Ù¢Ù Û±Ù - Dubai College

Feedback٢٠۱۰2010Reading the Dhow was very nostalgic andheart warming.I would suggest creating an online Alumnidirectory with contact details and what peoplewould like as work/business introductions anddeals. I think this would allow DC alumni tobenefit from each other.Kind regards,Rehan Merchant (Class of 1994)Thank you so much for sending The Dhow.What a terrific presentation and how goodto see details of pupils and staff known andunknown to us having such interesting lives.Jean Chandley doesn’t look a day older!Best wishes,Karen & Roger Farrington (Teachers 1982-87)I personally want to thank both Mike Deelmanand Graham Penson for another fascinating andinformative read. I spent a very happy hourthis morning reading The Dhow from cover tocover.What a delight to read how well the schoolis doing in so many different activities, andnot least, what fantastic exam results andUniversity entry successes. And, in my case,what a surprise to see the photo on Page 2!!Tom Jackson (Headmaster 1981-87)Fuad Al Anzarouti withhis wife Faten and their son FadiLooking through the excellent ‘Dhow’, Isuddenly remembered I was in charge of Artwhen we made all the hats for the show in 1981!I do remember there was at least one child whopainted the hatband in the opposite direction,and boy did it show!It is so good to see the roaring success thatDubai College has become. Congratulations toeveryone who played their part over the yearsto get it so good! I was there in the days ofTim Carter - my first task was to unpack all thewonderful art materials which had been orderedand physically set up the art room. I drove outfrom Jumeirah along a pretty deserted roadwith wandering camels. I bet it’s so differentnow!Sarah Bell (Art Teacher 1980-82)Great newsletter. I really liked it, especiallythe section on Gianluca’s wedding! Its amazinghow much of it is still relevant to me, there aresome old faces I still recognise in there.Keep up the good work,Haluk Camcigil (Class of 1997)This is really great. Thanks for your effortsand for reminding me of my splendid daysat DC. Reading the Dhow has reminded meof many names, friends and memories – theGottolis, Anne-marie Greene (where now I amworking with Kathryn, who was my student),and a number of staff: Bernie, Brooksie,Graham ...I can not name them all because theywere too many. Above all, I was glad to see Mr.Jackson whom I have not seen for many years.I feel I am 20 years back in my life!Now, I work at St Christopher’s Bahrain andhave been in Bahrain for 14 years. Soon, I shallretire and possibly go back home to Damascus,but I shall carry with me all the good memoriesof Dubai and Dubai College. I must admit, Ienjoyed every minute of my life at the Collegeand gave it my heart and soul for 12 years.Best wishes to all my friends and studentsplease keep in touch, my email is:Fuadanzarouti@hotmail.comFuad Al Anzarouti (Arabic Teacher 1982-94)Address your feedback to:alumni@dubaicollege.org

٢٠۱۰2010Letter From The New Headmaster: Peter HillDear AlumniFirstly, and most importantly, I hope this letterfinds you happy in life and successful in yourline of work – and talking of which…Those of you who remember me (thestressed History teacher who, in years past,has inhabited C5, A12 or A8/9) must be‘somewhat surprised’ that I am now sitting inthe Head’s office writing this letter. I’m sureI will suddenly awake to find myself back inthe History Room teaching all about Haroldand his arrow or Stalin and his sensitive side.Anyway, it is a great privilege to be Head ofDC and I hope that everyone associated withthe College will continue to drive it forwardso it meets the needs of the next generationof able learners.Due to the hard work of all those involved withthe College, it has most definitely establisheditself as a leading player within the Gulf andwider Middle East region. Whilst retainingthis position, we aim to become a global playerand benchmark ourselves against the verybest education providers in the world. Weare already alongside the very top UK schoolsin the dreaded league tables, but – as we allknow – there is far more to education thanleague tables. We also know that we mustnot be lulled into a false sense of security bysimply comparing ourselves against the ‘best ofBritish’ for, as FIFA has recently demonstrated,there is a big wide world out there!As well as linking up with schools worldwide,we also aim to work far more closely withour key stakeholders and the communityin general. Both Graham (Penson – thegrey‐haired one!) and myself really want toestablish stronger links with the College’salumni both in Dubai and worldwide. We areworking on some proposals at the moment andwill be in contact again in the new year.A number of ex-students living in Dubai havekindly donated their time to talk to our SixthForm about their ‘journeys’ through life – boththe highs and lows and the lessons learned.This has been tremendously successful and mythanks to those involved.The school has changed tremendously overthe years in terms of buildings, facilities and,most importantly, ideas – and more excitingdevelopments are on the horizon.I do hope you will pay the school a visit if youare in Dubai so that you can see these changesfor yourself. You will receive a very warmwelcome from us all – even Mr Lakiss!Finally, may I wish you and yourfamilies a very happy and successful2011.Peter HillHeadmaster

School News٢٠۱۰2010Dubai College publishes regular e-bulletins and news items ontheir website to keep parents and pupils up to date with news atthe school and across the wider school community. Here’s a fewchoice news items from the last 12 months that we felt might beof interest to all the former students and staff of the school...First XI’s New SponsorsJanuary 2010 - Having become aware of thegrowth of the game at Dubai College, formerstudent Vikram Bhatia and his father verygenerously offered to sponsor the schoolcricket teams through their company AlamSteel. Both father and son have a passionfor cricket and Mr. Bhatia has for manyyears spent time and money to provideopportunities and equipment for youngsterswho want to play the game.Dubai College’s First XI in their new cricket uniformssponsored by Alam SteelFDC FundSwimmingPool CoverJanuary 2010 -Thanks to the FDCthe swimming poolnow has a much needed cover. In addition tobringing about more constant temperatures inthe pool, it has also contributed to lowering thegeneral maintenance costs.School PhotographDavid Wernery, Taskeen Ahmed and Amal Akbar with Mr. Lakiss and hisYear 8 class, most of whom were born the year Amal was Head GirlJanuary 2010 - On Thursday 21 stJanuary, Gillman and Soames,photographers from the UK, wereat Dubai College to photograph allthe staff and students of the school.The last time the whole school wasphotographed together was over 20years ago, in 1988-89, when countingboth students and teachers therewere ‘only’ about 500 people to fitin the picture. Roughly 900 smilingfaces posed together this time round!Former Students EnjoyCollege TourFebruary 2010 - A group of former studentswere treated to guided tour of the College bysome of their former teachers who are stillworking at the school. As well as renewingthe acquaintance with several of their ‘old’teachers, the group enjoyed the opportunityto tread familiar and unfamiliar pathwaysas they were shown round the College’s newbuildings and facilities, met some of thecurrent students, and took the opportunity torevisit a few old haunts that are still much thesame as ever and which brought back manyhappy memories.The group was made up of David Wernery(class of 1995), Taskeen Ahmed (1997) andformer Head Girl Amal Akbar (1997).

