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OMK Newsletter # 15 May
2020 | |
Dear ^Preferred name or first name^
I hope this finds you and yours well during what
continues to be challenging times. Since the
Covid-19 lock-down, our staff and pupils have been kept
busy with live-streamed lessons in the mornings, followed by
an imaginative programme of extra curricular activities in the
afternoon. The Prep re-opens on Monday 1 June for
children in Nursery, Reception, Years 1 and 6 (as per
government guidelines); therefore, in true Mount Kelly
spirit, we are keeping calm and carrying on!
I am particularly proud of our Upper Sixth
volunteers who have become an integral part of our Caring
Calls Campaign and have been ringing some of our more
vulnerable OMKs in lockdown. The response has been
overwhelmingly positive and full of praise for our
pupils. See below for further details.
We are looking forward to the easing of
lockdown and getting back to our OMK programme of events
- we are feeling optimistic and hope to kick-start
the new academic year with a re-scheduled drinks gathering at
David Londsdale's (1975-81) pub The
Sekforde in London on 23
September. We will, of course, keep you updated over
the coming weeks; in the meantime, stay safe and
please keep sending us your news and stories for the
next newsletter.
Fran Reid Development & Alumni
Manager | |
'Walking on Sunshine'
The Mount Kelly Chamber Choir, who recently won the
title of Barnardo's School Choir of the Year in March, decided
to sing 'together under lockdown, 'and have recorded this
great version of Walking on Sunshine by Katrina and the
Waves.
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Pupils recreate Ten Tors @ Home
On the first weekend of
May, 28 pupils decided not to let all their Ten
Tors training go to waste and completed either 34, 45 or
55 miles in their gardens and local back
lanes. Self-sufficient and camping, they recreated the
event as best they could and raised over £5k for the NHS
Charities in the process.
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Caring Calls Campaign - Meet the Team
Meet Alisha Varia, Indira Falle, Dominic
Bourne and Natasha Farrington - our Upper Sixth pupil
volunteers who make up the Caring Calls Campaign
team. To date, they have called over 130 OMKs and
have enjoyed hearing stories about their time at School,
exchanging Mount Kelly experiences and also learning what
career paths they embarked upon after leaving school.
With A Levels cancelled, and very much with their own future
in mind, making these calls is, in turn, is giving our pupils
a sense of purpose, helping them grow in confidence and
enabling them to improve their inter-personal skills.
Such is the success of the campaign so far that we
have decided to continue with the calls in June. If you would
like the opportunity to talk to one of our callers, do get in
touch and we will arrange for you to receive a call from one
of the team.
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SAS Selection Winner
Congratulations to Lauren Steadman (07-11) who
was pushed to her physical and mental limit on Channel 4's
SAS Celebrity Who Dares Wins 2020 and who, on 26 May,
won the contest alongside DJ Locksmith Rudimental. |
Explorers Club Fellowship
Congratulations to Mark Hannaford (81-84) who in
March was elected an International Fellow of The Explorers
Club in New York. Other Fellows of the Club include Buzz
Aldrin, James Cameron and Elon Musk. |
World Press Photo Award
Battleground PolyU, a film covering a protest in
Hong Kong made by David Clark (78-83), has won Interactive
of the Year at the World Press Photo Awards, as well as
another four international nominations, including the Webby
Awards. Click on the photo above to watch David's
film. | |
Ben Nevis Marathon
Brothers Tom (99-04) and Ralph (01-08)
completed the equivalent of a Ben Nevis Marathon without
leaving home. They ran 26.2 miles on a 300m farm track
and rope climbed 4413ft (an 18ft rope 260 times),
raising over £5k for Age UK, the Royal Marines
and NHS charities.
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OMK Hero in Thailand
Over the last 38 days, Nick Fawcus-Robinson
(70-76), has raised over £1M Thai
Baht and, along with 12 volunteers, delivered
some 40,000 meals to people in Phuket whose livelihoods
have been adversely affected by Covid-19. He is now getting
his diving comany, Scuba Nicks (established 2004),
ready for when lock-down is lifted.
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Music Video for NHS
Former staff member Trevor Ryder (79-12) decided
to learn a new skill in lockdown and has had a go
at producing his first-ever music video - and to raise
money for the NHS Charities Together. Watch the video and
visit his just giving page if you would like to
support his fundraising efforts.
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Sharron Davies speaks to pupils
Over 100 pupils in the Swim Squad enjoyed a
brilliant Q&A session over Zoom with Olympian Sharron
Davies (78-80) who gave excellent advice and provided
an insight into her career, her love of swimming and
dealing with adversity. |
Masterchef 2020
Olivia Eadie (02-11) was a contestant in this
year's BBC Masterchef series; although she was not chosen to
go through to the next round, she very much enjoyed the
experience and cooked some delicious-looking dishes for the
judges. |
Mount Kelly Food Bank
Working closely with the council and local
volunteer groups, Mount Kelly is helping run the local
Food Bank. Donations are stored in the College
kitchens, supplemented with Mount Kelly's
own stocks of food, and staff volunteers are
bagging up the items and delivering them to vulnerable
families across west Devon using the school
minibuses. | |
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The Mount Kelly Bursary Fund
We are very grateful to all OMKs, parents, staff
and governors who are supporting the Mount Kelly Bursary
Fund with regular or one-off gifts. Our aim is to enable a
wider range of talented pupils to access a Mount Kelly
education, and experience the life-changing opportunities that
it provides.
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Alumnet Online Platform for OMKs
Over 400 OMKs have already signed up to
Alumnet - our OMK networking platform. Alumnet allows
OMKs to keep in touch with friends, and is especially
useful in making new connections for business/career
purposes, such as sourcing work experience or career
advice.
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Head Master's Blogs and other recordings
Our Head Master, Guy Ayling, records a
weekly lock-down blog, which can be accessed via the School's
website, as can the Monday chapel addresses, various
talks, lectures and music recitals.
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OMK Events 2020
OMK Ladies' Hockey v
Mount Kelly 1st XI
Wednesday 23 September
6pm OMK Pub Gathering in London (The Sekforde,
Farrington)
Saturday 8 May 2021 OMK
Day & Dinner OMK Golf OMK Cricket
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Kelly College: Parkwood Road - Tavistock -
Devon - PL19 0HZ Prep: Mount Tavy Road
- Tavistock - Devon - PL19 9JL www.mountkelly.com - mailto:alumni@mountkelly.com
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