Valete

VALETE

Sally Russell

Sally Russell has been Secretary to Brooke Hall since 1991 and somewhere in her job description appears the banal entry, “To welcome new members of Brooke Hall.” It may appear to be a trivial task, but it is one which Sally couldn’t have taken more seriously: countless new beaks have benefitted from her kindness and patience. The warmth not just of her welcome but of her continuing attention begin to explain why she is held in such affection.

She has set a marvellous example to the beaks in her care, an example which some have chosen to follow in their dealings with each other. Yes, Sally must have witnessed the occasional disagreement and cross word over the years. Fortunately, her characteristic kindness is matched by her exemplary discretion.

Briefly, a few years ago, when her morning tasks included e-mailing the School community the Daily Bulletin, Sally’s politeness is legendary. Beaks’ last-minute requests for coach and minibus hire have not received the deserved sigh and rebuke but the undeserved smile and “thank you”. Almost every conversation with Sally seems to conclude with her thanking you; attempts to thank her in return are swiftly met with, “No, thank you!” Perhaps she just likes to have the last word but not on this occasion: Sally, thank you! Mr Andrew Turner

her name became known by the pupils. Because the pupils could not be sure whether they had ever seen her she achieved a mythical status. The height of her fame was surely achieved when she received a mention in the Brooke Hall Sketch performed by the pupils at Charterhouse’s annual talent show, Lack of Talent.

A close colleague of Sally refers to her as “Mary Poppins” due to her politeness, high standards and resourcefulness. Unlike Mary Poppins, however, Sally has staying power. She did not leave after a few days, thinking her job was done, but stuck it out for more than 30 years. Looking after Brooke Hall has been quite a task.

One of the many things for which she will be missed is her beautiful flower arrangements. Beaks have no doubt taken this for granted, but Brooke Hall will be a duller place without Sally, her flowers and her extraordinary talent.

Richard Haynes

The hallmark of Richard’s contribution to Charterhouse over nearly twenty years has been his total commitment to his charges. In hashroom or in House, on squash court or on hockey pitch, he really cared that those under his care achieved their potential.

He was a first-rate practitioner in the classroom. His classroom was superbly arrayed: the walls, covered with attractive and informative posters, ensured that his pupils were constantly surrounded by classical stimuli. He prepared meticulously, was creative in devising tasks, and delivered his lessons with enthusiasm and energy. Having arrived with considerable experience in teaching in other schools, he was unstinting in his advice to the four Heads of Department he served, and during the holidays he led several trips to Italy, Greece and even Tunisia which participants remember fondly years afterwards.

his sense of care and desire to push his charges to achieve all they might. One of his tutees writes thus: “Mr Haynes has been an incredible tutor in Bodeites, with his fantastic expertise offering so many pupils so much support over the years. His passion for helping and supporting his tutees in every way has always come through, not to mention his love of Leeds United.”

He was similarly “passionately committed” to the Squash and Hockey teams he coached with skill and generosity in giving up his time: the prescribed interval was rarely long enough for his half-time orations. He was also a stalwart of the Removes Pioneers programme, and in his final year managed the entire programme with creativity and the grateful support of his colleagues. Weary Removes arriving at Lower Lodge on the three-day expedition always had in Richard a beak who wanted them to enjoy the experience and to succeed.

Lest the foregoing sound too earnest, it should be noted that Richard will also be remembered for his tremendous sense of fun. His lessons and conversation were peppered with some toe-curling puns, and a former pupil speaks warmly of the festive atmosphere frequently enjoyed in his hashroom. That the festivity sometimes included Richard leaping on desks and swinging from the curtains speaks also of his impressive athleticism.

A story is also told of Richard standing and singing to the squash team in a stretch limo as they were driven through the streets of New York on a tour he’d organised to the USA, and this happened at a time before Carpool Karaoke.

Many Carthusians and members of Brooke Hall therefore owe Richard a great debt of gratitude: we wish him and Kaye (ever the patient Penelope to his Odysseus) a long and happy retirement. Mr Jim Freeman

Martyn Fenner

We say a fond farewell to Martyn who started working at Charterhouse back in 1992. He was the head joiner and was a superb craftsman with the capacity to take on any number of challenging timber related work which you will still be able to see examples of around the site. I suspect most of his work will outlast many of us at Charterhouse.

He is a larger than life and rather colourful character, known for plain speaking and his raucous laugh, which would regularly resonate throughout the estate department building. He was a highly valued member of the estates team, and will be very much missed. Working on both maintenance and small projects his outputs ranged from a myriad of modest handyman repairs to the most intricate and fine bench hand joinery work.

