GOODBYES

Did you know that the word school comes from the Greek word σχολή (scholē) meaning leisure time, or an activity, for example a learned discussion or a lecture, for which leisure time was required? I am not sure I know anyone who would describe life at DC as leisurely, but I certainly cannot imagine anywhere I would rather be spending my time than at the school.

During this academic year we have managed to restore much of what makes life at Dubai College so special. Our sports teams have played competitive fixtures against our friends and rivals for the first time in 18 months, ably supported by the excellent extra additions to our rugby and netball coaching team, Epeli Davetawalu and Kenny Kgasi. As with any sporting season our students have met with both victory and defeat at the highest levels of competition and have grown in stature as a result. Our U19 boys narrowly missed out on clinching a second successive victory at the Dubai Rugby 7s this year but should be applauded for their runner up position in what was one of the most competitive competitions for a while. This year, however, was the year in which our U19 girls deservedly took the limelight emerging victorious in the Dubai Netball 7s tournament for the first time. Congratulations not only to our students for their performance in our flagship sports of rugby and netball, but to every student who participated in basketball, football, athletics, tennis, swimming, cricket and rounders both at house and inter-school levels.

Fundraising initiatives have also restarted in earnest this year, with students continuing to support our school in the Jaisthok region of Nepal, through the renascent Music, Charity, Love concert as well as countless non-uniform days which also raised awareness for issues as diverse as autism, women’s rights and the contribution of the UAE’s labourers to the city in which we live and learn. Our continued ambition to the teach the unreached has also taken another step forward this year. We have now received approval from International Humanitarian City to construct a new school in partnership with the Pahar Trust Nepal (PTN) in Tanahun, which is approximately 2 hours’ drive from Pokhara. Our new school will be more accessible to Dubai College students, staff and parents and will, we hope, allow us to raise even greater awareness about our commitment to UN Sustainable Goal 4: Global Education. Great credit must go to the student-led Charity Committee, as well Miss Shah, our Charities Coordinator, Mr Dennis, Director of Extracurricular Activities and Mrs Parker, whose administrative support has allowed us to navigate labyrinthine bureaucracy and raise funds legally in the UAE.

Our young musicians have also been able to provide us with the soundtrack to our lives once more. While we have missed Mr Lane’s creative and entertaining online concerts, it has been a real joy to hear live music reverberating around the auditorium again. For those of you who have enjoyed and endured music practice in your homes, you will know that these concerts are months in the making and each performance is a significant accomplishment for your children and their music teachers. The fact that Miss Lee-Foster and team have orchestrated not one but two renditions of this year’s concerts to accommodate as many audience members as possible is testament to their commitment to your enjoyment as well as your children’s opportunity. This commitment manifested itself with a roof raising rendition of O Fortuna on a steamy weekend at the Dubai Rugby 7s in December as well as through the five finalists and four individual category winners at the Young Musicians of the Gulf in January. At the time of writing, however, the creative year is not yet over as we eagerly anticipate our first

Mr Edward Quinlan, Chairman of the Board of Governors

school production since Little Shop of Horrors with a performance of Emile and the Detectives and of course the final summer concert.

Academically Dubai College students have also continued to tackle their studies with characteristic conscientiousness and creativity. With competition for university places at an all-time high due to the COVID backlog, our leavers have continued to secure themselves offers from their firstchoice universities, conservatoires, and art schools, while grappling with public examinations for the first time in three years. Our younger students have taken every opportunity to throw themselves into school life with a staggering 99% of Year 7 students participating in an average of 3.6 extracurricular activities a week. We also now explicitly offer around 40 different academic enrichment ECAs each week. These range from Astronomy to Psychology, via Creative Writing and Debating Societies. We have also encouraged departments to see ECAs as a vehicle to promote and supplement their academic subjects. This has proven to be a significant success, and these activities are often very well attended, indicating our students’ passion to learn more about their academic interests.

With such conscientious, committed, and creative students as we have in college, the future is looking bright. On that note I would like to wish you all some well-earned leisure time and a relaxing and restorative summer holiday.

Mr Michael Lambert, Headmaster, Dubai College

Top Row: Ms M Doherty, Ms T Drake, Mr J McIlveen, Mr J Tate, Mr A Day, Mr M Mohamed, Mr N Thomas, Mr J Benade, Dr A Mousa, Mr A Aggarwal, Mr M Ahmed, Mr R Miles

Middle Row: Mr S Chow, Mrs J Bailey, Ms R Quigley, Ms R Quigley, Mrs L Causer, Mrs N Bland, Mr M Mohamed, Mrs C McMenamin, Ms L Sdao, Mr A James, Mr E Mosley, Ms J Lee-Foster, Mrs D Blessing, Mrs F Husain, Ms S Hember

Bottom Row: Mrs O Kuznetsova, Mr M Hadi, Mrs S Lambert, Mr M Rushworth, Ms P Tragget, Mrs D Saran, Mr C Agent, Mr M Lambert, Ms D Jones, Mrs G Hodder, Mrs K Hill, Mr S Zaghlowl, Mrs K Greenlees, Mr M Abs, Ms R Dibble

Top Row: Mr K Sreejith, Mr N Sharma, Mr M Fernandes, Mr M Shaji, Mr G Singh, Mr M Lukman, Mr S Nalan, Mr G Manuel, Mr K Suresh, Mr S Panchal, Mr T Lajith, Mr A Tari, Mr I Hassan, Mr J George

Middle Row: Ms. R Jinon, Mr M Colaco, Mrs H Manzande, Ms J Junio, Mr V Rodriguez, Mr M Sabbir, Mr J Shekhara, Mr B Adhikari, Mr S Chakma, Mr S Edamana, Mr P Yesudhas, Ms F Sandigan, Ms S Rodriguez, Mrs L Mayo, Mr S Mainuddin, Mrs D Fabito