Under 19 Unity Cup SuccessesDC Students Achieve InternationalHonours To Play For The Arabian Gulf٢٠۱۰2010February 2010 - Twelve Dubai college students gained internationalrugby honours when they represented the Arabian Gulf on the ArabianGulf Colts Academy Tour of Singapore, 12-19 February.Eight DC students played in the Under 16 team: Ali Alami, MattScriven-Baker, Chris Burke, Sam Bullock, James Capon, TomSummers, James Bywater and Ziyaad Massoud. They won both theirwarm up games before beating the Singapore side by a convincing54‐24 margin.The Girls Senior Football Team, winners of the Unity CupThe Under 18 squad included four of our Sixth Formers: PaulMcKeown, Tom Powell, Rached Khairallah and Layth Massoud. Theyfeatured prominently in all three of the Gulf victories, two of whichwere against Singapore representative sides.February 2010 - The members of the boysand of the girls senior football teams earneda notable double recently when they bothfinished as champions in the Unity Cup.This year’s championships took place atRashid School for Boys and attracted teamsfrom Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Bahrain.In the girls’ competition the DC team battledthrough the heat to win some tough games andqualify for the final in which they overcamesome determined Kuwaiti opposition to securethe championship and collect the trophy.The boys continued their sparkling successthis season going unbeaten in the nine roundrobin games. They were then asked to playa final where, despite territorial advantage,the game finished scoreless. However,disregarding a history of disappointment inpenalty shootouts, the boys held their nerve todeservedly claim victory and carry home thechampions trophy.Rear: Paul McKeown, Chris Burke, James Bywater, Ali Alami, Rached Khairallah, Tom Summers, MattScriven-Baker. Front: Tom Powell, Sam Bullock, James Capon, Layth Massoud and Ziyaad Massoud

DC Student’s Debut AlbumFebruary 2010 -Year 13 studentRobert Miller hasreleased his debutalbum entitledGood Enough.Robert has writtenall the songs onthe album. Firstreactions are verypositive.Senior Boys Water PoloTeam Take Notable ScalpFebruary 2010 - The senior boys water poloteam took a notable scalp in beating the DubaiCamels team by 5 goals to 4. The quality ofthe play was a clear demonstration of just howfar water polo at the school has developed inthe last couple of years.The skill and experience of the Camels wasevident as they took an early lead, but asthe game wore on the superior fitness ofthe DC team began to show as they scoreda few excellent goals to pull ahead. Furtherexchanges saw the Camels close the gap toone goal, but DC managed to stay aheaduntil the final whistle, earning them a welldeservedvictory.The Camels team, who play in the Dubaimen’s league, includes two former students:Shaun Seaman and Nish Nizar. If you’d liketo join the team or go along to a trainingsession please contact the club captain, NickArnold, at nick.arnold@globalgroup.com.Young Musicians Of The GulfFebruary 2010 - 13 DC students performedat the prestigious Young Musicians of theGulf Competition, hosted by St Christopher’sSchool, Bahrain. The competition was tough,but 3 of DC’s musicians made it through to thesemi-finals, and Emily Collinson won the vocalcategory.Former Student TreadsThe BoardsFebruary 2010 - Having received rave reviewsfor his performance in J.B. Priestley’s comedy‘The Good Companions’ at the Bristol Old VicTheatre in November 2009, former studentTom Jones followed up on his success therethis February with an equally impressiveSam Adamson battling with aDubai Camels player for the ballperformance in William Wycherley’s bawdyRestoration comedy ‘The Country Wife’.DC Hong Kong TourTom Jones٢٠۱۰2010March 2010 - Both the girls netball and boysrugby teams excelled in their Hong Kong tourin March. The girls played matches againstSouth Island School and went unbeatenthroughout the week. Having reached 5finals out of 7 in the pre-sevens internationalschools’ tournament, in past years, the boysupheld their reputation by going unbeatenthrough to the final where they met thereigning champions from the HK club. Alas,despite a wonderful effort to get back into thematch, DC had to settle for the runners upposition after a slow start saw DC go behindby two tries early on.

EvitaSchool Stages EvitaMarch 2010 - The Tim Rice and Andrew LloydWebber musical Evita, rarely performed byschools because of its difficulty, was the firstmajor school production to be staged in thenew College auditorium.Exciting set and lighting designs and vibrantchoreography showcased the wonderfulpossibilities offered by the new venue.The outstanding performance of the ensemblecast received rave reviews from the audiencewho packed the auditorium during the threenight run. Terrific interpretations from theprincipals and support cast alike, combinedwith the faultless rendition of the score by theband, won rapturous applause every evening,despite the inevitably high expectations thatcome with staging such a familiar classic.The backstage crew, make-up team andall those who worked on the costumes anderecting the set, further helped make this aproduction that can rightfully claim to havebeen professional in every way.Dubai Football SevensMarch 2010 - The inaugural DubaiInternational Football 7s, at the EmiratesSevens Stadium, brought together a mix ofschool, club and academy teams battling it outin different age groups. Dubai College wasundoubtedly the leading school, as all three DCsides made the final in their respective group.The DC Under 13 boys lost their final onpenalties to Jebel Ali Football Academy afterdrawing 0-0.The DC senior girls team played some excellentfootball throughout, but ended up runnersup after coming up against a side made up ofsome of the best players from the Dubai Ladies’League in the final.Playing against some very good overseas andlocal teams the senior boys swept all oppositionaside to go through to the final where they beatthe ‘Abu Dhabi Kickers’, a very strong Nigerianside, 1-0. The senior boys team has had anoutstanding season completing the DubaiSchools’ League and Cup double, and winningboth the Onion Bag and Gulf Unity Trophies.Sports DayMarch 2010 - For thefirst time in livingmemory Sports Dayended in a tie, withboth Barbarossa andCousteau obtaining293 points. Theywere followed closelyby Chichester with290 points andHeyerdahl with 273.٢٠۱۰2010Fantastic Double At DubaiSchools’ AthleticsMarch 2010 - Both the Dubai College girlsand boys teams came top at the 13 th AnnualSchools’ Athletics Championships.Thanks to some fine field event performancesDC’s girls won a convincing victory overthe 14 other schools competing in the girls’competition hosted at DC.A week later, at Rashid School, the DC boys’inspiring form and great team saw themreclaim the trophy that had been theirs for thefirst 10 years of the competition, before havingto settle for second place these last two years.Spring Music ConcertMarch 2010 - An appreciative audience ofparents and friends of the College were givena musical treat by the over two hundredmusicians and singers who performed in theSpring Concert.The varied and entertaining programmeprovided something for everyone, includingorchestral, choral and ensemble pieces,performed by the Beginner Band, the GuitarGroup, the Flute Choir, the Junior Choir,Young Musician of the Gulf Emily Collinson,the Intermediate Band, the Senior Orchestra,flute, saxophone and clarinet ensembles, andthe Senior Choir swelled by the cast membersof Evita. The finale featured the Jazz Bandwith superb renditions of Duke Ellington’sCaravan, followed by a version of the MichaelJackson classic: Thriller.

Wonderful Reviews ForMrs. Bailey’s 1 st ExhibitionMarch 2010 - Dubai College’s Head of Art,Mrs. Jane Bailey was invited to participatein the prestigious Al Bastakiya Art Fair. Herwork, ‘white scapes’, exhibited under hermaiden name of Jane Beveridge, enjoyedsome wonderful reviews.Drama Department InInternational SpotlightMay 2010 - On the latest Edexcel teachingDVD, issued to over a thousand examinationcentres worldwide, the majority of theexemplar practical work focuses uponexamination pieces performed by DubaiCollege students. Announcing this newsto parents and students at the College,Chief Examiner for Edexcel, Mrs. GinnySpooner, congratulated the department forthe outstanding standard of work that is soconsistently produced.Proposed site for the DC PavilionYoung Writers’ VisitMay 2010 - Some of you mayremember former student JessicaReaume who sadly passed away afew years ago. In 2009 Jessica’s18 year old twin brothers Jakeand Luke wrote their first novel,The Draconean, which has beenpublished by Amazon US.Visiting the College, the twinwriters gave a fascinating andentertaining talk to Year 10students, inspiring their youngaudience with an importantmessage: that we should not giveup on our dreams and passions.Pavilion Project LaunchedMay 2010 - The launch meeting of ProjectPavilion was held on 5 th May and was wellattended by those Friends of Dubai Collegewho wanted to lend their support towards thebuilding of a sports pavilion and changingrooms on the school playing fields.Under the auspices of the FDC withthe support and mandate of theschool governors, Project Pavilion isa call to action for all friends of DubaiCollege to help raise funds or provideservices / sponsorship towardscovering the cost of the project.At the meeting, a presentationwas made by FDC Chairman JohnMerrigan and Sports Director AndyJones outlining the design of thefacility and the key milestones of theLuke & Jake Reaume, with their mother Sarah, talking to Year 10٢٠۱۰2010project. They highlighted the unique placethat Dubai College occupies in the widercommunity and how these facilities willbenefit the students for many years to come,and moreover, the opportunity the projectrepresents for all who have the interests ofDubai College at heart to make a contribution– to view the presentation, visit the Friends ofDubai College page on the school’s website.Many useful suggestions were made by thosewho attended and also a very encouraginglevel of pledges have been made from parentsand alumni, ranging from building materialsto engineering services and sponsorship.Regular updates will be provided on theprogress of the project on the school website.For those who feel they can contribute orwould like to know more, please contact theFDC via the school.