Martyn moved his family home to Devon a few years ago, but continued to work for Charterhouse, staying locally at his parents in the week. He has now finally taken up a new post in Devon which he is very much enjoying and we wish him the very best of luck with this new endeavour. Mrs Emma Humphreys

Sean Goddard

I can vaguely remember a time in Studio before Sean, a strange time that seems like a lifetime ago. There were no computers and pensioners were employed to clean paint brushes whilst drinking tea and listening to Radio 4. How times have changed.

Sean has been a key part of Studio for over 20 years. Many students who have forgotten their teachers remember him for his easy chat, helpful advice, and his amazing cars. He will always be part of the history of the place and has played a key role in the development of many young artists. He brought the Eiffel Tower, the Arc De Triomphe, the cliffs at Deauville and the bells of Notre-Dame to Concert Hall for the yearly Fête-de-Noël. He helped make a thousand red origami tanks for Remembrance Day, hung hundreds of leaves from the ceiling, and took apart and helped arrange the parts of a motorbike, all for student installations. He has stretched, printed, painted, hung, fired, threaded, lifted, climbed, cleaned, sawn, drilled, to list a few relevant verbs. The number of times he has painted the walls in studio white may come close to the number of students he has inspired – a great many.

He is an artist in his own right: the printing area is often covered in his demonstration screen prints. His West Highland dog, his car, his cats and Studio are among his favoured subjects. He himself has been a subject, a life model for the Fourths, toga-clad, suited or uniformed in camouflage gear – the only real chance he ever got to be still.

“Is Sean here? Where is Sean?” I know those words will echo around the Studio walls long after he has gone. He will be missed by many, but not forgotten. Students and staff, past and present, all wish him well for his future projects and chorus an enormous “Thank you!” Miss Helen Pinkney

Jon Tully

You could hear Tully before you saw him: a purposeful heel-strike beating time to the whistled strains of “Hearts of Oak.” Then he’d appear like a pocket battleship: the hair short, the shirt crisp, the suit immaculate, the tie regimental, the shoes burnished to a mirror-like gloss. Even the most casual observer could tell you that Jon Tully had spent time in the military. And he brought to Charterhouse the best of the British armed forces: energy, professionalism, pride, and a relentless cheerfulness bordering on the pathological.

Wherever there was a chance to get cold, wet and tired, there you’d find Tully. As Officer Commanding the Royal Marines detachment Jon was in his element, urging his charges on through muddy exhaustion to reach a standard of training they’d not dreamed was within their grasp, but under his leadership the Charterhouse detachment twice won the prestigious national Pringle Trophy competition. Former members of the detachment so appreciated all that he had given them that they inaugurated an annual OC RM dinner to celebrate the bonds they’d forged with each other and their former boss. He led the whole Charterhouse CCF contingent for two interregna between contingent commanders, and the incoming commander was on each occasion grateful to have him as a mentor.

On DofE Silver Expeditions, Jon was similarly unmistakable, from the spiritlevelled angle of his beanie (sorry, Headdress) to the ear-splitting wake-up calls. His principal sporting contribution was, of course, to cross-country running. Out in “the field”, as the rain came down and the temperature dropped, Jon’s grin may have become fixed, but it never faded. For Jon appreciated more than most the joys to come on the other side of physical discomfort: the hot shower, the clean set of clothes, the easing of a cork.

If a man can keep smiling through adversity, he’s made of just the right material to be a Housemaster. Daviesites gave Jon the command for which he was ideally suited. True, no-one was in any doubt about what was required to clean a buttery properly, but his House was no Young Offenders’ Institution. Jon presided over many tremendous social occasions: Hog Roasts, Raclette evenings, and Founder’s Feasts which began with champagne for the Specialists on Private Side and ended with the Revd Dr. Chris O’Neill hoovering the Long Room in bow tie and tails. For tutors were always welcome and always generously entertained: on one summer evening the pupils complained about the noise coming from the garden after Lights Out. The success of Daviesites made Jon a natural choice as Senior Housemaster, and he was equally generous in sharing his experience with other Housemasters, though they might have had to go on a run with him to get it.

Jon had no academic pretensions, but none were better able to teach Physics to the lower divisions. He saw it as his mission not merely to get them through the GCSE syllabus, but with consistency and clarity of expectation to give them life lessons in organisation, punctuality and a commitment to give of their best. He also made a signal contribution to the department of Classics. In numerous trips to the Saronic Gulf south of Athens he skippered the yachts which delivered parties of Classicists to the archaeological sites studding that coastline. Those trips will never be forgotten by those who participated, and the memories will be of sunshine, clear blue waters, poring over maps in the cockpit, feasts both aboard and ashore, and the time to stop and stare at a landscape not much changed from classical times. These trips would simply not have been possible without Jon’s expertise and experience of sailing those waters, and he also provided an engineer’s insight into the building of such monuments as the Lion Gate at Mycenae.

No appreciation of Jon’s contribution to Charterhouse could fail to pay tribute to his wife Jenny. She too was a yacht skipper, mountain leader, DofE assessor and generous host of social events in Daviesites: they were a formidable team.

