The Class of 2018

In this edition of the OE bulletin we are celebrating the Class of 2018.  Many have had their 2nd year at university cut short by Coronavirus, which has temporary closed schools, colleges and universities, along with most of society as we know it. Other Classes - you're not forgotten!  You'll feature in future editions.

To you and all OEs still in full-time education, we say be patient, keep studying and revising for your end of year exams and stay safe.  You have your entire lives ahead of you, but now more than ever we must dig deep, be strong and live the EC School values of social responsbility and lifelong resilience.  Check out the new Wellbeing Page on the website with tips and suggestions from the School Counsellor plus details of organisations who offer specialist support.  

In the words of 99-year old veteran Captain Tom Moore "The sun will shine on you again and the clouds will go away."  

End of Term Reviews
To view the 2020 School Spring Term End of Term Reviews from the School just click here.

 

 

Zoom Quizes
Friday 24th & Wednesday 29th April 2020

Join us for an OE Zoom Quiz and you can even BYO!  You can join either quiz (this might depend on what time zone you are in!) but Quiz 1 is aimed more at OEs who left before 1980 and Quiz 2 for those who left anytime from 1981 onwards.  

Quiz 1: Friday 24th April 11am to 11.40am for OEs who left before summer 1980.

Quiz 2: Wednesday 29th April 7.30pm to 8.10pm for OEs who left after 1981. Click here for details 

If you would like to join then email Carol at c.hernandez@ewellcastle.co.uk by Wednesday 22nd April specifying Quiz 1 or 2 and the meeting details will be emailed to you.  You just need to enter the Meeting ID number and Password number into your pc or smartphone or click on the link when it is emailed to you.  You will need to have downloaded ZOOM onto your pc or mobile first.

There is a 40 minute maximum duration for the Zoom conference.  It is expected that the first 5 minutes of the quiz are spent ensuring participants have joined, the quiz should take around 25 minutes and the last 10 minutes spent on marking the answers and sharing the answers.

Quiz Rules:

Yes to :being in an appropriate room/background, smart or casual attire, a beer, wine etc

No to: pjs, bathing suits or other none appropriate clothing, cheating, swearing, offensive language or inappropriate actions or gestures

 

 

Golf News
Virtual golf tournaments

The annual OE Golf Day (28th April) has been postponed, but you can still keep up with international golf news by following BBC Sport's golf correspondent on Twitter & Instagram Iain Carter @iaincartergolf.

Iain previously attented 2 OE Golf Dinners & shared some great stories with us from his work covering all the major tournaments including The Masters. You can also try @golfmonthly & search online for virtual golf tournaments such as with @BunkeredOnline.

 

 

Sixth Form Bursary Appeal
Throw our students a lifeline

As a result of the Coronavirus crisis, some of our pupils will not have the financial means to return to us into Sixth Form this September. Please support our Sixth Form Bursary and help offer them a lifeline.  Give from just £5 a month (or more if you can and would like to do so). 

Mike Brunwin, Chair of the OE Association Committee says "'I'm proud to be an OE & I'm grateful for the life-long friendships & happy memories from Ewell Castle. I want to help nurture young talent & that's why I'm supporting the OE 6th Form Bursary Fund.'  

https://www.ewellcastle.co.uk/old-ewellians/oe-sixth-form-bursary/

 

 

Letter from America
A history of names - by Roger Smith

I spent the first 26 years of my life in England and as a journalist in Southend-on-Sea was used to dealing with people having well-known Anglo-Saxon names.Then I came to the U.S. in 1964 and immediately was faced with a bewildering variety of names from all over the planet. My first job was in Hackensack, New Jersey just a few miles from New York City. The region was filled with first-, second-, and third-generation people from eastern and western Europe, so my problem in covering city council and other meetings was quickly getting names such as Szcszc, Carbone, Skotnicki, and Werpekowski. Many of these names didn’t have their original spelling because Ellis Island immigration inspectors would write them down in a way that they felt should have been spelled. So a family from, say, Russia, might find themselves renamed Drapkin, for example.

My first assignment was to a blue-collar suburb of small single-family homes. I looked so outlandishly English with my British warm overcoat and Piccadilly hat that my editor thought these people would be baffled by me. In fact, they received me warmly and thought I was interesting, if not cute!

In the U.S. everyone is from somewhere else. I think it is true that people come here to get
away from something, such as war, famine, army subscription, etc. Irish people came to flee the potato blight, impoverished peasants from Sicily and Calabria in Italy came to get a better life, Jews came to escape pogroms. All came hoping that their children would have a chance to succeed -- and they did.

My wife and I rediscovered all this when we bought our first house, in Monmouth County, New Jersey (named after the 17th Century Duke of Monmouth). We had neighbours from England, Germany, Norway, Argentina, and the Philippines. They were all first generation. Then there were second-generation people from Ireland, Finland, and China.

