MAKING MALVERNIANS
Welcome Message
An excellent education must always encourage every young person to reach their academic potential and achieve the best outcomes possible. This is an essential component of a Malvern education wherever on the globe a Malvern school is to be found. But an excellent, all-rounded education must go beyond academics to ensure each young person maximises their potential, not only in, but also outside the confines of the classroom. Whether this means taking part and achieving success in a sport, in competing in national and international competitions, in pursuing artistic and musical endeavours - it is these skills outside academia which often help define and shape a young person’s character and sometimes their career. These experiences often demand resilience, initiative, creativity, teamwork and sheer determination and are some of the lifelong skills which a Malvern education sees as so important and a necessary complement to academic success. In other words, they describe some of the Malvern qualities which lie at the heart of who we are as a family of schools.
This Second Edition of ‘Making Malvernians’ celebrates the successes and skills young people have achieved in all our schools across the globe. Whether in the UK, in Hong Kong, China, Egypt or Japan it is Malvern’s understanding that the skills and successes found outside as well as inside the classroom form an integral part of an all rounded and excellent education.
I would like to wish every young person mentioned below many congratulations - the effort and time they have invested into their pursuits are commendable and should be celebrated. They are all wonderful role models and we hope will inspire Malvern pupils around the world.
Dr Robin Lister
Sporting Success
Boxing Clever
Tia H from Malvern College Egypt is undoubtedly a future ‘star of the ring’ in the world of Women’s Boxing. Having previously won a Cairo regional gold medal and a national silver medal, she followed it up by competing in the ‘Golden Girl Box Cup’, a prestigious international tournament held in Sweden earlier this year. Tia was also selected to become part of the Egyptian Ministry of Youth and Sport national programme for developing future potential Olympic Champions and was invited to an international training camp in Ireland where her training was supervised by Olympic Gold Medallist Kellie Harrington. Most recently she has received a fully funded scholarship from the International Sports Alliance (www.isa-youth.org) and will be attending the Paris Olympics with their delegation.
Regional Executive Director, Malvern College International (Asia Pacific)
MAKING MALVERNIANS
World Champion Dancers
Malvern College has a new World Champion in its ranks thanks to the outstanding achievements of Malvern College Hong Kong Year 10 pupil Charlotte L. After a string of impressive performances at international dance events, Charlotte excelled at the ‘Get The Beat’ 2023 World Finals in Bangkok, Thailand. Winning the ‘Broadway Jazz’ solo competition with a stunning routine she was duly crowned World Champion. Founded in Australia, ‘Get the Beat’ is an international touring youth dance competition for solos, groups and duets across a number of categories and levels which culminates in an annual world final.
Fellow Malvern College Hong Kong dancer and sports scholar, Vianna L has also been impressing the judges at the highest level having secured 3 Gold Medals at the 2024 Asia Dance World Cup event where she competed against teams from Macau, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong and China. She secured a further first place as part of the Senior Jazz Troupe and was awarded Best Female Performer at the event.
Sports Shorts
The Next Shanshan Feng?
Kari Z from Malvern College Chengdu has enjoyed a stellar year of success on the Chinese junior golf tour winning no less than 10 tournaments in Sichuan province and beyond. One of her wins was in the regional qualifier for the Notah Begay 3rd US Junior Golf Championship and Chinese Women Junior PGA golf challenge which has earnt her a place in the national finals. Kari is currently ranked No 1 for her age group in the Chengdu region and in the Top 100 in China. She is also coached by China national team coaches who have clearly recognized her undoubted potential.
Malvern College Hong Kong Tennis sensation Moses L recently selected to play for his country at an International Tennis tournament in Japan. Competing in the U10 boys category Moses was crowned Singles Champion and also made the final of the Doubles. Definitely one to watch for the future!
After a series of fine performances on the astro, Malvern College UK pupil, Daisy T has been called up to the Welsh National Hockey team as part of their U18 training squad.
MAKING MALVERNIANS
Winners in the Water
More success in the pool last term for Malvern College Hong Kong swimmers. Gaby L, competing in the Hong Kong National Swim Championships, secured 3 Gold and one Bronze medal and now has an age-group time for 50m Freestyle which ranks amongst the best in Asia. At the International Schools Hong Kong national long course championships, she placed 1st in the 100 Freestyle and was runner up in both the 50 Free and 50 Fly events. Meanwhile Marcel H claimed 3 Gold medals at the same event, touching 1st in the 100 Freestyle and both the 50 and 100 backstroke events. Marcel has also competed at National Championships level in his native Netherlands.