When Jon preached in Chapel (not from the pulpit, but striding up and down the aisle), he preached on Friendship, and his message to the School was “Be a good friend”. Jon was a good friend to both pupils and staff at Charterhouse, and we will miss him. For in his company we enjoyed what he always called “the best of times”. Mr Jim Freeman

Will Gaisford

Will Gaisford joined Charterhouse as Head of English in 2018, after an eight year stretch at Harrow. Though he has only been with us for half as long, we would like to think he has had twice the fun. He leaves us to become Deputy Head Academic at St Leonards School in St Andrews, under the Headship of Simon Brian. We are deeply saddened that he has been poached, but we are comforted by the knowledge that the dynamic duo will be reunited once more. Pablo Funcasta will also be there, presumably.

Will is leaving the School and the department in a far better state than when he found it. His notable achievements include sending out almost one million Microsoft Forms, introducing one of the most diverse English curricula in the country, and contributing to squash by doing the bare minimum and refusing to practise with any mediocre players. Many of Will’s students describe him as the best teacher they have ever had (which is irritating for the rest of us, though undoubtedly true). He has also been the best Head of Department that this writer has worked with; his trust in his team, his effortless efficiency and his pragmatism more than make up for his fondness of spreadsheets.

Will has been a superb Head of Department and he will be sorely missed. We wish him the very best as he moves up the ladder and can only hope he will make time for the little people he leaves behind. Miss Georgia Galton Ayling

A Tribute to WJCG Now Will has conquered in a little time This little place and, spite of great emotion Has set his heart on headship in his prime, As we, applauding, mourn at his promotion. Farewell! He is removed by elevation –And mounts upon the scaffold, his work scheming, Excessive moderation, observation Have underwrit success, secure, not seeming. Immeasurable precision in assessing As in instruction, ordered our confusion –Farewell! He is too quick for our possessing And introduction’s hastened to conclusion: The sharpest scholar and most fogbound Fourth Will curse the day St Leonard’s lured him north. Mr Charlie Hall

Karen Davies

With or without the brackets – one of the less obvious changes of her time in office – Deputy Head (Pastoral) is one of the most challenging roles in senior management. Sometimes referred to by pupils as Deputy Head (Punishments), it can be difficult for observers to see the caring side of the office holder. No doubt her years in the role elsewhere were helpful but Karen Davies has given the impression that her skill in balancing pastoral care with necessary sanctions is the product of instinct more than experience. Pupils leaving the Old Bursary after a meeting with KLD can never have doubted her care, but they won’t have considered her a soft touch either.

It is fair to say that recent incumbents of the Deputy Head (Pastoral) role have not always looked as though they were enjoying the job, but not so Karen Davies. Despite the long hours spent supporting, inter alia, Heads of House, counselling staff and the Health Centre, she has always made time for what she considers the “fun stuff”: teaching Business and English; watching sport (particularly cricket); and supporting the cultural life of the School in the theatre and concert venues.

An important attribute required in this and other roles in senior management is confidence. The Deputy Head Pastoral faces difficult, sometimes agonizing, decisions. For others to share that confidence, they want to see only the unwavering resolve whilst feeling reassured that the detailed thinking and philosophical reasoning have also taken place. KLD was appointed by the Head because he trusted her from their time together elsewhere, but she arrived having to earn the confidence of other colleagues. This she quickly achieved through her clarity of vision, sharpness of thinking and capacity for hard work.

One of the morning tasks of the School’s collection of deputy heads is to usher pupils into Chapel and each of us brings our own style. KLD may have arrived at Charterhouse via Cambridge and Cheltenham but there is no mistaking her roots. Only at the entrance at which she is stationed are pupils invited to “tuck your shirt in, sweetheart!” and to “shuffle in, love!”. You can take the lass out of Manchester… Mr Andrew Turner

Louise Wilson

It is not unheard of for a beak to return for a second stint in Brooke Hall – after all, fans on the terraces might describe Dr Peterken as “one of our own” – but Louise Wilson’s reincarnation was perhaps more surprising than most. Whilst her affection for Charterhouse has never been in doubt, her initial employment also contained some frustrations. There has certainly, therefore, been a sense of unfinished business in her short but productive stay as Deputy Head (Pupils and Community) and the School has certainly benefitted from the areas upon which she has focused.

Despite the challenges of the slow emergence from the pandemic, LJW has energetically revived our engagement with the local community, rationalising our programmes with local schools and encouraging both beaks’ and pupils’ involvement.

LJW’s most significant impact has been with Pupil Voice, overseeing Pupil Action Committees and establishing Year Group Forms in which pupils represent their House tutor groups. Although pupils may not always recognise it – like many of us, they do not always appreciate the difference between being listened to and being given what they ask for – they have more ways of communicating their views than ever before.

