Old_Cliftonian_Mag_2011

Salvete / Valete
SALVETE
We welcomed the following
new members of the teaching
staff in September 2011:
James Baker – Teacher of Maths
Emily Hawkins – Teacher of English
Sarah Atkinson – Teacher of Modern
Foreign Languages
Ariane Whitehead – Teacher of Biology
Laura Cocker – Teacher of Chemistry
William Scott – Head of Economics and
Business Studies
Kirsty Parnell – Teacher of Physical
Education
Anne Allan
Anne, if she were a book, would be
an encyclopaedia of cakes! She
started in the Pre in August 1990,
but it was not long before Dr Stephen
Spurr poached her from Dr Acheson to
run the Percival Library, and indeed,
she then went on to be Head of all the
College Libraries. The Percival Library
was reclassified to the Dewey system by
Anne and she became deeply involved in
its major refurbishment. She was pretty
much what you might expect of a librarian,
but it was the help with research, the
books she was keen to recommend to the
young, the teenagers, and the staff that
made her so appreciated.
In SCR chapel weeks, Anne was always
one of the first to step up to the lectern to
deliver memorable talks on all manner of
issues, from literature to the colour yellow.
She also has a wide range of interests,
from investigating the history of Clifton,
where she discovered that Agatha Christie
stayed at the College, to her garden, which
we hear she is actively redesigning, and
which is beautiful, as anyone who has
been to one of her lovely parties will bear
witness. Handicrafts are another passion,
so much so that she started a knitting
club at school. She is also remembered
particularly affectionately by all the male
staff, who always appeared very promptly
at break on Saturdays to wolf down her
excellent sugar-free cakes!
Fiona Hallworth
Olivia Boyer
Olivia joined Clifton in 1989 as a
part time English teacher and
became full time two years later
in 1991. Her many skills as an English
teacher were evident from the start,
and in 1994 the then Head master,
Stephen Spurr, created the position of
Head of International Students as he
wished to draw on Olivia’s experience
and expertise with EFL and extend
the profile of Clifton abroad. Initially,
there were only six such pupils but that
number quickly increased; currently,
there are over seventy, most of who
owe a great deal to Olivia’s calm yet
positive presence both in and out of
the classroom. She has always been
generous with her time and advice,
excellent in a crisis and always willing
to help. She has been a valuable
support for numerous international
pupils, both academically and
pastorally, and has done the same for
generations of girls who have passed
through Worcester House where she
has been a tutor for over twenty years,
working with three housemistresses.
More recently she has helped with
PGCE students, liaising with the
University of Bristol, staff appraisal
and NQT mentoring, again drawing on
her experience as a teacher, head of
department and, since 2003, Schools’
Inspector. She is retiring to Turkey but
is planning to spend some time back
in England and already has many plans
on what her future might hold. The
English and EFL departments will
miss her deeply when she has left, as
will many at Clifton; however, we all
wish her the very best in her life after
Clifton.
Sarah Clarke
Louisa Bell
During Michaelmas Louisa arrived
to observe and support lessons
and, with the start of Anna
Patrick’s maternity leave in January,
she took over her own classes. Louisa
has indeed become a superb teacher,
dedicated, hard working and popular
with the pupils she teaches. Outside
the classroom she has been quick to
get involved in the wider life of the
College, helping with hockey and cross
country and accompanying the ski trip
to Bardoneccia back in April. Louisa
leaves us to spend next year taking her
PGCE at Bristol. All in the Chemistry
Department wish her every success.
Nik Bright
Tim Greene
Nik was raised in Bristol and, after
Cambridge, wanted to live and teach
in the city she knew so well. She
taught at Clifton from 2007 to 2011, and
during that time she made a significant
impact on colleagues and students.
In the Biology department she soon
established the nickname ‘hard drive’ in
recognition of her faultless memory and
her intellectual prowess, qualities that
were evident at all times. The students she
taught appreciated her care and attention
to detail, and her examination results
were truly excellent. She became an A
level examiner and the insight she gained
from the experience was of huge benefit
to the department. Nik also had her own
department to run, having been appointed
Head of PSHE. As ever, she took to this role
with customary aplomb and organised the
teaching with characteristic efficiency.
She was also house tutor of Hallward’s in her
last two years, a role she thoroughly enjoyed.
This task enabled her to demonstrate the
warm side of her personality and to show the
genuine care she has for the well being of
others. The girls in the house appreciated the
time and energy she gave on their behalf and
were really saddened that she has departed
to Lebanon. In addition to everything else
she did since she arrived she also found
time to support rowing and to take the
minutes for the SCR committee.
32 the CLIFTON MAGAZINE 2011