing drink on the LGS Quad was very much required before guests retired to the shade of the Hodson Hall to enjoy a meal and peruse the archive material on display.
Joseph at Kilworth House 20 June 2019 After a successful sell-out production in 2018, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat returned to Kilworth House the following summer and our alumni were there to see it. The weather held, and guests enjoyed pre-show canapĂŠs and fizz on the lawn before making their way to the open-air theatre for what promised to be an explosive performance. It did not disappoint. The retelling of this biblical story was colourful and energetic, truly spectacular!
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Homecoming BBQ, 6 September 2019 We had a fantastic response to the annual Homecoming BBQ in September with 155 alumni from the Classes of 2016-2019 attending. It offered a chance to celebrate the end of summer with friends, and a burger and a drink, before heading off to University, other further study or employment.
Class of 1999: 20-year reunion 14 September 2019 45 members of the Class of 1999 gathered in Loughborough to celebrate 20 years since they left the schools. Whilst they discovered from tours of the schools that plenty had changed, the consensus was that very much more had remained the same. Memories were discussed over lunch and the archive table, and a good time was had by all.
London Dinner 15 November 2019 Our annual trip to London, to meet up with old friends and discover some new ones, took place at the AthenĂŚum Club on Pall Mall. Prof Lacey (Class of 1963) kindly arranged for us to use this magnificent venue in which to host alumni, for the second year running. After a sumptuous 3-course dinner, guests heard from current LGS Headmaster Duncan Byrne about a range of school matters past and present.
Carols by Candlelight 9 & 10 December 2019
Oxbridge Dinner 25 January 2020 The annual Oxbridge Dinner was held this year at Somerville College, Oxford. We welcomed undergraduate alumni from our Schools who are currently studying at both Oxford and Cambridge universities, along with some recent graduates. We were also joined by Year 12 students from our senior schools, selected to attend as potential future applicants to the universities. A number of current and former staff completed the gathering. Dr Julian Murphy (alumnus of St Catherine’s College, Oxford) gave the address, including an amusing snap-shot of his student life. Before dinner, we were treated to Evensong in the college Chapel, sung magnificently by the Cantilena and Consort choirs from the Foundation Music Department.
Each year, just before the end of the autumn term, pupils, family members, staff and friends join together to celebrate Christmas with carols and readings in the Chapel. Once again, two separate events were held and it was wonderful to welcome 31 alumni and former staff back to school. The choir sang beautifully and led the congregation in the carols, whilst Sixth Form students recited poems and readings. Full of candles, bathed with dramatic coloured lighting and arrayed with seasonal decorations, the Chapel looked magical. A truly wonderful start to the Christmas celebrations.
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Announcements
Alumni we’ve loved and lost Sally Kleijwegt (née Dakin) on 3 March 2019
Marriages
Alicia Jaworek (née Kliszewicz) in March 2019
Leanne Lopez Mosley (née Curtis) – Former Head Girl and Class of 2005. Married Justin on 16 July 2016 at Bawdon Lodge Farm, Leicestershire and is now living in South Florida
Mary Veronica Marriott ‘Molly’ on 30 March 2019
Births Grace Hutchinson (née Smalley) Class of 2005 Merida Ellen Hutchinson born on 12 November 2018 weighing 8lb 1oz Amanda Greaves (née Swann) Former Head Girl and Class of 2004 Matilda Rae Greaves born on 25 December 2018 weighing 6lb 12 oz Leanne Lopez Mosley (née Curtis) Former Head Girl and Class of 2005 Beau Elvis Lopez Mosley born on 5 February 2018
Mrs Margaret Heaney 28 December 2019 In the late 1950s, and early 1960s, there was a group of teachers fondly known by other staff as the ‘university wives’, teachers who initially wanted a small part-time job. Margaret was one of them. She was interviewed for teaching chemistry and maths by Sister Mary Adrian one Saturday morning. On being offered the job, Margaret asked, ”When would you like me to start?” “Monday morning,” was the reply. And so began an association with Our Lady’s Convent School that lasted formally until Margaret’s retirement in 1993, but which continued with the Sisters and the ‘Past Pupils and Staff Association’ (PPSA) now the OLCS Alumni Association. Margaret visited school not too long ago for the Class of 1978: 40-year reunion and Carols by Candlelight, and it was wonderful to reminisce with her about past times and fond memories. Margaret was a loyal, dedicated member of staff, loved and respected by staff and students alike. She had great patience with those who didn’t immediately grasp a maths concept, although to the amusement of the girls this resulted in the ‘heaneygraph’, a gradual rising in her voice pitch as explanations were given. Margaret had a lovely sense of humour. She will be sorely missed by family and friends alike. Sister Shelagh Fynn Former OLCS Headmistress
New Director of Development for Loughborough Schools Foundation Andrew Ball has joined Loughborough Schools Foundation as Director of Development, taking over from Jane Harker. He was previously Director of Supporter Relations for Rainbows Hospice for Children and Young People in Loughborough. Andrew says, “It’s an honour to be joining such a well-respected organisation which has shaped so many lives. Under Jane’s guidance, the Development team have built and managed a strong and impressive Alumni network, which not only keeps former pupils connected to one another and the schools but also adds significantly to the experiences of pupils today”. Asked what his priorities are he said, “…to work with Alumni to extend participation in our schools. As a Foundation, we want to increase attendance from children that have the academic talent to be here but whose parents may not have the means to pay. Through bursaries, our Alumni can play a big part in helping to give to others the kind of opportunities they themselves received”.