Among her achievements in this increasingly important area of School life has been her support of the Pride Society and the Inclusivity Committee. She has also successfully established the EDI Steering Group which uniquely involves pupils, beaks, OCs and a member of the Governing Body. In a remarkably short period of time LJW has raised the profile of inclusivity issues and protected characteristics as defined by the Equality Act.

If she did return with the intention of completing unfinished business I hope that she is leaving this time with an even greater sense of satisfaction of a job well done. Mr Andrew Turner

Jon Harper

We say a fond farewell to Jon, who was employed at Charterhouse for 22 years as a builder. You may remember seeing him in his woolly hat, driving the flatbed truck around site. He was a rather solitary soul, but a valued member of the estates team, working on both maintenance and small projects. His tasks ranged from deep below ground (main School drainage) to the highest of levels (Chapel roof repairs) and everything in between. His greatest love was re-pointing (honestly) and he was often to be seen painstakingly replacing the mortar between paving slabs around the School. For his post Charterhouse retirement, Jon plans to travel far and wide across Britain in his camper van, safe in the knowledge that he does not have to rush back for an early Monday morning start. We wish him well on his travels. Mrs Emma Humphreys

Elaine Carden

Elaine leaves a massive void at the heart of Bodeites. At once caring, compassionate and utterly devoted to the Bodeite boys, she has never pulled her punches and has more one liners than many a comedian. Her food provision was simply outstanding, most notably Wiener Wednesday (which almost never took place on a Wednesday), the piles of cheese and ham, cookies, chocolate brioche rolls, pancakes and her famous hot chocolate, which was served on a Monday night with love (and a giant marshmallow). It’s almost impossible to describe Elaine’s influence on the House, the boys and its tutors. It is great testament to her that the House office is always full of boys eager to chat, be scolded or chastised, or in need of a sympathetic and empathetic ear. Elaine always gives everyone a fair hearing, whether to nod along in understanding or tell boys they’re out of line. This has gained her genuine respect and affection, because it’s clear that she will genuinely tell it as it is, rather than what the narrator wants to hear. She has a great and intuitive understanding of right and wrong in such situations, which is such a blessing for someone at the core of the House team.

It’s difficult to talk about Elaine without talking about her animals, Ballie, the dog and Carmen Verano, the cat. Both stalked the House, looking for and consuming food and occasionally bringing home the odd dead mouse. I shall miss Ballie barking at me for daring to enter the

office, where he’s hidden a breakfast sausage, or Carmen Verano’s specific stroking needs (NEVER the body, a certain part of the head or underneath the neck). The House will feel all the emptier without their presence. We will all miss Elaine’s beautiful Ayrshire tones, the wonderful snort in the laugh and the very many home truths that we all need to hear from time to time. Selfishly, I could not have wished for a better Pastoral Assistant and I’m enormously grateful for her patience, understanding and calm advice. I also thank her for the laughs, which are, of course, the best medicine. I know the boys will miss her terribly and I’m sure there will be very many emotional goodbyes when the time comes. We wish Elaine our very best in her new position in Perthshire and cannot ever thank her enough for everything she has done in Bodeites. David McCombes

Tessa Robertson

I have to admit to being slightly anxious when I was about to take over running Pageites House in 2010. But I need not have worried. Pageites proved to be very welcoming, and that was largely because of its extraordinary matron, Tessa Robertson. Tessa brought a warmth and good humour to the absolutely pivotal role of matron, such that my wife, Helen, and I came to regard her as a mainstay of the House. Her personal charm, and totally professional commitment to a virtually impossible job, was so strong as to create a profoundly caring climate in the House, which allowed the Pageites to feel valued and special, even if they were falling out of line in other ways. As we all know, nothing is more important for boarding pupils than the sense that someone cares. The amount of time she spent consoling or chivvying wilting or wayward children is impossible to calculate. She was just always there for the Pageites; no matter whether they had lost a sock or were about to see the Headmaster for some outrageous breach of School rules.

But Tessa was always more than just a dependable fount of care and paracetamol. She brought a spirit of fun to the House. She was a bit of a highbrow matron really, but with an added touch of rock and roll. On her days off she would be up to London to see something demanding, like Stoppard’s Leopoldstadt, or something rock-retro like the Rolling Stones show at the Saatchi Gallery. With the fun went a little bit of eccentricity. I vividly remember her helping some Pageites solemnly, and with full state honours, bury the House hamster.

Above all, she was an enthusiastic part of our House team. She was often in private-side with the tutors, fervently discussing the pros and cons of various errant Pageites. She could always be relied upon to see the pupils’ side of things even when they were clearly, as we used to say, not quite getting it right. Tessa had a connection with the School that pre-dated Pageites: years earlier she had been on the good ship Saunderites.

