A Legacy of Memories

The stories of our former teachers inspire us as they leave the school with a legacy of memories and hard work that is forever etched in the walls of our campus and hearts of our students. Sharing with you the low down of what some of your teachers have been up to.

Becky Carville, Roz O Shea, Claire Walton, Steven Shorthose, Gavin Lazaro, Ben Winter, Anne Winter, Chris Boden, Robert Gardiner, Andy Homden,Pn Azizah

Andy Homden a.k.a Mr Homden

Former Director of School, 1996 - 2002

Jan and I are in Ireland - County Donegal - where we started our business, Consilium Education, in 2014. Our office is on campus at the new Atlantic Technological University - formerly Letterkenny Institute of Technology. We are involved in supporting new school projects from the Far East to the Middle East. It’s not easy starting your own business, but so rewarding and involves work that we really enjoy doing.

What do you miss most about your time at KLASS?

The community - always very special when we were there and still is!

What is one of the most memorable moments of your teaching career at KLASS?

One of the most memorable things was the way the new community at Equine Park pulled together to create a new school on a new site - which was true to the atmosphere and ethos of Jalan Bellamy, while being itself. That was 1997! I particularly remember the way there was a programme of tree planting sponsored by families and alumni and the way the new trees were labelled with the names of each species and the sponsoring family with special arboreal tags prepared for us at Kew Gardens, which expanded as the trees grew. There was still a huge amount of forest around us in those first years, and three or four months after opening there were rumours of a ‘large cat’ being seen on the periphery of the trees. Never confirmed one way or the other - but several claimed to have seen it!

What do you think should be the common goal(s) for every person to live a successful and happy life?

When you choose a career make sure it involves work that you will enjoy and encourage others to do the same.

A message for alumni

Festina Lente! [‘make haste slowly’]

Becky Carville, a.k.a Mrs Carville

Former teacher, 2016 - 2022

I am now teaching at British School Muscat where my two sons also go to school while my husband is studying for a degree in viticulture in New Zealand so we are a truly global family at the moment! We are enjoying the landscape - the mountains and the sea on the doorstep and the beautiful food and culture of Oman. To add to the three Malaysian street cats that we took with us, we have now adopted a rescued local wadi dog so we’re a full house now! My sons still wear their KLASS tops everywhere - we need bigger ones sent!

What do you miss most about your time at KLASS?

I miss the beautiful green campus - I was reminiscing with some other colleagues who also left about this just a couple of days ago! The greens, the library, the rain, the lightning alarm, friends and colours - I miss all of these so much! It is very beautiful here but in a very “brown” way!!

What is one of the most memorable moments of your teaching career at KLASS?

Seeing my KLASS of 2022 graduate and celebrate at the Prom after the Covid years!

What do you think should be the common goal(s) for every person to live a successful and happy life? Be kind. Listen to life around you. Pay it back and forward!

A message for alumni

Don’t be afraid of change - you make the future what you need it to be!

Steven Shorthose a.k.a Mr.

Former teacher, 2001 - 2015

Shorthose

I left Alice Smith to set up my own education company, INtuition which has been massively challenging but It has done really well and I’m super proud of what we have achieved. Life has been interesting and I certainly miss the big school holidays.

What do you miss most about your time at KLASS?

I taught at Alice Smith for 14 years (maths and Head of Year 10 and 11) and loved every minute of it. I took Year 10 and 11 for their school trip to Tioman which was a fantastic way for the students to relax after their IGCSE examinations.

What is one of the most memorable moments of your teaching career at KLASS?

I have so many memories it’s hard to pick out the highlights, although having Shan Li Ng attain top of the world in the express additional maths IGCSE course was a superb achievement from one of my students. It was also the first time anyone had attained the award in any subject at Alice Smith.

What do you think should be the common goal(s) for every person to live a successful and happy life? Empathy, tolerance and understanding seem to be 3 qualities that we should all improve upon.

A message for alumni

Keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars - (Casey Kasem - Host of America’s top 10 in 1984).