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Elite Tennis Boarding Last September, Amherst welcomed our first elite tennis boarders: five girls and three boys. In September 2020 the numbers will grow to 12 and, in 2021, to 16. Our partners in this initiative are the Loughborough University National Tennis Academy (LUNTA), who won one of two contracts with the Lawn Tennis Association to run the training programme for our national tennis stars of the future. We welcomed our boarders at the end of August and on 14 September their boarding house, Hahn House, was officially opened by gold medal winning Paralympian and OLCS alumna Sophie Hahn.
It has been both exciting and challenging to establish boarding for the tennis players and to plan for the unique needs of elite young sportsmen and women. But with the help of LUNTA and Helen Foster (Head of Boarding and Pastoral Deputy Head at Loughborough Grammar School), this new initiative has proved to be a great success. Our boarders have settled in brilliantly and are a great asset to the School community. Despite their very busy tournament and training schedule, they have kept on top of their academic studies and have also found time to make good friends and to contribute much to the life of our community. It was lovely to see them enjoying Carols by Candlelight and taking part in our end of term House Music Festival. Along the way, they have already competed in thirteen international tournaments with great success. Much of the credit for the success of this project must go to our Boarding Housemistress, Marie West, who has provided a wonderful home from home for the boarders and works tirelessly to look after every aspect of their wellbeing. We hope that the success of this initiative will lead to further sporting partnerships with Loughborough University and to a gradual expansion of boarding.
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Articles Minerva Day 2019 Coping with studying for GCSEs and A Levels, whilst also managing the inevitable strains and confusions of being a teenager, has never been easy. Add to this the increased pressures of modern life, not least the pernicious and omnipresent influence of social media, and it is hardly surprising that all over the developed world, we are witnessing a rise in mental health problems among the young. When I joined OLCS, I was determined to increase deep cultural changes to our ways of working that would address these mental health problems and also help to improve the efficiency with which our pupils learn. The result has been our unique Minerva programme, first introduced in 2017. This programme covers all aspects of how we design our curriculum, mark work, report to parents and set homework. But, above all, it seeks to help all our pupils develop a growth mindset from as young an age as possible. Growth mindset can be defined as the ability to embrace mistakes,
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be open to criticism and always be learning and adapting. In the twenty first century world of work and personal relationships, I believe that – even more than good public exam results – growth mindset is the most precious gift we can give to the young people in our care. Although the Minerva philosophy is an implicit part of our everyday life, we explicitly celebrate it once a year with our Minerva Day. This year we celebrated Minerva Day on 18 November, with a series of fun workshops led by a company called Inner Drive. Inner Drive work with elite sporting bodies, including many of the best football teams in the world, and with musical performers, businesses and educational institutions, to help people build the emotional toolbox that, in high pressure situations, can make all the difference between success and failure. For our Minerva Day they delivered special workshops on mastery mindset (an advanced form of growth mindset); how to
handle stress, and how to make the best use of your memory. All the staff attend the workshops with their pupils. I spent the day with Year 10, and I must say that I found the workshop on handling stress really useful on a personal level – proving that you are never too old to be learning new tricks! If you ever visit the School, you will see evidence of our focus on growth mindset wherever you go, from numerous displays and posters, through to the attitude of the staff and pupils you meet. On which note, please remember that we are always delighted to welcome our alumnae and former staff back to School, and offer them some refreshments and a tour, whenever they have time to drop in and pay us a visit. I am so proud of our School community, and sharing that pride with our past pupils and staff is always a particular pleasure. Dr Julian Murphy Headmaster, Loughborough Amherst School
Amherst Prize Giving 2019
A Heart-Warming and Inspiring Celebration of Our Values On Thursday 27 June, Loughborough Amherst School celebrated its 2018-19 prize-giving ceremony. As ever, the evening was an entertaining and inspiring celebration of the School, and our values, and, most importantly, of the impressive achievements of our pupils. In the spirit of our Minerva (growth mindset) philosophy, the prizes celebrated not just outstanding attainment in academe, music, sport and the arts, but also those pupils who have shown the greatest resilience, community spirit and personal growth during the last year. The audience included several representatives of the Sisters of Providence; the Priests of our local parish of St Mary’s; the Mayor of Charnwood, Councillor Brenda Seaton; the Loughborough Schools Foundation (LSF) Chair of Governors, Admiral Sir Trevor Soar; and many of the LSF Governors. The Amherst Chair of Governors, Professor Alan Dodson, summarised the many exciting developments this year. Most notably, the building of the new Parkin Sports Centre; the introduction of elite sports boarding in conjunction with Loughborough University and the Lawn Tennis Association, and the ambitious programme of refurbishment occurring across the school site.