Tessa was always much more than a matron. Indeed, she had an interesting career beyond Charterhouse, including working for the BBC. She remains a very good friend; a bond perhaps forged in the crucible of boarding house life. Helen and I – and doubtless hundreds of Pageites, and House tutors – wish her the most rock and roll of retirements. Mr Nick Pelling

Teresa Halcrow

Teresa joined Charterhouse as Lead Science Technician in November 2017, bringing with her a wealth of experience, having been Science Technician at four different schools, of which three were in the role of Senior Technician. Since then the Science Department has been transformed, with the building of K Block and refurbishment (with a delayed and altered work schedule due to the Covid-19 pandemic) of the Old Science building. Teresa has been at the heart of this in terms of planning laboratory and prep room spaces, re-organising the Science department timetable to make way for builders mid-way through CQ, and also in terms of the movement, storage and then unpacking and re-homing of a huge amount of science equipment. That the spaces are now working so well is testament to her careful planning, cooperation with Estates and Operations, leadership of the team of technicians and (especially in the days before the start of OQ in 2018, 2020 and 2021) sheer hard work.

Aside from the major building projects, Teresa has played a central role in the day-to-day running of three (and for one year, four) prep rooms and the laboratories they service. She has also been involved in the appointment and induction of seven new technicians, all the while managing the workload of a science department utterly dependent on practical work (and, by extension, the technician team) for the delivery of quality science education.

After such a busy spell, Teresa is understandably planning to take some time to consider her next steps. In the shorter term the decision is whether to go for a holiday in Cape Verde or on a Caribbean cruise, and she then plans to look for some local part-time work. According to Teresa there is also a lot of domestic gardening and decorating long overdue; if she throws herself into this with the same energy and efficiency with which she approached the Lead Technician role here at Charterhouse, I suspect it will all be completed in no time!

In Science we are all very grateful for Teresa’s hard work, diligence and commitment to the role. Her ‘can-do’ approach and eye for detail has meant we have achieved a huge amount during her time here, with the pupils being the ultimate beneficiaries of the work of Teresa and her team. We wish her all the very best for a happy and healthy future, whatever it may bring. Mr Tim Hingston

Simon Spinks

Reluctantly the Grounds department has had to say a fond farewell to gardener Simon Spinks. Having turned 66 this year, he decided it was time to retire and spend more time with his family of tropical plants and bonsai trees. A familiar face around the campus, Simon’s trademark bright orange jacket, curly hair, friendly smile and horticultural wisdom will all be missed. Although in recent years Simon has become a stalwart of the gardening team, his working relationship with Charterhouse goes back 12 years and, through his wife Belinda, much longer. She was a pupil at the school (B78) and later, for ten years, looked after all the old boys and girls as Head of OC Relations. They married in Chapel in 2010 and Simon’s earliest contact with the Grounds department was when they kindly stored his Oleander trees for the ceremony in the big greenhouse.

Among Simon’s more bizarre claims to fame while at Charterhouse has been running Pontifex, not once, but twice! He says his legs still ache at the thought of that vertical climb up from the quarry to Green. Also, teaching the pupils Club Juggling in the Lecture Theatre during Artifex.

A journalist for many years too, Simon used to work part time on the design and layout of the old glossy OC magazine when it was edited by Belinda. Seven years ago, she suggested he might offer to help out the gardening team as they were short of staff.

Following his experiences at the School he says it is just coincidence he has put his name down for an Open University degree in Psychology with Counselling and nothing more... Mr James Pope

Alison Patrick

Alison Patrick has been a member of the Charterhouse Educational Support Department for the past four years in the capacity of a Learning Support Advisor. Her philosophy was always to foster and develop the independent learning habits of the students she worked with. Encouraging students to think about their study techniques and organisation strategies was always very much in the forefront of what she did.

Many Carthusians have benefited from the one off “drop in sessions” Mrs Patrick offered to discuss study skills. Many students saw her for a number of consecutive sessions, looking specifically at their individual learning style, considering study techniques from “The Learning Walk Through” to the Pomodoro technique of timed exam revision. Some of these techniques elicited mirth, but others proved to be extremely useful.

Alison came to Charterhouse from a Further Education background, working with a variety of students and their very differing needs. Alison has also helped out with the Artifex “Bake Off”, which turned out some interesting baked and semi-baked goods, by first time Carthusian chefs! Out of School she is a keen gardener and a dog walker of her lovely Labrador and she will be missed by her students and colleagues alike. Mrs Jean Curry

Freya Galliven

Freja joined the IT department in March 2020, coming from two part-time roles with the Army Reserves and with a Hostile Environment Awareness company, the latter of which served her well during her time at Charterhouse.