A Legacy of Memories

Christine Boden a.k.a Mrs Boden Former teacher & Vice Principal 1995 - 2009

After leaving JB in 2009, I lived in Toronto and then had five years in Hong Kong before returning to the UK. We now live in Glasgow, Scotland to be near our little granddaughter and enjoy our retirement.

What do you miss most about your time at KLASS?

I miss the wonderful KLASS community and of course, the Malaysian food! As part of my role as Vice Principal, I enjoyed being a problem solver and endeavouring to be someone that people felt they could confide in and trust.

What is one of the most memorable moments of your teaching career at KLASS?

I have lots of memorable moments but a highlight was being instrumental in reuniting the Primary School at JB and showing the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester around the new Year 5 & 6 building in 2002.

What is one of the most memorable moments of your teaching career at KLASS?

Life always has ups and downs but a rewarding job and good, loyal friends and colleagues can make all the difference. Don’t get stuck in a rut. Take a chance if you can. The move to Malaysia certainly worked for me and my family.

A message for alumni

The advice I’d give is ‘Keep in touch’. It’s a marvellous thing to have friends all over the world and I’ve loved my visits back to KL.

Gavin Lazaro a.k.a Mr Lazaro Former teacher, 2013 - 2022

I left KL in July 2022 and am Deputy Head at a start-up school in Lisbon - The Lisboan International School. Portugal is an amazingly welcoming country and its capital is really vibrant, with lots of culture, amazing food and fabulous people. We don’t have any students at the moment as we are only due to open in September, but our team has been busy working on creating a value-driven school, with an innovative curriculum in the heart of the city. It’s an incredibly exciting and challenging process but I am enjoying it enormously.

What do you miss most about your time at KLASS?

That’s a really tough question… there are lots of aspects of life in KL and especially EP that I miss. My colleagues, the students and the parents, of course. Beyond that, I miss the ‘feel’ of EP, the greenery, the space, the warmth and the buzz. Because The Lisboan only opens in September 2023, I have only a few colleagues and no students, so I miss the diversity that an international school offers. It is people that really make a place feel like home, and KL was no different. Oh and I also miss roti canai…!

What is one of the most memorable moments of your teaching career at KLASS?

Of my 9 years at Alice Smith, Graduation at EP was one that stays firmly in my mind. Graduation at any school is a remarkable event - the culmination of years of determination and commitment - but the first proper Graduation at EP back in 2019 was a wonderful celebration for students, parents and staff. The fact that I was also a parent at that event only added to the joy. Of course, the year after we had to revert to an online event, so I am sure that the future EP graduations will rekindle the excitement of the first event.

What do you think should be the common goal(s) for every person to live a successful and happy life?

I am currently meeting huge numbers of parents who are interested in a slightly alternative and very skills-based approach to education, and we always talk about what’s important in life. One crucial thing I talk about is to know and understand your own values and be utterly driven by them. The other is to take care of yourself and those that are close to you.

A message or advice for alumni

I’m not really a great one for advice, but a long long while ago when I was working in the chemical industry, my boss said to me “Be bold”, and I’ve tried to do that myself whenever I can. Fear can hold us back unnecessarily, and being bold can sometimes give us the impetus to nudge ourselves forward to do something a little unusual and out of our comfort zone that may be incredibly fulfilling.

Claire Walton a.k.a Ms. Walton Former teacher, 2011 - 2013

At present I’m teaching in a Europe and enjoying the onset of spring. Life has been busy and fun- I am currently doing an MA in creative writing which is wonderful and inspiring and reflective. The best part of being a teacher is we are lifelong learners.

What do you miss most about your time at KLASS?

The wonderful friends I have in KLASS, running around the track at crazy hours of the morning with Mr Williams and the students, the sun on my back as I swim in the pool, the lush green trees outside my classroom window. The fun. Lots of fun.

What is one of the most memorable moments of your teaching career at KLASS?

Muir winning the House Cup (flipping around that reputation for being losers). 80s style aerobics on the basketball courts with year 11 and Ms Cooper. Taking a group of runners to FRIM for a Friday night jungle run. I know that isn’t one...but there are too many memories!

What do you think should be the common goal(s) for every person to live a successful and happy life?

To be joyful in all we do. Happiness is a mindset, not a gift.