Swim Team RetainsDubai Schools’League ChampionshipMay 2010 - Going into the final meetof the Dubai Schools’ Swim Leagueseason with a slender sixteen pointlead, DC needed to be at their bestto hold off the challenge of a strongJumeirah College team who werehosting the event. The competitionproved to be very close, but superbperformances in the relay events sawthe DC squad draw ahead to win themeet by twenty-seven points, givingthem a forty-three point winningmargin over the season.Staff LeaversJune 2010 - This summer a handful ofteachers bid farewell to Dubai College. Mostnotable is the departure of the school’sHeadmaster of the last 2 years, Carlo Ferrario.He is succeeded by Peter Hill, who first joinedthe College as a history teacher and Head ofSocial Studies in 1989.Mrs. H. Dabbagh, who taught Arabic at DCfor over a decade; Mrs. P. Aitkin (Spanishand French) and Mr. S. Sell (PE), who botharrived at DC in 2007; and Mr. G. Barnes,who joined the Music department in 2009,complete the list of teachers who left this year.Whether in the classroom teaching, in variouspastoral positions, or supporting the school’sco-curricular programme, they enriched theschool with their presence and contributedmuch to the College.The DC swimming team with captains Jemma Gardner andNeal Thomson holding the League Championship cupBritish Record ForDC Student LeannaShuttleworthJune 2010 - Congratulations to LeannaShuttleworth who set a new British record thissummer when she became the youngest Britishfemale to climb to the summit of Mt. McKinleyin Alaska. This is Leanna’s second BritishRecord.Leanna set off on her two-week expedition toMt. McKinley (6,194 m - the highest mountainin North America), after an arduous six monthtraining schedule.Now she plans to continue her training andmountaineering to achieve her ultimate goal ofcompleting the seven world summits before her20 th birthday - which would be another Britishfirst.DC Swimmers Excel AtNational Championships٢٠۱۰2010July 2010 - This summer DC students AndrewChetcuti and Martha Gregory both excelled intheir National Swimming Championships.Martha finished a very creditable fifth inthe 100m freestyle final (12 years age group)in the English National Championships atPonds Forge Sheffield, in July.Head Boy Andrew, competing in the MalteseNational Championships for a place on thenational team, won an astonishing 8 goldmedals with personal best times in seven ofhis events. Andrew also set a new nationalrecord in the Men’s Long Course 100mfreestyle with a time of 53.06s, and was partof the team that set new records for the Men’s4 x 100m free relay and 4 x 50m free relay.Leanna Shuttleworth atop of Mt. McKinley

Best Ever ExaminationResults For Dubai CollegeAugust 2010 - Dubai College studentsachieved the school’s best ever GCSE resultsthis summer. DC’s students’ 85.6% GCSEpass rate at A*-A grade would place theCollege 12 th in the UK league tables for thetop selective state schools in the UK, or 39 thamongst the 400+ Independent Schools’results, as published in The Daily Telegraph.Thirty-eight students gained 5 A*s or more and4 achieved A*s across the board.At A-Level, the outstanding pass rate at A*would have placed the College 41 st in the UK’stop 100 Independent Schools and in the topten selective grammar and state schools inthe UK, according to the Daily Telegraph’sleague tables. The A*-B pass rate - the DailyTelegraph’s benchmark - would rank DC 80 thand 20 th , respectively, in the same tables.F1 In Schools WorldChampionshipSeptember 2010 - Besting stiff competitionfrom 10 other teams, DC’s Team Impulse wonthe F1 In Schools Team Identity Award, the PitDisplay Award and the overall UAE NationalChampions Award at the Yas Marina Circuit inAbu Dhabi, in June.The Year 11 and 12 students that made upTeam Impulse, put months of hard work andperseverance into turning what started out aslittle more than a balsa wood block into a fullyfunctional model F1 car manufactured on a 5axis CNC router, refined to the last aerofoil andrunning on custom made nylon wheels, thattravelled 20 metres in just 1.46 seconds at theYas Marina Circuit.The F1 in Schools competition is the largestof its sort in the world, attracting ninemillion competitors who have to design andmanufacture a model F1 racing car, createa unique team identity and pit display,formulate a business plan, and present thework as a verbal presentation.The team continued to refine their designover the summer and in September travelledto Singapore to represent the UAE inthe F1 in Schools World Championships.Competing against 250 students from 25countries worldwide, Team Impulse werelooking to improve on last year’s DC team’schampionship performance in London.٢٠۱۰2010After a first day split between setting up theirstand and meeting the other teams over lunchand a trip to the Singapore Flyer, the hardwork really began. The team had to ensurethe cars were ready for racing, prepare for theinterviews to discuss the engineering processand, of course, make their verbal presentationto the judges. Nerve-wracking? I should sayso! The days were long, but our dedicated andenthusiastic students, accompanied by Mr.Quinlan and Mrs. Ashmore, had a lot of funalong the way.All their efforts were crowned with successwhen at the prestigious awards ceremony theDubai College team received a trophy for ‘TheBest Sportsmanship’. Bumping into JensonButton by the hotel lift on the way back fromthe ceremony was further icing on the cake!Team Impulse: Pooja Nair (Team Mgr.), Louisa Henson (Resources Mgr.), Dominic Palubiski (DesignEng.), Anas Syed (Design Eng.), Laura Shaw (Manufacturing Eng.), Naomi Leech (Graphic Designer)The team was able to custom build its car tosuch high standards and travel to Singaporethanks in large part to the sponsorship theyreceived. Anyone who might be interested insupporting next year’s project should contactMr. Maurice Quinlan:m.quinlan@dubaicollege.org

DC Charity Committee٢٠۱۰2010Esther Kimmet and Kath Thomas beingshown round the College by Graham PensonFormer Staff RevisitThe CollegeNovember 2010 - The College welcomeda visit from ex-member of staff Dr.David Watson who taught in the ModernLanguages department from 1985 until1988. Dr. Watson is now the Principalof Deira International School.The College also received a welcomejoint visit from Mrs. Kath Thomas andMrs. Esther Kimmet. Mrs. Thomas wassecretary to the former Bursar, Mr. TonyFoulger, from 1984 to 1989 and Mrs.Kimmet was the school nurse from 1987to 1989.November 2010 - The Charity Committee atDubai College is particularly active. Throughinitiatives such as bake sales, sponsored haircuts,ribbon sales, clothes and toys collection,charity concerts, calendar sales, and nonuniformdays, acting together and individuallyDC students have raised significant funds forcharity.Amongst those who have benefited from theseinitiatives are: The Haiti Earthquake appeal;MSF; RSPN; Children of the Mountain inNepal; Gulf for Good; Susan, a young Kenyanwhose education the College sponsors throughRescue Dada; six-year-old leukaemia patientLea Joven who was desperately in need of abone marrow transplant; the Make-A-WishFoundation UK; Breast Friends; the DubaiCentre for Special Needs; K.9 Friends; andformer DC student Alana O’Kirwan in herefforts to help build a school in South Africa.Alana O’Kirwan is part of a group of 45 secondyear architecture students at the Universityof Nottingham who are raising funds for theconstruction of a schoolin rural Limpopo, nearJohannesburg. Thestudents will design theproject themselves and inMarch/April 2011, theywill all be flying out toSouth Africa for aroundsix weeks to assist withthe construction andbuilding.David WatsonTo find out more pleasevisit Alana’s fund-raisingpage at www.justgiving.co.uk/alanaokirwan.Capt. Higgins presenting Alana O’Kirwanwith the money raised at DC for her charityFantastic Success At DohaCollege Sports WeekendNovember 2010 - This year DC travelled toDoha for the 28 th anniversary of the DohaCollege Sports Exchange. Despite severalstudents being refused entry visas, DC’sundermanned teams produced a sterlingeffort to win the overall competition 17-9.The weekend’s competitions included rugby,football, netball, rounders, water polo, andthe traditional swimming gala.The junior girls won all of their competitionsexcept the gala. The junior boys won theirrugby and their section of the gala with onlyfive swimmers. At senior level the girls gaineda comfortable victory in both the netball androunders, whilst the senior boys won therugby and water polo, and amazingly wentfrom 9-0 down to draw in the softball.