Freja bought her lively, warm personality to the IT department and it was just a shame that Covid meant she was not able to be in the office for a few months during the first lock down. On her return to the IT office, she did a great job of welcoming both staff and pupils, logging and solving IT problems and being a great support to the whole IT team. Freja was responsible for ensuring that the IT Asset database was kept up to date, which (with over 4000 entries) was a full-time job in itself.

Aside from her IT duties, Freja was happy to help out across the campus and was often to be seen assisting with LFT testing or scanning exam papers. Away from Charterhouse, Freja enjoyed equestrian pursuits and has continued with her Army reserve training. She is leaving Charterhouse to join the Thames Valley Police as an Evidence Management Supervisor and we wish her all the best for the future. Mrs Julie Clements

Luka Radovic

‘I like that new maths teacher,’ I overheard as pupils murmured, ‘The one who looks like he’s in Peaky Blinders’.

Luka Radovic brought a lot to Charterhouse. A lot beyond the checked three-piece and a top knot.

He first came to the School as short-term cover for Nikos Georgiakakis (BH21). Though they differed in styles – one wore shorts and the other looked like a footballer – they both delivered excellent results. Mr Georgiakakis’ divisions were well looked after when he was away.

When a vacancy came up shortly after, we knew we wanted Luka. His energy and ideas were an inspiration. A wind of change was blowing in his sails. I watched him teach lessons that used jousting (depictions only) and excerpts of etymology as hooks to capture the imagination of his pupils. There were clips from Dangermouse playing billiards to illustrate modulus graphs. He brought a fresh approach to hashroom technology. When he introduced Kahoot! quizzes to a division I shared with him, I was pestered for ages to do the same to make learning such fun. Without beaks like Luka, the School would not have been so well prepared come Covid. As March 2020 saw Charterhouse@Home rolling out, there was a crack team of beaks working on the technology and plans to make teaching effective in an online environment. The approach that Luka developed in hashes was a seed developed by senior leaders. Knowing that we had beaks like him gave us confidence that we could educate in sixteen time zones. When it came to training beaks on this, Luka gave hours of his time. It was no surprise that he was soon appointed professional development co-ordinator.

Generosity, enthusiasm and a real interest in learning are three characteristics that define Luka. Another is style. He formed a maths society with posters that suggested his next job could as well be in a design studio as it could be in a leading school in the Middle East. He came to mufti day dressed as Thomas Sutton. He threw himself into all aspects of Charterhouse: assisting basketball and athletics; attending lectures, pupil societies and recitals; organising learning lunches and starting the staff CPD magazine, Learn Lead Inspire; forming a staff rock band; teaching ab initio Serbo-Croat; convincing Mr Hazeldine to fire-walk; having a genuine interest in pupils; being a brilliant friend to colleagues.

He wasn’t always the best at deadlines: when it came to bedtime in Gownboys, he could get so rapt in discussions of philosophy, puppetry and poetry with pupils, that their progress to the corridors was well waylaid. This is the sign of an academic and this is the sign of an educator. Luka Radovic, we wish you wonderfully well in your move to Qatar. Dr Alex Page

Jill Woolger

Jill Woolger joined Duckites in CQ 2019 having previously worked at a number of other schools, including Aldro and Eagle House. I joined Duckites in November 2019 as the acting Housemaster and I was immediately drawn to Jill’s warmth and competency. With her background in nursing, there was no area of pupil medical care that she hadn’t experienced before, and that wealth of knowledge became a huge bonus for all the pupils in the House. Faced by cuts, bumps, bleeding noses, Covid, norovirus – you name it, Duckites has had it – Jill was able to deal with any scenario calmly. She has been a huge support to so many of the boys over the last three years. Chats in the office, cups of tea, doughnuts, sweets and chocolate are all part of her armoury and I know the Duckite boys will miss her, almost as much as I will. We all wish her the very best with her move to the New Forest and her well-deserved retirement. Mr James Hazeldine

Charlotte Roland

Charlotte Roland, best known around campus for being American, has flourished across all areas of the School and has quickly become a favourite of pupils and beaks alike.

Most at home in the hashroom, Charlotte has moved seamlessly out of her comfort zone, thriving in the high-octane world of Removes netball, and discovering a latent talent for sprinting on the athletics track. Charlotte has been a wonderful FourthForm tutor and has kept persisting with friendly small talk despite initial tutee apprehension. Charlotte has taken this enthusiasm into Verites, where she has become a trusted and admired member of the tutoring team, receiving plenty of treats from her Assistant Head of House for her great work.

Unbeknownst to her, Charlotte was handed the opportunity to run the School’s society programme at the beginning of this year. The first few weeks were a blur of energy, excitement and spreadsheets, which prepared strong foundations for Charlotte to settle into a steady rhythm, fielding pupil and beak excuses (“the Charterhouse Farm Society is discontinued because the chickens were eaten by a fox…”) with professionalism and common sense.

