Dear Parents and Guardians,
Founder’s Day was a wonderful occasion despite the morning’s downpour. The weather cleared up just in time for the event to begin, with the sun making a surprise guest appearance later in the day. This year’s theme, Sustainability and Community, was beautifully reflected in the day’s activities, highlighting our commitment to a sustainable future and the strength of our Dulwich College Seoul community. Aside from a slight delay in the musical performances and the food vendors being so popular as to run out of food earlier than usual, the day was a great success. The British Ambassador, Colin Crooks, joined the festivities, as did the visiting Deputy Master External of Dulwich College in London, our founding school, Dr Cameron Pyke. My heartfelt thanks to Sam Wigginton for overseeing the event and all the staff involved who contributed to making it yet another splendid event for our community.
We have sent out a survey for you to provide feedback on Founder’s Day. If you haven’t yet had the chance to share your thoughts, please do so by clicking on this link. Your input is invaluable in helping us improve future events and ensuring everyone has a fantastic experience.
On Monday, we welcomed our June Dulwich Talk speaker, Jeff Wong, Global Chief Innovation Officer at Ernst & Young (EY). Jeff spoke to our Year 10 students in Shackleton Stadium, the amphitheatre adjoining our senior library and IB centre, about his role and professional trajectory at the intersection of technology, innovation, and inclusion. He discussed the exciting new developments in technology and how students can leverage these advancements to achieve their future education and career goals. Our students peppered him with insightful questions, covering topics from liberal arts to medical school, engineering and computer science, mathematics, and even animation. Jeff’s insights and encouragement left them feeling inspired and ready to embrace the changes that the AI revolution will bring.
This week, we had the pleasure of hosting Celebrations of Learning for both Year 2 and Year 5, showcasing the great talent and creativity of our students. In Year 2, our young learners and their parents engaged in ‘Habitat Day,’ collaboratively crafting imaginative settings and characters. In Year 5, students transformed into historical explorers for a living waxwork museum, where they shared their research on notable figures with both parents and Year 6 students. The presentations were engaging, highlighting the students’ impressive inquiry and communication skills.
I am delighted to share that our Art Exhibition, showcasing the remarkable talents and creativity of our Year 7 to Year 11 students, is now open in the MPR until 9am on Wednesday, 19 June. This exhibition is a wonderful, thought-provoking celebration of our students’ artwork, featuring an impressive range of pieces from paintings and drawings to sculptures and mixed media. I encourage everyone to visit and experience the vibrant creativity that flourishes within our school community. Special thanks to Phyllis (Year 9) for designing this year’s poster and to Ms Valerie McCubbin and the Art Department for this marvellous display of creativity and artistry.
This week, the Senior School held achievement assemblies, celebrating the hard work and dedication of our students. In each year group, students were presented with award certificates for their exemplary efforts in specific subjects and for embodying our core values of Excellence, Kindness, Community, Sustainability, and Diversity. Congratulations to all the students who were recognised on stage; your achievements reflect the spirit and values of our school community.
I am pleased to announce that the Friends of Dulwich have elected new Co-Chairs to lead the organisation for the upcoming academic year, 2024-25. Congratulations to Emil and Helena on your new roles. Both of you have my full confidence, and I am excited to see how your leadership will elevate our community development to new heights. I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to Susanna and Sunny, who are stepping down as this year’s Co-Chairs for their leadership in steering FoD this past year. Our community has greatly benefited from your generous efforts. I would also like to express my gratitude to the entire FoD committee for their ongoing support.
With my best wishes,
Mr. Guðmundur Hegner Jónsson
Head of College