A DC Debating FirstNovember 2010 - Dubai College has takenpart in its first inter-school debatingcompetition. Debate Dubai was hosted byJumeirah College and saw over 20 schoolteams debating against each other in 3different age groups.Although Dubai College’s teams showedadmirable sportsmanship and teamwork,their results did not quite reflect theirspirit. Both the Under 14 and Under 18teams were knocked out of the tournamentin the first round of debates. The Under 16ssoon followed suit, losing by a narrow marginof seven points to the Jumeirah College Ateam, who later won the Under 16 division.DC Girls’ SportingSuccessesDecember 2010 - Dubai College’s girls haveended the year with a string of sportingsuccesses.At the BSME Under 15 tournament in BahrainDC’s A teams managed a double, winningboth the football and netball events. In theFootball League ChampionsAndrew Chetcutifootball, the DC B team’s undefeated run wasonly ended when they came to face the DC Ateam in a closely-matched semi-final.Elsewhere, the Under 18 girls football team wonthe League. After having beaten JESS Ranchesin the semi-final on penalties, their final againstRepton also had an even scoreline at the endof full time. Three consecutive saves by AmyBishop in the penalty shoot out secured the DCgirls the lead and won them the championshiptrophy.Furthermore, for the 5 th year in a row, thesenior girls A team held onto their title ofDubai Schools’ Basketball League Champions,after winning all of their games this season.The B team managed a respectable 4 th place.٢٠۱۰2010Head Boy Excels At WorldSwimming ChampionshipsDecember 2010 - Over half-term AndrewChetcuti competed for Malta in the IrishNational Short Course Championships,setting four new individual nationalrecords. More recently, he also becameDC’s first student to compete in a seniorWorld Championship event. Swimming in6 races for Malta, Andrew came in secondin his 100m Butterfly heat, but his bestperformance was in the 50m Freestyle wherehe ranked 54 th out of 130. Up against thelikes of Russia, USA and Australia in thetwo 4 x 100m relays, Andrew still had theconsolation of bringing Malta in ahead ofthe UAE in both events.DC 7s Rugby TournamentDecember 2010 - This year’s DC 7s wasthe largest ever with over 550 studentsfrom Under 11 through to Under 16 takingpart. The quality of the rugby on displaythroughout was testament to the rapidgrowth of the sport at school level.BSME Under 15 TeamsDC 7s Under 16 Champions with their trophyTogether with the DC 10s tournament held inthe spring term, the College is proud to hostthe largest schools rugby competitions in theregion.DC teams made every final from Under 12through to Under 16, meeting strongopposition in each. At Under 13 andUnder 16 the College proved triumphant,narrowly missing out in the other age groups.

٢٠۱۰2010Next up was another former Head Girl, AnnaZickerman-Quinn (class of 1989), who’s ownjourney ties back in with Dubai College, seeingas her daughters Mia & Sofi are now bothstudents there.Since the summer holidays, the Journeys talkshave become more regular with Lars Joechen(class of 1994) speaking in October, followedby Pasangi Weerasinghe (class of 2007) inNovember and Peter DeBenedictis (class of1991) in December. Each delivered a veryinteresting and often amusing account of lifeafter DC and were delighted by how receptivetheir audience was.Pasangi, who recently moved back to Dubaito take up an analyst’s position with CitiBankfollowing graduation from university, says “Itfelt like I never left to begin with.”Her talk centred on how DC had prepared herfor uni and the actual transition - somethingher audience are obviously thinking about alot these days, as she recalls “I got a lot ofquestions and the group was really interactive.One of the things I stressed was ‘don’t plan’because most of the time things don’t goaccording to plan.” After all, Pasangi pointsout, she herself started university wanting tobe a career diplomat and left a banker.Pasangi also advised the Sixth Form to “Bepassionate about what you want to do andalways give back as much as you take” – amessage she’s clearly taken to heart, giventhat since returning to Dubai she’s joined theFDC Committee and is helping set up the newAlumni Association Committee.All in all, she concludes, it was a greatafternoon, if a little daunting at first.Nick Jones, Head of Sixth Form, very muchappreciates each of the speakers having takentime out to contribute to the programme. Inhis own words: “They have all been fantastic”,and he is now looking for more past students tospeak – 5 or 6 for the rest of the school year.If you are interested in being part of theJourneys Programme please contact Nick Jonesat njones@dubaicollege.orgPasangi WeerasinghePeter DeBenedictis with Nick Jones

Alumni NewsThe Wedding Ceremony at Gunner’s Barracks٢٠۱۰2010Lara & Garry Tie KnotLara & Garry Nickson ...sweethearts since Year 11High school sweethearts Lara Irvine andGarry Nickson (both class of 2000) have tiedthe knot at a wedding in Sydney, Australia.After deliberating on whether to get marriedin C‐block courtyard with the kiosk cateringCapri-suns and raspberry ice-lollies, the coupleopted for the Gunner’s Barracks in Sydney– where they now call home, since 2007.Lara and Garry were joined by family and alarge contingent of ex Dubai College friendsat their 25 th March 2010 wedding. The bridalparty included maid of honour Mira Irvine(class of 2001), best man Simon Hodge (classof 2001), Rachel Nickson (class of 2004), ShazAskarpour (class of 2001), Sam Dulka (class of2000) and Euan Megson (class of 1999) – all exstudents of DC.Bride & Groom with friends, including GillianRooney, Alexi Trenouth and Nikki ZawiszaSarah, Arran, Shaz Askarpour, Euan Megson, Rachel Nickson, Simon HodgeLara (née Irvine) & Garry Nickson, Mira Irvine, Sam Dulka and NataliaGarry & Lara with guests, including: SianRowlands, Mike Khouri, Shaz & Zhineh Askarpour

