In the Alumni office, we are privileged to hear stories about our Old Scholars after they have left ‘The Island’, as Sidcot has long been known. It gives us a unique perspective on the way in which our School values are internalised by our students, leading them to exciting careers and forging fulfilling lives.
In a recent survey of our Old Scholars, 63% told us that the School’s Quaker values have informed their career choices today. Comments included:
“The ethos of the School and its staff has made a great impact on my life and work. I remember with great affection the quiet compassion and sensitivity which we were imbued with, some lost on us at the time, but appreciated as we grew up! The importance of a sense of community has stayed with me, with the School - in my time at least - very much like a big family.”
and
“I have always worked for, volunteered for and/or supported numerous charities, mostly working in international development, social justice and environmental protection. I directly trace this to my Quaker upbringing, both at home and at School.”
While many others similarly reflected on the way in which the values of kindness and sustainability have stayed with them, the majority cited the way in which Sidcot taught them to Surprise Themselves - to Live Adventurously – as key to their career choices. We try to profile some of these stories in our ‘Inspirational Sidcotians’ area of our Sidcotians Connect website, open to all who wish to sign up.
Take for example, Nic Tarquini, Class of 2015, who despite expecting to follow a career in Economics, surprised himself at School by applying for and gaining an Arkwright Engineering Scholarship, inspired by his DT teacher, Mr Doig. He acknowledges the impact this had not only on his university subject choice, but also on securing future employment roles, most recently in the space industry (he now works for OneWeb as Mission Director).
Or Roger Croker, Class of 1954, who tells us in his moving memoir story:
“I was a Sidcotian and had been taught to live adventurously, so I set out as boldly as I could to discover what life had in store… before long (Uncle) Fred was seeing me off on a one-way flight to Canada and my next great adventure. This was no small gamble because I was leaving with only a suitcase, seven pounds in my pocket, a date to show up for basic training, and the firm belief that I had what it took to become a pilot in the Royal Canadian Air Force. Thankfully the RCAF saw things exactly the same way, and I went on to complete my training, graduate with the rank of Flying Officer and, for the next few years, serve and protect my new country…
“I left the RCAF and began my career as a commercial pilot. My first experience was in “bush” flying with a small company called Austin Airways. Austin operated in Canada's far north where the weather was harsh and unpredictable and ground transport was sparse-to-non-existent. I learned to fly several types of aircraft which, amongst other things, could land on water or ice depending on the time of year. This job also provided a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to visit some of Canada's most remote regions and their inhabitants, and because pilots like myself were often the only connection between these communities and the outside world and their survival depended on us, we were always welcomed and treated like family. One of my favourite far north communities was Cape Dorset, a hamlet on a tiny island tucked just below the Arctic Circle, which was - and still is – the home of a thriving community of globally-recognized Inuit artists.”
We remain very grateful to Roger for his generous backing of our Scholarship programme, Careers support and Science Labs refurbishment.
We hear also from Sidcot Alumna Sarah Hunt (née Brown) (S: 2002-2008) who had her heart set on studying Architecture, but was surprised by her Art teacher, Cathy Pink, who suggested she capitalised on her love of musicals and management and followed a career in Arts Management. Learning to sing and the vibrant performing arts scene at Sidcot had set her in good stead, and she now runs her own creative coaching business, having been General Manager at London's National Theatre and managed a show that won multiple Olivier and Tony Awards.
We treasure all the stories shared with us and hope you enjoy the ways in which our Sidcotians continue to Surprise Themselves. We hope our current cohort of students will do the same and stay in touch to tell us about it!
Sarah Simms
Director of Marketing and Development