Whilst technically on dry land, rowers Ian Y & Mike from Malvern College Hong Kong excelled in the Hong Kong Rowing Association Indoor Championships 2024, finishing in 1st and 2nd places respectively in the Boys Under 14 1000 metre event. We look forward to seeing them perform out on the water later in the season.
Dashing Blades
Fencing is not a sport often in the public eye, but at Malvern College schools our swordsmen are achieving on the world stage. Kovi L from Malvern College Hong Kong was part of the Hong Kong national team that competed in the Junior Fencing World Cup in Zagreb finishing a creditable 84th out of 155 fencers in the individual event and just missing the Bronze medal in the team event by a mere two points. Meanwhile Noah G from Malvern College UK was selected to represent Team GB in the Men’s Under 20 World Cup held in Vršac, Serbia in February 2024. He also won the Bronze medal in the Epee discipline at the recent UK public schools tournament competing against 128 entrants from over 50 schools.
Rugby Representatives
The Malvern College UK rugby programme has been attracting the selectors’ attention this year with several players receiving call ups to representative teams. Fergus M and Will C were both invited to play for the Barbarians RFC as part of their first ever U18 squad. The boys then played a fixture against Rugby School which was part of the 200th year anniversary of the birth of the game of rugby with Will contributing a couple of fine tries to the score. Meanwhile Dan B was selected for ‘The Lambs’, the National Schoolboys Rugby team managed by the English RFU, for their Summer 2024 tours to South Africa and Namibia.
MAKING MALVERNIANS
Top of the Leaderboard
More success on the fairways for Malvern College Hong Kong Year 12 pupil Arianna L who has continued her recent excellent form by winning the Hong Kong Ladies Closed Amateur Golf Championship for the third successive year. Victory this time was particularly impressive given the cold temperatures, strong winds, and speedy, undulating greens which made the course extra challenging. Following her win at the Asia Pacific Amateur Junior Championship, Arianna, is now the No.1 ranked HK player in the world amateur rankings and has recently been nominated for the Cathay 2023 Hong Kong Sports Stars Awards in the Best Female Athlete category alongside other elite female athletes with the ultimate winner will be chosen by public vote.
Academic Achievements
Simply the Best
A Malvern College education is based upon holistic principles but at the same time we are ‘unashamedly academic’, so we are delighted when some of our pupils are recognized for their examination prowess at national or even continental level. This year we have been notified that several of our pupils have quite literally outperformed all their peers in various subjects and qualifications: This years‘ honours board includes
» Antonio D from Malvern College Egypt, Pearson Execexel, ‘A’ Level Italian, Best in Africa 2023
» Cecilia J from Malvern College Chengdu, Pearson Edexcel ‘A’ Level Biology, Best in China 2023
» Jana S from Malvern College Egypt, Pearson Edexcel, GCSE Biology, Best in Egypt 2023
» Umar R from Malvern College Egypt, Pearson Edexcel, GCSE History, Best in Egypt 2023
» Mahmoud M from Malvern College Egypt, Pearson Edexcel, GCSE English Language, Best in Egypt 2023
MAKING MALVERNIANS
Malvern Medics
After tough regional and national qualifying competitions the team from Malvern College Qingdao have been rewarded with a place at the World Finals of the HOSA – Future Health Professionals, taking place in Houston, Texas in June 2024. Based in the US and certified by the US department of Education, HOSA has been organizing scientific competitions for 47 years with over 250,000 students competing annually.
Following 5 months of intensive preparation, study and practice in the fields of biology, microbiology, health education and behavioural health the team at MCQ achieved an outstanding results with Marjorie J, Fayne X and Bowen L all winning individual Gold Awards. MCQ itself won further awards in the categories of ‘National Model School’ and ‘National Pioneer School in Health Science Education’. These students have also secured academic success elsewhere with Majorie a holder of a UK Mathematics Trust (UKMT) Global Gold Award and Fayne as Microeconomics Champion at the Regional qualifiers for the upcoming China National Economics Challenge (NEC).