Schools Foundation and Amherst. Nicky Morgan’s speech continued Dr Murphy’s focus on character education and why it matters so much for the wellbeing of our young people and the future of our society. It was both down-to-earth and inspiring, and liberally sprinkled with entertaining anecdotes from Nicky’s own education and career. Between speeches, we were treated to beautiful musical interludes courtesy of the School Choir and our wonderfully talented Upper Sixth musician, Elizabeth Fair. We also witnessed a spirited poetry recital, along with expressive movements, on the theme of optimism, courtesy of Prep School pupils Frances Bell and Katie Hawkins. Overall, a memorable and heart-warming evening, celebrating the values of challenge, care and confidence that bind our community together. As one parent commented afterwards, “this sums up exactly why we sent our child to Amherst, and why she loves this place so much.”
In his address, Headmaster, Dr Julian Murphy, focused on what the Amherst belief in ‘working together to become clever, kind and brave’ means in day-to-day practice. He also spoke about putting environmental improvements at the forefront of the School’s targets for 2019-20. However, the highlight of the evening came courtesy of our guest speaker, the now Baroness Morgan of Cotes and Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport , who took time out from her busy schedule to show her support for Loughborough
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Life at the Emma Willard School Grace Elliott (Class of 2018) The once in a lifetime opportunity to study in the prestigious Emma Willard School, New York, was an experience that I grasped with both hands. After being awarded a scholarship by the EnglishSpeaking Union, I jetted off to the Big Apple in January 2019. The school itself was located in Troy (upstate New York) and was the first women’s higher education institution in the United States. The boarding school experience in itself was extremely different to my life in Loughborough, let alone getting settled into a new school, the American lifestyle and the -30oC winter! After I had completed my A levels in England, going to America was a chance to further my studies without the worry of examinations alongside the opportunity to immerse myself in a new culture. Weekly skiing lessons at the local mountain range, playing varsity level baseball matches, pep rallies and the famous graduation, at the end of my time there, were some of the amazing experiences I had. Graduation was the highlight of my time at Emma. The Centuries old tradition of graduating high school in wedding dresses took me by surprise, however, and the mass of white gowns worn by myself and
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the rest of the senior class is an image I will never forget. Speeches given by the Class President and post-ceremony ‘Wailing Wall’, where the younger students and teachers are given the opportunity to say their final goodbyes to the graduating class, were some of the key moments of the day. My time in America has further shaped my personality and lifestyle, as well as providing memories that will stay with me forever. I will always be grateful for this amazing opportunity – new friendships made that span across the world, experiencing the stereotypical American high school from the movies and the chance to immerse myself in another country and culture for six months.
Celebrating
525 YEARS 2020 marks the 525th anniversary of the founding of Loughborough Grammar School (LGS). To celebrate this landmark the Foundation are holding a number of events throughout the year, including a series of lectures given by high profile guest speakers. The remaining lectures are:
Prof Andrew Thompson
Rt Rev Mark Tanner
Nelson Mandela on Robben Island. Do political prisoners have human rights? If so, who should protect them now? 22 September
What is a Healthy Community in the 21st Century? 4 November
All of our community are welcome to attend and bookings can be made at www.lsf.org/525
The big event for alumni and former staff in 2020 is the 525 Gala Dinner at Plaisterers’ Hall on Saturday 14 November 2020. LGS has a close association with the Worshipful Company of Plaisterers as it was alumnus Harry Humber who, as Master of the Livery Company, was the driving force behind building the Hall. The 525 Gala Dinner will be by far the biggest event we have hosted for many years and we hope to see our OLCS alumnae and former staff there too.