Bottow Row: Mr M Arabath, Mr M Arabath, Mr U Aashik, Mr A Mhanna, Mr O Rodrigues, Mrs D Turpie, Mrs L Benade, Mr M Lambert, Mrs M Hobson, Ms L Moore, Mrs N O’Reilly, Mrs C White, Mrs A Abrar, Mr S Devassy

When I accepted the position of Head of the Islamic Department in 2019, I had no idea what interesting challenges lie ahead. Full of both excitement and apprehension to be a part of the institution known as ‘Dubai College’, I didn’t anticipate starting at DC with masks, social distancing and the online blended learning – all whilst testing my very limited digital skills (often seeking help from my very patient students), having my own Year 7 form and teaching secondary for the first time. Needless to say, it has been a very steep learning curve, but I am so glad I took that step. These have truly been two of the most rewarding years of my career.

I had come from a fulfilling job of teaching Islamic to young, enthusiastic students at a primary school not too far from DC, and although I knew it would come with its own set of challenges, I decided to make a career shift to teaching secondary students. Starting as a Year 7 form tutor, I almost felt like it was the blind leading the blind, however, at times I felt I was more impaired than my bright eyed and bushy tailed tutees. They were patient with me and I with them, we reminded each other of the important dates and events that are a part of the school life at DC and we have witnessed each other become more confident and happy members of the DC community. I have really enjoyed getting to know each one of their unique personalities and I will truly miss being their form tutor.

I knew teaching Islamic to secondary students would not be an easy task. Typically Islamic isn’t a subject students look forward to, and I anticipated a little bit of resistance – but what I faced could not be further from the truth. From the eager Year 7s to the seasoned Year 13s, our classes always started with the ministry mandated curriculum and ended up in lively discussions about interesting and at times controversial questions about real life issues as students tried to figure out how these lessons are relevant to their lives. I feel truly blessed to be a part of the lives of these bright minds and wish them even brighter futures.

The staff across every facet of the school have been nothing but friendly and supportive, from the men in blue to my small department of Drs, Samer and Ayman, and of course, Mr Mustafa. I have made friendships that I will cherish and look forward to staying in touch with you all. Thank you Dubai College for two amazing years - it truly has been an honour and a privilege. Until we meet again, inshaAllah.

Sara Alikhan 2020-2022

I joined Dubai College in the August of 2013, and I feel as though I have blinked and suddenly it is nearly 9 years later! I can’t believe how quickly that time has passed and how much DC has changed, yet, in the same breath, I feel as though I have been here forever, and the thought of moving on feels quite like leaving home. I can empathise with how Year 13 must be feeling and wish them nothing but success and happiness as they transition.

I have so many wonderful memories of my time here, lots with the wonderful GCSE and A Level classes that have come through my drama studio over the years. It has been a pleasure teaching them, seeing their passion for Drama grow, and helping their confidence in performing get stronger and stronger is, and forever will be, my greatest joy. I am lucky that so many of them keep in touch and I get to hear of the wonderful things they are doing. Isabel Snaas, for example, who is performing on the West End in Frozen the Musical, or Daliya Habib who has just directed her first play at the Yale Repertory Theatre to great accolade. Angus Benstead, another fantastic DC Drama alum who recently messaged to say that having completed a degree in architecture he had realised that Drama actually IS the best thing ever (as I had told him) and he is now applying to do a master’s in Musical Theatre. Some of you might remember Angus as the brilliant Nathan Detroit in our 2018 production of Guys and Dolls. The talent that has come through the doors of Dubai College is incredible and has made my job so rewarding. Thank you. Dubai College takes school productions to another level. My first one here was The Tempest, followed quickly by the visual spectacle that was Alice in Wonderland and then we went Ancient Greek with The Odyssey. I will never forget Showtime, the 2017 production where I was tasked with involving more students in productions. Usually, we have a cast of around 40 and a crew would bring that number up to 60 students in total. Showtime was a medley of 15 musicals involving over 200 students – it was brilliant, sparkly, inclusive madness! I will never forget Grace Williams’s 9 costume changes including one, I believe from The Sound of Music to Chicago where she had around 45 seconds to make the quick change and would frequently arrive on stage minus a shoe or a wig! If I could suggest one thing to any students reading this it would be to get involved in the school productions – you won’t find a better sense of shared purpose anywhere else, the final applause as the curtain closes, the hugs and tears of relief, accomplishment, pride, and friendship is truly the stuff of magic.

I could spend all day listing the members of staff at Dubai College that have made a positive impact on my time. It sounds cliché but it is honestly true that it’s the people that make a place. And DC has the best, most giving, encouraging, funny, brilliant people I have ever come across. To say the staff at DC work hard is an understatement. I have worked at a state school, a boarding school, an ESL school, an international school, and I have never worked as hard as I have at this school. Your teachers here really care. They go the extra mile. They stay late. They arrive early. They give more of themselves than they should, and they do it with a smile, because they want to do it, they are passionate, intelligent, and empathetic. I could not be more honoured to have shared a workplace with them for 9 years and I am grateful to now call so many of them friends.

I am leaving Dubai College to head back to England with my husband Dan and our sons Ollie and Charlie. It may be for a year or two, it may be indefinitely. I am fortunate to be able to enjoy the unknown at this time and I encourage everyone, at one point in their life, to throw the plan to the wind and simply say “Let’s see”. I will leave you with one of my favourite quotations as I wish you all health and happiness in everything you do. Thank you for the memories.

“Let us not take ourselves too seriously. None of us has a monopoly on wisdom” Queen Elizabeth II

Natalie Madison aka Miss Mads 2013-2022