Happily, the same can be said for the scholars’ programme, which Charlotte has ably supported throughout the year. Charlotte has felt at home in this scholarly environment and has contributed to a wide range of events and trips, including a Removes trip to her alma mater, the University of Oxford.

For most pupils, Charlotte will be best remembered for her outstanding teaching. Having spent the last two years overhearing her hashes, I am convinced that she is one of the best teachers I’ve encountered and one that any pupil would be lucky to have. Charlotte has led her divisions with intelligence and empathy. Charlotte makes every pupil feel special, with a natural gift for putting pupils at ease.

It has been a pleasure and joy to get to know Charlotte over the last two years. Charlotte will be sorely missed by all at Charterhouse and will undoubtedly be a great asset as she moves to run the Economics Department at Lady Eleanor Holles. Mr Stephen Barnett

James Pope

James arrived at Charterhouse on 25 May 2020 as the Grounds Manager, having previously worked at St Paul’s. Whilst he has only been at Charterhouse for a relatively short time, it has not been without incident. On arrival, the country had just gone into its first Covid-19 lockdown and it was not until April 2022 that he actually saw the School undertaking a full sports programme, including visitors. However, this did not prevent James from using his knowledge and experience to develop the grounds

and his team; this included introducing new methods of working, re-organising his staff, and maintaining the site to the high standards it is proudly known for. In addition, he was involved in the historic move to full co-education, playing a key role in the successful Prom Tennis Court and the new Boarding Houses projects. And if this was not enough he also got married!

James quickly became a well-liked member of the community and over his time he has created a strong, close-knitted grounds team, who will undoubtedly miss him. He is leaving on promotion to be the Estates Director at Daneshill prep school, which is a job with a wide-ranging remit including maintenance, catering and H&S, as well as grounds. We wish him and his family all the best for the future. David Armitage

Stephen Barnett

Just about every week of term, I would come into my hashroom to find that Stephen had plastered another poster over my door advertising one of his Entrepreneurship or Investment Society talks. During his two years as Head of Business and Entrepreneurship at Charterhouse, he brought in a near constant stream of experts to speak with pupils.

Stephen devoted himself to these societies, as well as to Low Code No Code Society and Branding Society. But his magnum opus was the Entrepreneurship Diploma, a programme he created to introduce pupils to realworld entrepreneurial challenges and essential business technologies through both taught and practical components. The double-page spread it claimed in this year’s Greyhound Magazine testified to its success and will serve as his legacy at the School. Through the programme, he offered pupils, even those who had opted not to take A-Level or IB Business, the opportunity to prepare themselves for the world of work.

His enthusiasm for the subject was equally evident in his hashes. He rearranged his room to resemble a corporate boardroom, and commissioned portraits of business icons from his wife Beth, an illustrator, to fill the walls. The very environment of his hashroom encouraged pupils to take pride in their work, as if they were already part of the companies to which they aspired. And his door was always open to pupils ready to pitch him their latest idea. He must have said, “Alright, pitch it to me...” at least once a day.

Stephen came to Charterhouse having spent many busy years running his company, Util. But in every facet of boarding school life, he has made the transition from business to education look seamless. He devoted himself to his role as Specialist tutor in Gownboys, where his nights in House were marked by FIFA competitions and chocolate truffles stolen from the tutor office. And although he was a willing volunteer for staff football, cricket, and squash teams, it was on the fives courts that his sporting talents – and sociable nature – really shone.

Professionally, Stephen goes on to become the Managing Director of Rugby School Online. Lockdown hours well spent watching Grand Designs will certainly aid him and Beth as they relocate to Shrewsbury where they purchased their dream home. I’m sure he will have a full enough calendar of house projects not to notice any free time created by the absence of House of the Week duties and football refereeing. If not house projects, his spaniel, Myrtle, will keep him busy. Miss Charlotte Roland

Rotimi Akinsete

After the tragic death of George Floyd and the growth of the Black Lives Matter movement, pupils at Charterhouse wanted to create a space open to all members of the School community where people could feel comfortable discussing issues of racism and discrimination. And so, the Unity Society was born.

The Senior Counsellor invited Rotimi, then Associate Dean of Students at the University of the Arts, London, to come to Charterhouse each Friday afternoon to help the pupils develop the Society. Rotimi was immediately a big hit with the pupils. His lived experience as a black man enabled pupils to feel safe to discuss many of the challenges they experienced. Unity also wanted to organise an event to highlight issues across the country. Rotimi knows the Lawrence family and so invited Stuart Lawrence, the younger brother of Stephen Lawrence. Unity and Rotimi arranged an enlightening webinar in April 2021, which over 150 Charterhouse pupils and staff attended, alongside six other schools.

Stephen Lawrence Day will now be recognised at Charterhouse every April.