Brains for Business
Several other Malvern College Qingdao students have secured top awards in various national level business competitions. Thomas S became the China National Champion in the recent LIBF (London Institute of Banking & Finance) competition and was also elected as Student President of the BPA (Business Professionals of America) for China. Dax G has been awarded a place in the national finals of the ASDAN business simulation competition after his silver medal in the regional qualifier. ASDAN China was founded in 2011 and provides skill based education training with over 1,300 school and 300,000 students having participated in their events. Dax is also the winner of a National Economics Challenge (NEC) individual award and has been inducted into the NEC student ‘Hall of Fame’ for his achievements.
Cathy H meanwhile is a Silver award winner in the GFFSM (Global Future Space Scholars Meet) annual academic competition which aims to encourage students globally to solve real-world problems through multi-disciplinary project based learning. Students take part in an Extreme Design Challenge where they are tasked with creating future cities and lunar bases in less than 24 hours.
MAKING MALVERNIANS
Creative Talents
Musical Maestros
Some wonderful news from our talented musicians at Malvern College Hong Kong during the last term.
Year 4 pupil, Caitlyn Y, was invited to Limoges, France recently to compete in the 13th ‘Concours Français de la Harp’ competition, a prestigious event which attracts Harpists from all over the world. Caitlyn’s performance earned her a unanimous 1st prize in her category, a welldeserved recognition of her undoubted talent, hard work and dedication.
Meanwhile music scholar, Year 9 pupil Venus C demonstrated excellence on the cello in recent music competitions in Hong Kong, including achieving a First Place prize with the HKYPA (Hong Kong Youth Performance Arts Festival). Her resilience and dedication are commendable.
Orchestral Manoeuvres
In February, the Malvern College Hong Kong Senior Orchestra was also invited to perform with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra with multi-talented music scholar Charis Chan featuring as a vocal soloist and playing piano. This opportunity was a great reflection of the strength of the music programme at the school as well as the undoubted talents of the individual performers.
MAKING MALVERNIANS
Eco-Fashion Warrior
Sustainability is a major challenge in the world of fashion today and a key element of a Malvern College education as personified by Year 6 Visual Arts Scholar, Umika N from Malvern College Tokyo who was a prize winner in the Japan Shoes Industry Association, ‘Fashion Shoes 2024’ contest. The competition theme was based on ‘recyclable shoes’ with Umika’s design placing first amongst 1,261 entries with her illustration featuring reused packaging from snacks, drinks and confectionary. Umika received her prize at the annual awards ceremony which took place in Kobe.
Move over Mona Lisa
Annabel, a Year 3 artist from Malvern College Hong Kong has achieved something most painters can only dream of in having one of her works of art displayed at the Louvre in Paris, France. Competing against almost 2,000 other students from around the world, Annabel won the Gold Medal at the prestigious UWEE Louvre International Art Exhibition competition. Her winning ‘masterpiece’ will be displayed in the Delorme Hall at the Louvre throughout 2024.
MAKING MALVERNIANS
One Man Musical
Genshu T, a Year 6 pupil from Malvern College Tokyo is an exceptional and unusual talent in the world of performing arts. His passion is musicals, which he not only composes, but for which he also writes screenplays, creates props, acts and films each scene and then manages all of the post-production editing and packaging. Genshu was invited to present his ‘one man show’ on national Japanese TV on a programme called ‘HakaseChan’ (meaning ‘an expert’). The show features young people who have taken their hobbies to exceptional levels with Genshu actually winning the ‘Sokow FES’ award for best overall presentation.
In the Spotlight
The spotlight beckons for Malvern College UK pupil Beth N who after progressing through several rounds of auditions will join the National Youth Music Theatre this summer workshopping new musicals. Each year thousands of budding young actors apply to join the NYMT but only a few a lucky enough to win places on the coveted programme. Beth recently played Eponine in the schools production of Les Miserables and aims to study at drama school in the future.
Malvern Award Gold Winners
The Malvern Award was created to recognize outstanding levels of pupil achievement and performance across a wide range of activities. Launched in 2022, the award has Gold, Silver and Bronze levels and places a significant emphasis on leadership and role model behaviour. Examples of success criteria include exceptional contributions to school sport, music or drama and leadership positions within School Houses, the CCF and Super/Co-Curricular programmes as well as community work and academic competitions.
The latest cohort of Malvern College UK pupils to win the prestigious Gold Award are Alexander G, Isabelle W, Shuaichu P, Kip N, Isla G, Enya N, and Anna S.