This country is truly a melting pot. Most people that came here discarded many of their old customs and forms of dress and enthusiastically became Americans. They spoke of the “old country” but rarely went back. They contributed a kaleidoscope of words, food, and thought that flowed into the mainstream of American life. This country is all the richer for it -- and them.

 

 

Careers Carousel
Alumni offer career advice

During National Careers Week in March, our Year 11 pupils joined the Sixth Form for the annual Speed Networking Carousel.  A group of 14 guests including some OEs from a range of professions from filmmaker to metal trader talked to the students about the highs and lows they can expect from the world of work. Please contact our Careers Officer Mrs Lawrence at e.lawrence@ewellcastle.co.uk if you would like to take part in future networking events.

 

 

Digital Archive
Merchant of Venice

Ewell Castle has a long tradition of producing excellent drama productions, usually with small casts and limited budgets.  Here is a photo of a production of The Merchant of Venice.  If anyone can tell us what year it was produced and how was in it email Carol.  Click here to access the archive page on the website and email oldewellians@ewellcastle.co.uk for a username and password to allow you to view the photos, videos and Ewellian magazines.  

 

 

Tribute
Mike Schofield 10/7/1954 to 2/4/2020 (Mike left Ewell Castle in 1973)

We are sorry to inform Mike’s old school friends that he passed away very recently.  As many of you will know, he had been bravely and courageously battling cancer over several years but unfortunately over the past few months his health had deteriorated significantly and when he caught the virus he was too weak to recover.

Mike’s death is a sad blow to everyone who knew him.  His funeral is planned for the 1st May and of course it is for his family only.  His chums will have many memories and we will get the opportunity to recall and recount them at a memorial service to be held later in the year.

Mike thoroughly enjoyed life and his years at Ewell Castle were no exception.  At school he studied hard but most of all he flourished on the sports field and he represented the school at football, athletics and cricket.

His working life was spent in motor finance, initially at Midland Bank then spending 30 successful years at Lombard before finally working for Honda Thames Ditton.  Mike married Pat in 1081 and they lived Chessington and had two lovely girls – Cathryn and Emma.  Mike was a devoted father and over the last 8 years a proud grandfather to four special grandchildren.

Shortly after the millennium Mike separated from Pat but he then found new love and married Karen in 2012 – the picture above was taken on their wedding day.  Soon after this memorable occasion he was diagnosed with cancer, but despite this bad news they enjoyed a hectic life and had many enjoyable holidays together.

Mike’s main passion was sport, especially football.  He was an active member of the OE’s football team which he also ran with gusto for many years.  He passionately supported Chelsea (long before a certain Russian parked his superyacht in South London) and over the last 15 years he was able to enjoy all the trophies that this ‘blues’ kept winning.

When his football days came to an end, golf became a major part of his social life.  OE’s playing with him were amazed at the remote parts of the golf course he visited but he normally emerged with not only his own golf ball but a few extra ones as well!  Even though he was unable to play golf in the last few years of his life, he still made his presence felt at the OE’s annual golf day by attending the dinner.

Our group spent a lot of time together, even annual weekends with wives and partners.  Mike and three of us met regularly on Tuesday evenings putting the world to rights, playing snooker and cards and we are sad that these Tuesday evenings will never be the same again.

We will always remember him as a tall, very friendly, easy going and very sociable man with a big smile and most importantly in life, always up for some light-hearted banter, especially about Chelsea being better than your team.  Mike - RIP

 

 

Join Ewell Castle Tennis Academy Club
To enter the Wimbledon ticket ballot

This Spring Term, the Ewell Castle Tennis Academy Club was launched and is registered with the LTA (Lawn Tennis Association).  You can join for just £10, the benefits to you are: year round access to School tennis courts, entry into the 2021 Wimbledon ballot & help us get LTA funding for our Tennis Academy. Email c.hernandez@ewellcastle.co.uk for details.

 

 

Share Your News With Us
We love to hear from you

If you have recently moved home (prior to the lockdown!), changed jobs, email, graduated or if you have some news you would like to share with other OEs, do get in touch. 

We'll include your news in future e bulletins and we'll update your details on the alumni database. When this is all over, we'd love to see you on the other side, so pop back and visit. If you're coming back to collect exam certificates, pop in to the office and say hello.

Please email Carol at c.hernandez@ewellcastle.co.uk

 

 

Wellbeing Tips
And good mental health

Now more than ever it's important to look after our mental wellbeing as well as physical health. Check out our new Wellbeing page on the website, pupil tips from our Counsellor can apply to us all.  ewellcastle.co.uk/news/wellbeing   5 top tips from the Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand are: Connect /  Give / Take Notice / Keep Learning / Be Active.  You can also follow Mrs Greensmith our ELSA (Emotional Literary Support Assistant) on Twitter @EwellCastleELSA