٢٠۱۰2010Christophe Hissette InFatal CrashChristophe Hissette passed away on 23 rd April2010, aged 29, when his car crashed into theboundary wall and caught fire during thequalifying session for the final round of theGulfSport Radical Cup at Dubai Autodrome.Christophe was a popular student at DCthrough the 90s and is sadly missed by allwho knew him there. You may remember thatChristophe was very involved in motorsportsfrom an early age, winning several prestigioustitles at junior level, whilst sill at DC.He continued his commitment to the sportand became a well known figure amongst theracing fraternity. Amongst Christophe’s manyachievements: he was reigning champion of theEuropean Masters Radical Championship, andmost recently he’d won the Battery 24-HoursRace at the Dubai Kartdrome as part of theBatelco team.Scott Owen’s First BookSince leaving Dubai College, Scott Owen (classof 1989) has mostly made his living by sellingcars. Scott now shares his insider’s knowledgeof the sales process and politics within the UKmotor industry, and recently added ‘author’to his job title with the publication of his firstbook: All Buyers Are Liars - Exposing TheSecrets Of Elite Car Sales Professionals.(www.allbuyersareliars.co.uk)Leanne Is A MumLeanne (née Clayton - class of 1996) and herhusband Steven Shaw celebrated the birthof their first child, Harry, in May. Proudgrandmother, Janine Clayton (who taughtat DC from 1983-92), joined Harry and hisparents on a recent holiday to Dubai, wherethey came to visit his equally chuffed uncleGareth (class of 1994) - seen with Harry inthe photo.Kathryn Beck Is Back In The GulfAfter 7 years of living in Asia, Kathryn (néeGreene - class of 1993) and her husbandAndrew Beck, along with their two little girls,Annalise and Juliette, have moved back to theMiddle East - this time to Bahrain, where theyare both teaching at St Christopher’s School.Kathryn with her family: Juliette, Annalise and Andrew BeckGareth Clayton with his nephew, Harry ShawThey feel like they’ve come home, as Kathrynwrites: “Bahrain life reminds me of the goodold times many of us shared in Dubai in the80s and early 90s”. Having spent the last 2years in Jakarta, they are enjoying the cleanair and cooler winter, and are happily gettinginvolved in the very busy expatcommunity life.One surprise for Kathryn was tofind herself working alongsideFuad Al Anzarouti - her 1AAform (& Arabic) teacher at DC!The rest of the Greene’s areall enjoying life too. Stephen(1994) is teaching in Thailandwith Lauren, whilst Anne-marie(1991) lectures at Warwick Uniand lives in Coventry with Peteand their two little ones.

Aarti Sequeira WinsHer Own Cookery Show٢٠۱۰2010From June through August 2010 Aarti Sequeira(class of 1996) could be seen on US TV as shecompeted in and won the US Food Network’snumber-one series: The Next Food NetworkStar (Season 6).Her prize? Her very own cookery show: ‘AartiParty’, which promises “great food and endlessfun for home cooks everywhere”. The showpremiered on 21 st August 2010 and is currentlyentering its second season, airing weekly inthe US at noon (ET) on Sundays, on the FoodNetwork. (www.foodnetwork.com/aartiparty)Aarti Sequeira with her sisters Crish & KavitaAfter graduating from DC, Aarti studiedjournalism at university in Chicago. She wenton to work for CNN for a few years, until sheand her husband Brendan moved to LA in 2003.It was there, whilst working as a freelancer, thatAarti enrolled in cookery school and earned aprofessional cooking certificate in 2007 - afterwhich she began writing her own culinary blog:www.aartipaarti.comThe Next Food Network Star Judgespose with winner Aarti SequeiraFor her blog, as for her TV show, Aarti createsher own recipes, cleverly combining the familiarwith the exotic and often putting an enhancingIndian spin on all-American classics. Much ofher inspiration comes from the fabulous varietyof foods, flavours and cultures that she grew upamongst, when living in Dubai.Aarti Sequeira with her husband BrendanBahiya & Salma with their baby brother SamirFatema Valji Has A SonFatema Valji (class of 1991) and her husband,Ali Lila, are now the proud parents of littleSamir, who was born in Sydney, Australia, on27 th October 2010. Clearly having assumedsomething of the Aussie cool even beforebirth, Samir finally made his appearance 11days later than predicted, still sporting his caul- traditionally considered a sign of good luck.Samir is now being well doted over by his 2sisters, Salma & Bahiya, who seem to fancy he’stheir own little live dolly.Peter Ward EngagedPeter Ward (class of 1997) has got engagedto Natalie Edwards. They are planning toget married in Dubai, in April, at the MadinatJumeirah.

Kirsty Bain’s South African Wedding٢٠۱۰2010Congratulations to Kirsty Bain (class of1995) who married Martin Erasmus on10 th October 2010 at the Webersburg WineEstate in Stellenbosch, South Africa. As if10/10/10 was not memorable enough, itwas also the groom’s birthday - so he reallyhas no excuse for ever forgetting theirwedding anniversary!Many of Kirsty’s DC friends joined her inSouth Africa for her special day ...and someeven accompanied the newlyweds on thefirst few days of their ‘honeymoon’, as theytravelled the Garden Route together beforeflying home after the wedding.Rachael Parry & Martin BeckNatalie Copping, Maddie Plail, Kirsty & Martin Erasmus, and Lucy DawesLucinda SmithRoss & Justine Bain with their childrenMaya & Calum, Margaret & Ed Bain, andthe newlyweds: Kirsty & Martin ErasmusMartin Erasmus & Kirsty Bain taking their vows

٢٠۱۰2010STR… COMING SOON TO THE UAEYasser Ul Haq (class of 1998) has just finisheda successful and popular 1 st season of a first-ofits-kindstrongman reality TV show in Pakistan.Buoyed by his success, he now has plans tobring the sport to the UAE. Exact details arestill being worked out with the sponsors, butYasser’s promotional tour of the UAE shouldinclude a series of demonstration events and aStrongman competition.In anticipation of his UAE tour, Yasser hasshared some thoughts with us about his chosensport:Many people ask me, “Why do you do this?Why do you lift such heavy things?” Theanswer is very simple: the same reason whypeople play rugby, football, cricket, or indeedANY sport of their liking. Because strongman,believe it or not, is also a sport. As a matter offact, it is one of the oldest sports.The question “who is the strongest man?” hasbeen answered through sporting competitionsince at least 550BC, when already in the firstancient Olympics men would test their strengthby hoisting stones. So it appears that menan important part of why 21 st century 100msprinters are stronger and, yes, faster than theircounterparts who competed 50 years ago.With obesity, diabetes, heart-disease and othercardiovascular-diseases becoming epidemics– not only in the UAE, but globally – I hopemy Strongman TV show and upcoming tourwill inspire more people to hit the gym, orplay football, cricket, tennis, rugby... It’s notimportant what sport you choose, but simplythat you just get some (regular) exercise!Wishing you all a healthy and prosperous 2011!Yasser Ul Haq.PS: Feel free to get in touch with me viaFaceBook or email ulhaq1@gmail.comwere lifting heavy, heavy weights for sportlong before they were kicking around a ball orhitting it over the boundary for six runs ;).Another popular myth is that weightlifting(resistance training) makes men and womenbig, bulky and slow, or stunts growth inteenagers. On the contrary, if done correctly,under proper supervision, resistance trainingstrengthens muscles, tendons, ligaments,joints, bones and hence the entire body. It’s

