2 minute read
Introduction from Keisuke Suzuki, OM President
Farewell…
Fiona Carruthers passes on the baton
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When I assumed the position of OM President it was suggested a term of three years was probably a bit short but five too long. So, after what I hope was an appropriate four years, I duly handed over the Presidency to Keisuke Suzuki in June.
I’m delighted Keisuke represents both the next generation of Old Monktonians and the international diversity of our alumni. The Monkton community has developed from an old boys’ network to an everexpanding web of expertise and experience spreading across the globe. But common to both are the Monkton connections running long and deep and I hope that is never lost as the community continues to grow.
Little did I know when I took over as President, most of the last four years would be dominated by the pandemic. A time during which we’ve found new ways of working and new forms of communication. We do still seem to appreciate opportunities to meet face-to-face though. We had very good turnouts for the 1956 – 66 and MCJS reunions although the number attending our summer picnic on Longmead was small, perhaps due to the rather unseasonably cold and wet weather!
Inevitably more of our OM communications are digital, helping to extend our reach and impact. Last year’s ‘50 years of girls at Monkton’ and the ongoing ‘Spotlight on careers’ are two good examples of how OMs are connecting more and differently.
But, in whatever ways our OM activities evolve under Keisuke’s tenure as President and into the future, it will be in response to the needs of our alumni and the school. I wish Keisuke all the best as he takes on this new role and the school for its ongoing growth and development.
Finally, thank you for all the support I’ve received, most especially from our Alumni & Donor Relations Manager, Caroline Bone, without whose unwavering commitment and relentless hard work the OM Club would be lost.
Fiona Carruthers
Monkton has been developing global leaders since the 19th century, from Eric Marshall, Antarctic Explorer on Shackleton’s Nimrod expedition and Chris Anderson, the Head of TED (talks and conference) to Ama Agbeze MBE, captain of the gold winning England netball team and Sir Richard Dearlove, the former Head of MI6.
Leadership is something we start developing at Monkton from an early age. The School’s approach is that leadership is the ability to influence others and hence all students at the school are leaders in a number of fields. In Year 6 we have a lesson per week on leadership with the introduction of leadership roles in Year 7. We no longer appoint Head Prefects for Year 8 in our Prefect body and have created teams around different areas of school life – Mentoring, Wild Monkton, House Captains, Tech and Sport Captains.
At the Senior School this year we launched the Monkton Leadership Award. The aim of the Monkton Leadership Award (MLA) is to make a range of implicit leadership roles and development opportunities explicit.