Rotimi leaves Charterhouse to take up the post of Director of Student Welfare and Support Services at the University of Oxford. We look forward to visiting him there. Ms Jan Symes

Alexandra Neal

Alexandra arrived at Charterhouse in February 2020 to take over the role of Events Manager for Charterhouse Enterprises Ltd, bringing with her extensive experience of event management from a career including periods with the RAC Members’ Club, Surrey University and Arsenal Football Club. Arriving just days before the first national Covid lockdown in March 2020, Alex’s event management skills were never truly put to the test as the world closed up for the next 18 months. However, whilst many members of the support staff were furloughed, Alex remained operational, her professionalism, adaptability and value as a very capable administrator becoming rapidly apparent as she got to grips with the complex task of administrating and supporting international pupil travel arrangements and parent communications throughout Covid.

Always happy and a tremendously supportive colleague, she made a big contribution to the Events Department and the School during a difficult time. Alex left us in January 2022 to take up a new role with the University of Creative Arts in Farnham where she has taken responsibility for all admissions events for the University across four campuses. We wish her every success in her new role and the very best for the future. Mr Tim Ostle

Rachael Gibson

Rachael Gibson joined Charterhouse in September 2021 as a Teacher of Geography, Deputy Head of Northbrook and Head of Girls Football, three roles in which she has made significant contributions during her time here. The pupils Rachael taught have benefited from her subject knowledge and pedagogical skill, as well as the fun she has brought to the hashroom. Her dry sense of humour and ability to lighten the mood will be severely missed by her colleagues too. Perhaps her favourite part of the job, though, was her role in Northbrook. Rebecca Pugh tells me that Rachael took to the role exceptionally well, immediately creating strong positive relationships with all the girls in House, was utterly dependable, and went above and beyond time and again this year to deliver exceptional care. It is fitting, then, that she takes up a new role at City of London School for Girls as Assistant Head of the Lower School. They will benefit hugely from her pastoral instincts and expertise. We wish her every success for the future. Mr Owen Chisholm

Chloe Hamill

Chloe Hamill joined us a year ago from Bedales in order to establish the Charterhouse Fashion Textiles Department. Her high standards and good judgement quickly became clear to colleagues, as did her pastoral sensitivities, making her a popular beak amongst pupils and as a Duckites tutor. As well as launching Fashion Textiles on a very firm footing, Chloe fully immersed herself into School life, helping with Outdoor Pursuits and playing an important mentoring role to a new member of staff. Unfortunately, Bedales has managed to lure her away with a significant promotion to Head of Sixth Form. We wish her every success in her new post, thanking her for the inspirational start that she has provided for Textiles at Charterhouse. Mr Duncan Byrne

Madeleine Hyde

Madeleine Hyde leaves after a short but impactful time with the Theology, Philosophy and Ethics Department. She came to us with a formidable philosophical pedigree. Following her degree from York, Madeleine acquired an MLitt from St Andrews and latterly a PhD in Theoretical Philosophy at Stockholm University. As such, she brought with her a wealth of experience to a department transitioning to ‘pure’ Philosophy at A-Level. With her experience of undergraduate teaching, she brought precision and quality, particularly to our advanced students. But Madeleine also showed great care and thought for pupils who needed assistance tackling the more complex aspects of our subject. The extra time she gave them outside of the hashroom went well beyond the call of duty and her pupils owe her a great debt of gratitude.

In her brief time with us, the department has benefited greatly, not only from her philosophical expertise, but also from her kindness, warmth and genuine willingness to help out whenever there is something that needs to be done. Madeleine is an extraordinarily generous, genuine person and we could not have asked for a kinder colleague with whom to work. She has also forced some significant changes to departmental traditions; namely, our weekly cake rota. The department has been required to expand our previous repertoire of bakes to include vegan cakes. Many of these have been entirely unsuccessful, despite Madeleine’s insistence that vegan baking is straightforward. She will certainly leave behind a long list of failed bakes by the departmental team, for which we can only apologise!

We will all miss Madeleine’s kind, patient manner and her complete commitment to the better performance of the students under her care. We wish her the very best for the future as she heads to Bournemouth to pursue her PGCE. Mr Mark Begbie

Sophie Lightfoot

Sophie joined in September 2021 and immediately threw herself into life at the School. Her care for every single boy in Lockites was evident from her first duty night. She was an instant hit with her new group of tutees and they formed a strong bond across the year. So much so, her group of 1YS boys organized a leaving party for her in the Lockites common room on the night before the 50 Mile Walk. Balloons, chocolates, flowers and a present, all organized entirely by the boys themselves, testified to the tremendous help Sophie had been over the year.

Sophie’s greatest fear was organizing a school trip off site and she overcame this with a perfectly organised tutor trip to see Top Gun! We will miss Sophie (and of course her beloved dog!) and wish her all the very best for her new venture. Mr Andrew Hunt