Alumni WebsiteThe Dubai College Alumni have been giventhe go ahead by the Board of Governors toestablish a dedicated Alumni website. Sucha website should provide a useful vehicle fornetworking and offer a range of opportunitiesfor students past and present to access eachother for their mutual benefit.We are keen to receive suggestions from allthe alumni as to what content and tools you’dlike to see the Alumni website provide. Also,as we are looking to design, create and managethe website ourselves, we are looking forvolunteers with the necessary skills to helpproduce and maintain the website.If you’d like to volunteer your help or make asuggestion, please write to:alumni@dubaicollege.orgPinboardDC Student NewspaperSince late 2009 Dubai College’s students have beenproducing their own online Student Newspaper:The Red Brick (www.theredbrick.org).Written by the students for their fellow students,The Red Brick features reports of recent events atthe school and a wide variety of features and articlesabout all manner of subjects of interest to today’sstudents at the school ...many of which may well beof interest to the College’s alumni too.In 1989, when I left DC, I returned to UK to finish my A–levels.I went onto Art College and then completed a degree in InteriorDesign at Middlesex University. After 10 years working inMayfair, I relocated back to Dubai in December 2004. There Imet Marcus Doo and we married in April 2008.We decided to move to Cyprus in 2009, where we’ve settled in apicturesque village about 20mins outside Paphos.Recently, I launched my own Interior Design business(www.moodgroupinteriors.co.uk) ...so all to play for.I have been trying to contact Karen Ferrari. Really, I would like to contact all my oldclass/year — so if any of you are reading this: get in touch!Emma (Gower) Doo – emmadoo1@hotmail.comScience Week 2011٢٠۱۰2010After the success of last year’s event,Dubai College will be organizing asecond ‘Science Week’ during Marchof 2011 – to coincide with that in theUK, which is coordinated by the BritishScience Association.Last year the College had visitingdemonstrators from the UK, Y7 visitsto the Sharjah Science museum, a Y8House Science Competition, a Science‘film club’ at lunchtimes, a Y13 trip toJebel Ali Power Station, an astronomyevening with the Science department’stelescopes and more.The theme this year is communication.One of the aims is to bring togetherstudents with local industry so if any ofyou has any ideas of trips or talks fromvisiting speakers that you feel would beof interest to our students then pleasecontact Mr. Ashmore in the ScienceDepartment at Dubai College.Donna Anderson (née Preston)has been working at DubaiCollege, this year, temporarilyteaching Spanish. To the bestof our knowledge, this makesher the first alumnus of theschool to return to teach at theCollege.

London Reunion 2010٢٠٠۹ ٢٠۱۰2009 2010Braving biting cold weather and a distinctthreat of snow, Dubai College’s former staffand students once again gathered for the timehonouredannual DC London Reunion, held onthe last Saturday in November.Helen (Gibbs) Slater, Dennie Lodders& Steven GibbsKaren (Allison) Bayne, Louise (Charles) Hale & sonWilliam, Dilaila Galbraith & Kylie (Winder) SheppardSadly, the freezing weather and its effects (notto mention the dire forecasts of worse being onthe way) took its toll on the turnout. However,fuelled by the thrill of seeing old friends again,the atmosphere was warm and cosy at the newvenue just off Leicester Square.A particularly large number of alumni who’d beenat DC in the early 1980s met up at the reunionthis year. For many it was their first time ata reunion. Some had flown in from Holland,Switzerland, and even as far as Dubai.“I never thought I’d be brave enough to come,but I’m pleased I did”, one of them admitted.“I thought this would be a nerve-wrackingexperience, but it’s been so nice to see oldfriends again after 23 years! And a greatexcuse to get a weekend away in London!”,confided another.The words: “So lovely to see everyoneagain”, were on everybody’s lips, as was thedetermination to come back again next year.As the party wound down at the Slug AndLettuce, most left still grouped together withtheir friends, intent on extending the revelryover dinner in the West End. (Rumour hasit that a handful ended their evening sippingchampagne in the May Fair Bar.)Helen (Gibbs) Slater, Nellie Hulsman-Lodders,Alan Reilly and Sarah (Elliott) LangleyLisa Niblock, Lynn Baker, Helen (Gibbs) Slater& Justine (Friend) RigbyJamie Nicholl with his girlfriend Caterina andScott Owen with his friend EmmaNo doubt we’ll all be back in London again onSaturday 26 th November 2011 for another greatget-together, and hope you’ll be joining us too!Fran Light & Kylie (Winder) Sheppard

٢٠۱۰2010Rany DolehSid Rose &Claire (Hughes) CheadleMike Deelman & Michelle (Rapson) AnlikerYvonne (Lodders) BibasKylie Sheppard, Scott Owen, Catherine Hughes,Michelle Anliker, Alan Reilly & Justine RigbyLouise (Charles) Hale & Helen (Gibbs) SlaterDilaila Galbraith, Kylie (Winder) Sheppard& Michelle (Rapson) AnlikerDeborah (Ward) Puxty & Rob CarverMichelle (Rapson) Anliker, Nellie Hulsman-Lodders, Dennie Lodders & Lynn BakerJenny (Draper) Bounds, Karen (Allison) Bayne,Catherine Hughes, Louise Hale & Dilaila Galbraith

Alumni Sports٢٠۱۰2010Past vs Present Games End The Festive SeasonAs the festive season drew to a close, anumber of former students visited theschool to try to mitigate the effect ofthe excesses of the holiday by taking onCollege teams in a variety of sports.Director of Sport, Andy Jones, isalready making plans for a series ofgames – hopefully including footballand basketball – in the final week of theSpring Term (first week of April). Thiswill be followed by a social gatheringopen to all past students, staff andparents. Anyone who is interested inplaying should email Graham Penson at:g.penson@dubaicollege.orgCricketDuring the holiday the‘past students’ cricketteam won a wonderfullyexciting game against the College 1 st Eleven.A couple of the current DC team membersmade up the numbers for the past studentsteam. However, the past students stillremained a man short so, in the spirit of fairplay, the College team allowed Hassan Aslamto bat twice - a decision they were to regret.With twenty runs to win in the final two overs,Hassan rose to the challenge and scored thewinning runs from the final ball of the match.Sohan Rodrigues, Jemma Gardner, Neal Thomson and Sam AdamsonWith SohanWater Polo Rodrigues, SamAdamson, JemmaGardner and Neal Thomson forming the coreof the past students team, seven DC playerskindly volunteered to complete their side.Four quarters of six minutes provided a sterntest for the ‘oldies’ after their over indulgenceover the festive season. Two five metre goalsfrom Sam Adamson and one each for FrankRyan and Jamie Eldridge were not enoughto beat the younger, fitter DC side. The finalscore was DC 9 - ‘oldies’ 4. Sam is currentlyplaying for Liverpool City and Liverpool Uni intheir respective water polo leagues, and Jemmafor Exeter Ladies in the British UniversitiesLeague. The Old Boys were without the talentsof Michael Farid who is making quite animpact in the pool at MIT. Hopefully he will beback for the return game at Easter.

٢٠۱۰2010RugbyA strong contingent of past studentsturned out for the ‘Past vs Present’rugby match. Despite the experience ofthe past students’ team the College sidemade life very difficult in the early stages.However, shortly before the end of thefirst quarter the ‘oldies’ went ahead withan unconverted try. Scoring twice earlyin the third quarter, they increased theirlead until the College responded with awell-worked try. The oldies respondedimmediately and, following another tryfrom the College in the final quarter, theyfinished off the game with a try underthe posts to win by six tries to two.Rear: Alexia Austen, Chaluie Clark, Kelsy Neil, Natalie Cottrell, Farah Hertog, Iva Stefanovic, Jemma GardnerFront: Elenoa Puni, Sarah Eldridge, Kate Burnett, Emma Lacey, Hannah CampbellNetballRear: Oskar Caneborg, Nic Roderick Jan Matus, Matthew Corcos, Charlie Wild,Greg Cannie, Liam Abu Nimeh, James Armstrong, Rory Convery, Ross GouldFront: Conor El Sibai, Pascal Yammine, Paul Mckeown, Duncan Head, Paul SmithIt was wonderful to welcome a paststudents’ netball team to the Collegeto compete against the College seniorteam. Many of the old-timers had nottouched a netball since leaving schooland despite going ahead 1-0 in the earlyminutes of the game, they were soontrailing. By the end of the first quarterthe College led 7-1. Strong second andthird quarters saw the College extendtheir lead, but a determined comebackfrom the past students brought somerespectability to the final score line, withthe College winning 26-13.