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A note from Liz Smith Head of Spiritual Life Spiritual Life has always played an important role in my school experience. This school has always offered opportunities that allow our pupils to take a journey of self-understanding and spirituality, whatever their religion or none. My first memory, stepping through the gates from Gray Street into Our Lady’s Convent School, was of the day I was interviewed by Sister Shelagh and Mary Hopkins. I had a tour of the school and on that day fell in love with the Chapel, the cloisters and the daffodils that surrounded all the girls picnicking on the grass. Having previously worked in a Catholic school and being involved in my local parish, this part of school life was very special to me. I firstly was encouraged by Patricia Hawley to take groups to the ‘The Briars’, the Nottingham Diocesan youth retreat centre in the Derbyshire village of Crich. We had two trips a year for Year 7 and 10. I have many happy memories of spending time with Mrs Blainey and other staff with wonderful pupils who benefitted from the games, walks and spiritual opportunities that the young leaders put in their way. We would often bring back new hymns to sing, usually with actions, and a real sense of community. Having been at the school for 18 years, I have seen many changes. The move into the whole convent building, when the Nuns built their new home in the grounds, allowed the school to expand and a dining room to be built. This enabled more footfall around the cloisters and the Chapel to be passed more frequently. Many more services have taken place in the Chapel and I am sure that many of you will recall the ‘Ice-Cream Mass’ which was celebrated on the
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feast of Blessed Antonio Rosmini, the founder of the school. As a staff we would meet in the Chapel at the start of every term, and the Year 13 leavers’ liturgy with tea in the Sisters’ garden was a very special day. I was given the opportunity to be Head of Spiritual Life in May 2019 after many years as Head of Key Stage 4. It has been a real privilege to become ‘custodian’ of the Chapel and develop the spiritual life of the school. It is important to all of us that we maintain the spirit of the school whilst being part of a wider Foundation, which offers so many opportunities to both pupils and staff. I have had the privilege to spend more time with Sister Celine who is still a wonderful presence around school and remains a Governor. She recently administered ashes at our Ash Wednesday service and was involved in the Prep retreat day which was held last November. I had the best possible start to my new role accompanying 34 pupils to The Briars last June. The weekend gave pupils an opportunity to spend time with friends and reflect on their faith in an atmosphere of kindness, fun and care. We enjoyed games, walks in the countryside and time reflecting on how we are all unique. We followed this up with an end of Year 7 liturgy which was pupil led and is going to become an annual event when school bibles are gifted to all. We currently hold three Masses a year and use the Chapel as often as we can for gatherings, large and small, including weekly acts of worship, congregational singing and liturgical feast days. We are developing more pupil
led assemblies and are sometimes joined by Father David from St Mary’s parish. A new addition to our programme this year is House Feast days. Pupils from each House come together to celebrate their group identity, and values, on the feast day of their namesake. It starts with a morning liturgy, developed and delivered by pupils, followed by games and a special lunch. Rebecca Chadwick, our Head of Houses, has created stunning banners for each House that hang in Chapel. We are still maintaining the traditional services: Carols by Candlelight was as popular as ever last Christmas with generous donations supporting our school charity. We saw the newly formed Year 7 Choir sing, and a Chapel Choir meets weekly for rehearsals. Finally, I thought you may be interested in reading our new school prayer. This grew from the substantial pupil input to the school mission statement. The aim was to create a prayer that reflects this and means something to all in school as we begin each day, hopeful and with kindness in our hearts.
House Feast days Teresa - 15 October Agnes - 21 January Peter - 29 June Rosmini - 1 July The Amherst Prayer Loving God, In all that we do, help our school to be a place of wisdom, hope and love.
The Chapel Screen A Parting Gift The school are delighted to unveil a new reflective space in the Chapel, funded by donations from the OLCS Alumni Association and some of the 2018 school leavers, the final year of pupils to become OLCS alumnae. Loughborough Amherst School Headmaster, Dr Julian Murphy, said “I am delighted that we now have this screened-off and child-friendly area that anyone in our community can comfortably use for prayer, meditation or simply a few quiet moments alone with their thoughts. I am very grateful to our alumni for their donations, without which we could not have created this special area for all our present and future pupils”.
As we face the challenges of today, guide us to become clever, kind and brave and make the world a better place. As we work together, give us open minds so that we can develop an appreciation of ourselves, each other and our world. As we live together in community, give us knowledge to be welcoming to all who we meet so that everyone knows what it is like to be loved. Amen
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OLCS 170th Anniversary Commemorative Booklet Many of you have kindly answered a call from Amherst to help compile a Commemorative Booklet in acknowledgement of the 170th anniversary of the founding of Our Lady’s Convent School. The actual anniversary falls on 2 April and it was hoped that the booklet would be ready for Easter. However, the current public health crisis and closure of the Schools means that production will be delayed even though the booklet is very nearly assembled. The booklet contains a brief history of the School along with 170 entries that relate in some way to the school - photos, recipes, stories, memories and tips/suggestions from current and former pupils and staff. We look forward to seeing this in the near future and will be sure to notify you when it arrives from press.
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Tours Notice We’re happy to welcome our alumni and former staff back to school. If you would like to arrange a tour please do get in touch with us at olcs.alumni@lsf.org to arrange a date.
The next edition of The Pelican magazine will be produced in December 2020