Dear Parents and Guardians,
On behalf of the Dulwich College Seoul community, it is with great sadness that we note the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
Her passing marks the end of the second Elizabethan Era. A period of unimaginable change through which her constancy and devotion to service was a truly unifying force. Her reign spanned 15 British Prime Ministers and she served as the sovereign of 15 nations – but her commitment to friendship and understanding between nations was truly global. In her duty, her wisdom and her grace, the Queen offered an inspiration to us all – an example that will be sorely missed.
We remember her for her support of education and lifelong learning – which we saw on display in her words of congratulations to Dulwich College London on the occasion of their 400th anniversary in 2019. She noted in that letter “Alleynians have long provided exemplars of service, adventure and scholarship, and the Dulwich Commonwealth of Schools is now able to inspire new generations with those values through educational institutions around the world.”
Today, I visited the British Ambassador’s Residence to officially extend my deepest condolences to the Royal Family on behalf of the entire Dulwich College Seoul community by signing the book of condolences.
We have set up a similar College Book of Condolences on a table in the College Foyer where students and staff have paused during the week to write down their thoughts and prayers for the future. We invite all members of our community to also come in and sign the book with their own message.
On Sunday, I will be attending a Service of Remembrance at the Anglican Cathedral in Seoul, where a group of our students will be given the great honour and privilege of performing a string trio arrangement of Vera Lynn’s ‘The White Cliffs of Dover’, one of the Queen’s favourite songs.
This week, I was delighted to enjoy some more Muffins with Mums (and dads too). I am happy to report that the FoD Social Coffee Morning and Used Book Sale was a great success. Thank you to FoD co-chairs Vicky Lemmens and Helena Kim and the whole FoD committee for putting this wonderful community event together.
Be on the lookout next week for an invitation to join our next Dulwich Talk on Tuesday 27 September. Guest speaker Jacco Zwetsloot will be delivering a fascinating presentation on the “propaganda war” between North and South Korea through the decades and how countries harness the power of messaging to advance their ideology.
Next week, we will be celebrating World Peace Day on Wednesday 21 September. Please encourage your children to wear purple to mark the occasion. Children across the College will be involved in discussions and activities related to the theme this year which is, ‘End Racism and Build Peace’.
Please mark your calendar and join our annual DCSL Family Hike on Sunday 25 September. See the invitation that was sent out on Tuesday for more details about when and where to meet. The weather forecast is indicating that it should be a gorgeous autumn day.
I hope you have a restful weekend.
With my best wishes,
Mr Gudmundur Hegner Jonsson
Head of College