DC OLD BOYS RUGBY 7s٢٠۱۰2010During 2010 the DC Old Boys teamcoached by Pat Cannie stepped up theirpresence on the global Rugby 7s sceneby taking part in two major internationaltournaments.In May 2010, DC Old Boys were invited to playin the 39 th Amsterdam Rugby 7s tournament,one of the foremost 7s tournaments outside theIRB circuit, with many strong invitation teamstaking part each year. Amongst them werethe Kooga Wailers, White Hart Maraudersand Gilbert Pups, who all play in the highestinvitation section at the Dubai Rugby 7s.The format in Amsterdam is 5 teams to agroup, all of differing levels of ability so thatwe were guaranteed a sound thrashing by thetop team in our group, the Gilbert Pups, plusa tough game against Amstelveen Rugby ofthe Netherlands. We won two of our 4 gamesand progressed to the Sunday Pools of theHeineken Boot competition. Playing for a placein the semi-final, we won a hard-fought gameagainst Moldova Technical University, butnarrowly lost to the Dambusters, a team madeup of National League 1 players from the SouthEast of England, who subsequently made itthrough to the final.The DC Old Boys squad was made up of James& Greg Cannie, Oskar Caneborg, Conor ElSibhai, Rob O’Kirwan, Matt Middleton, PascalYammine and Laurent Frangie of DC, plustwo of Laurent’s friends from GroningenUniversity.The DC Old Boys squad at the Dubai Rugby 7s – Rear: Pat Cannie, Byron Kraemer,Greg Cannie, David Knight, James Cannie, Pascal Yammine, Cyrus Homayoun, Mark Kidson.Front: David Kidson, Matt Middleton, Jan Matus, Ross Hunt, Stuart Gibb, Anooshi AskarpourDC Old Boys @ Amsterdam 7s:vs Amstelveen RC 1890 14 - 17vs The Baba 35 - 0vs Gilbert Pups 0 - 50vs Tradate Rugby 42 - 12Heineken Boot Sunday Poolsvs Moldova TU 14 - 5vs Dambusters 12 - 17In December, the DC Old Boys met againfor the Dubai 7s with a squad that reachedacross four age groups: (a) Stuart Gibb, CyrusHomayoun, Byron Kraemer and Ross Hunt,(b) James Cannie, David Knight, AnooshiAskarpour and David Kidson, (c) Greg Cannie,Matt Middleton and Pascal Yammine, and (d)Jan Matus. Mark Kidson was recovering froman earlier injury sustained playing in Australiaso was our hydration technician.In May 2011, the DC Old Boys will be playing in the 40 th Amsterdam 7s, hoping to go beyond the quarter-final stage.

٢٠۱۰2010David Knight, Jan Matus, Stuart Gibb and GregCannie in action against the B-Universe WarriorsThis year the DC Old Boys were placed inthe International Social rather than the LocalSocial section of the Dubai 7s invitationtournament. In our pool matches we managedto grind out a hard fought win over the RSAExpat Old Boys (a team composed of ex-Jumeirah College players) and a one-sidedmatch against Naga Rebels, a team of expatcopper miners from Indonesia, who had twofather & son combinations in their squad.In our final pool match against last year’swinners, Hollywood 7s, we went down by 5tries to 2 in a game that was retrospectivelylooked upon as one that slipped away.Whilst the quarter-final against B-UniverseWarriors was a very tough but free-flowingmatch, where we eventually won by one try, weunfortunately lost our first choice scrum half,Matt Middleton, in the first half of this matchto a dislocated right shoulder, and that was histournament over.In the semi-final on Saturday afternoon, wemet PWC Rugby and lost Pascal Yammine toan eye injury in the first kick off of the match,when he claimed the kick off in the opponents’22. Whilst Pascal was being treated by JamesCannie, the team’s almost doctor, we lost aquick try and were 2 tries to nil down by halftime. This was followed by 2 more quick triesagainst us after the break, as a result of poorball retention on our part.With 5 minutes or so remaining, we finallyworked our way into the game, playing thesort of fast, free flowing 7s we were capable of,such that the opposition could not cope with us.Despite clawing our way back into the matchwith 3 tries, time was against us and we wereleft to rue the sort of slow start that proved tobe a bitter hallmark of our tournament.DC Old Boys @ Dubai Rugby 7s:vs RSA Expat Old Boys 17 - 10vs Naga Rebels 42 - 5vs Hollywood 7s 12 - 31Trophy Quarter-Finalvs B-Universe Warriors 26 - 21Trophy Semi-Finalvs PwC Rugby 19 - 28Anooshi Askarpour and Matt MiddletonPascal Yammine, David Knight, James CannieMeanwhile in the Gulf Under 18 Men’scompetition at the Dubai Rugby 7s, the DubaiCollege senior boys squad had no difficultiesin overcoming their group stage opposition,showing skill and composure in equal measureas they secured victories in each of their 3 poolmatches.Unfortunately, their composure seemed todesert them in the trophy semi-final, wherethey faced the ‘old enemy’ the English College.The more they chased the game, the harderthey made it for themselves. They were capableof so much more, but did not deliver, so ECwent through to the final, where they werebeaten by BSAK.DC U18s @ Dubai Rugby 7s:vs Arabian Potbellies 61 - 0vs Al Ain Amblers 26 - 7vs Abu Dhabi Harlequins 31 - 7Trophy Semi-Finalvs The English College 7 - 17

Dear Dubai College Alumni:Letter From TheF D CFRIENDS OF DUBAI COLLEGE٢٠۱۰2010As out-going Chair of the Friends of Dubai College (FDC), I am delightedto have the opportunity to connect with you and to outline some of ourkey on-going activities over the past year and importantly in the future.Over the past 2 years or so, a concerted effort has been made to engage allstakeholders in the Dubai College community who have the interests andfuture prosperity of Dubai College at heart. I am delighted to say that thishas resulted in a much closer relationship between the FDC and Alumni,practically demonstrated by the fact that now three alumni are on theFDC Committee: Peter DeBenedictis, Anna Zickerman-Quinn and PasangiWeerasinghe. This partnership will further be developed by the new FDCChair, Andrew Laven. And, as a newly appointed College Governor, I willdo all I can to support this at Board level and with the Headmaster, PeterHill - I am delighted to say the response so far from them has been hugelyencouraging.The activities of the FDC and indeed any volunteer organisation in Dubaitake place against rapidly changing economic, social and educationalpressures at a rate far greater than ever experienced since the foundationof the College. This is further compounded by the fact that DubaiCollege is one of the few not-for-profit schools in Dubai. And finally, thenew education framework being rolled out at a federal level means thatcompetition and maintaining standards have never been more criticalexternal forces.Taken together, these realities are some of the key challenges facing DubaiCollege. However, despite this or maybe because of it, Dubai Collegecontinues to go from strength to strength across the academic, sportsand arts spectrum, and retains its unique place in the local community,regionally and increasingly internationally. This reflects the achievementsand talents of the students, College staff and management, and thestakeholders who recognise that there is something special about DubaiCollege.The FDC calendar of events and our activities are designed to enrich thelives of the students and to raise funds for key projects and activities thatwould not normally be funded by the College directly. Over the past year,the Year 7 Fun Day (pictured), Battle of the Bands, Quiz Nights, RaceNights, table top sales, catering at every sports event and our end-of-yearSummer Ball have raised over AED 200,000, and equally importantlybrought together an amazing group of people who give their time andtalents freely and with passion.Building on this, the FDC has now set its sights on a ‘big hairy goal’:Project Pavilion. Under this initiative, the FDC seeks to raise AED1.5 million to build a sports pavilion and changing rooms on the Collegesports grounds – it is hoped to complete it to be ready in time for the startof term in September 2011.

٢٠۱۰2010I can hear many alumni say this is long overdue and the initial response hasbeen fantastic as the FDC has employed a novel approach to fundraising.Firstly, all FDC fundraising will be dedicated to Project Pavilion. Secondly,parents and alumni and prospective sponsors have been approached toprovide services, materials or donations that can go towards the costs.The initial response has been very promising and commitments have beenmade towards design, construction, steel, air conditioning and othersaspects. In addition, our “Buy a Brick” campaign will enable donors to buy abrick valued at AED 100 each to contribute to the cost. Shortly, the Collegewebsite will contain information about the progress of fundraising andthe Project overall. There is still a long way to go to complete the Project- please join us in this effort and contribute how you can, if the over 1000alumni each bought a brick, that would raise AED 100,000 for a start!I would like to pay tribute to the work of Graham Penson, Mike Deelman,and the alumni on the FDC Committee (and others) who have helped bringus closer together in the last couple of years (and longer!). This has notbeen easy given the alumni are dispersed around the world but what isclear is the affection that exists for Dubai College. The honest and opencommunication approach of this partnership has shown the only agenda isthe future prosperity of the College.I would like to end with a direct appeal to the Alumni. The role of theAlumni in the future success of Dubai College has never been more criticalor important. The opportunity for broader and greater engagement tobring to bear your talents, experience and resources will provide a base tosupport the College to address the challenges I have outlined. It is vital thatthe activities of the FDC and the Alumni are complimentary and alignedView of the Pavilion from the playing fieldsto ensure this happens. The progress we have made in this endeavour hasbeen very positive and we look to make this partnership a deeper one in thefuture. Please help us in our fundraising for Project Pavilion and play thefullest part you can individually and collectively to support Dubai College.I would like to wish you all a Happy, Healthy and Successful New Year in2011.John MerriganView of the Pavilion from the hard courtsFun Day Winners

2010’s GraduatesThis year saw the introduction of the A* grade at A-Level and DC’s Year 13searned no fewer than 67 of them, with three students (James Armstrong, Sara AlLiusie and Kalyani Nedungadi) managing 4 A*s and four (Helen Panayi, MichaelFarid, Neal Thomson and Kaitlin Jones) earning 3 A*s.Although for the first time in several years the A-E grade pass rate fell below100%, the percentage of C grades or better was the highest in the school’s history,and the A*-B pass rate was the 2 nd best ever. Perhaps more important for thoseimmediately concerned was the fact that 83% of students gained places at theirfirst choice university, with most of the remaining group being accepted at theirsecond choice. Only five students had to apply for places through clearing.The Numbers:Candidates entered 99Subject entries 312Percentage A*-A grade 63.8%Percentage A*-B grade 87.4%Percentage A*-C grade 97.3%Percentage A*-E grade 99.7%٢٠٠٨ ٢٠۱۰2008 2010HIGHER EDUCATION DESTINATIONS OF 2010 LEAVERSLiam Abu-Nimeh Sheffield; Architectural EngineeringSam Adamson Liverpool; Aeronautical EngineeringAlia Noor Ahmed Gap Year (Applying 2011)Sam AkiLeeds; Exercise & Sports ScienceAlia Al Ghussain Sussex; International RelationsFatima Al Rashid Toronto; Chemical EngineeringMarie Al Rustom Université de Liege; EngineeringMohammad Ali McGill, Canada; Economics & MathematicsSara Al Liusie UCL; Mathematics & ManagementJames Armstrong Warwick; EconomicsRoss BarryEdinburgh; History and PoliticsJames Bazargan-Young Kingston; CriminologyNicola Blincow Bath; ArchitectureShika BodaniKing’s College; Comp. Science with ManagementErik Brinkhorst Royal Conservatoire of Den Haag; SoundMichelle Bushill Goldsmiths; Media and CommunicationsAbhishek Chandra NYU, USA; International RelationsSarah Cheetham Coventry; Art FoundationAmanda Cheng Bournemouth; Animation ArtsJon CottrellFootballLara Daoud Arch. Assoc. 2010 then Cardiff; Architecture 2011Anay DaveNorthwestern, USA; Mathematics & PhysicsMichael Farid MIT, USA; EngineeringErin FeleskySimon Fraser, Canada; PsychologyAlex Ferrari-Stanford Aberystwyth; LawJemma Gardner Exeter; Sports ScienceMike GeesonOxford; ChemistrySeren Gough-Waters Loughborough; International RelationsMaria Goulamhoussen Berklee, USA (Jan 2011); MusicJess GrahamDurham; PsychologyLewis Hammond Gap Year (Applying 2011)Lu HanLSE; LawFinn Harceaga Glasgow; PhysicsJames Harding Bath; Chemical Engineering

٢٠۱۰2010Katy HassallGSA, Glasgow; Sculpture and Environmental ArtDuncan HeadExeter; GeographyFiona HeathSouthampton; Aeronautical EngineeringAndy HelsbyUCL; PhysicsFarah HertogLSE; Economics & PoliticsSarah Holly East Anglia; Law (2011)Abigail Johnson Warwick; International ManagementJames Johnson LSE; Geography & EconomicsMegan JonesNottingham Trent; Furniture & Product DesignKaitlin JonesLeeds; PoliticsVardhan Kapoor LSE; Anthropology & LawCameron Kashani Birmingham; Chemical EngineeringLorna Keegan St. Andrews; International Relations & HistoryTanya Kewalramani Trinity College, Canada; International RelationsChengaiz Khan Waterloo, Canada; PhysicsMinaal KhanImperial College; MedicineMurtaza Kheriwala LSE; EconomicsAoife KilaleaBirmingham; Drama & English LiteratureOlivia Lochhead UnknownJan MatusNottingham; EconomicsPhil McCarter McGill, Canada; Economics & GeographyKayleigh McKee Goldsmiths; Drama and Theatre ArtsPaul McKeown Bath; Mathematics & PhysicsRachel McKinnon Aberdeen; English Literature & Religious StudiesMelissa McWhirter Southampton; Politics and International RelationsTara Mehrabanzad UCI, USA; Liberal ArtsRobert Miller Ulster; Sports & Exercise ScienceAnant Mohan Illinois, USA; Computer EngineeringJustine Morgan McGill, Canada; BA Mathematics MajorBijan Motiwalla Emory College, USA; Business CommunicationsHector Murphy Royal Holloway; Criminology & SociologyKalyani Nedungadi Mount Holyoke, USA; Liberal ArtsJames Nielson Winchester; HistoryDeborah Noble Aberdeen; Law with FrenchHelen PanayiLoughborough; Art FoundationKelly ParkLeeds; ZoologyNikita PatelU Penn (Wharton), USA; BusinessPriyanka Patel Sheffield; ArchitectureBryan Pereira LSE; ManagementConnor Pollard Loughborough; History & PoliticsTom PowellHeriot Watt; Mathematics with FinanceJim PrescottGap Year (Golf)Laura Reader Leeds; Mathematics & Economics 2011Therese Ritson Gap Year (Applying 2011 Veterinary Science)Shona Robinson York; BiologySohan Rodrigues Swansea; Mechanical EngineeringTanisha Saxena LSE; Philosophy & EconomicsPieter Sayer Gap Year (Applying 2011)Megan Schapiro Cape Town, SA; Pre-MedTom Seabrook Swansea; Biology/Business EconomicsAnisha Senaratne University of Melbourne; CommerceSunit ShethManchester; ManagementKaran Shirgaokar LSE; EconomicsJamie Shirlaw Leeds; Sports ScienceMeghan Silveira Bath; Aeronautical EngineeringGabriella Skouroupathi UCL; LawRobyn SmithDurham; Mathematics & PhysicsMelanie Sprengers Manchester; MedicineSohanna Srinivasan Cambridge (Churchill); ArchitectureKarina Takapi-Lambert NZ; EngineeringFiona TarbetDundee; Fine ArtNeal Thomson LSE; Mathematics & EconomicsMichael Tonna Robert Gordon; Accounting & FinanceKabir Tourani Cambridge (Trinity); MathematicsRhian Turner Leeds; Theatre & PerformanceSofia VyasLeeds; English Literature & Language