BBC journalist Kate Adie speaks at BSB
BSB and the Waterstones Brussels bookshop recently invited the author and broadcaster Kate Adie to talk to Year 12 and 13 students, parents and staff about her book ‘Fighting on the Home Front: The Legacy of Women in World War One'.
Kate Adie is an English journalist who became well known for reporting from war zones around the world. She was the chief news correspondent for the BBC from 1989 to 2003. The day proved to be an inspirational opening event for our WWI commemoration programme. She spoke about Belgian history, how women’s lives changed as a result of the Great War and even why Agatha Christie chose Hercule Poirot as her detective hero.
 Our next Waterstones event will be the visit of the acclaimed author Diana Souhami at the end of September 2014.
Diana writes on her website: “What prompted me to write about Edith Cavell was the idea of altruism, the concept of goodness. In two years of working on this book I kept unswerving respect for her.”
Details of Diana Souhami's visit will be available on the BSB website in September.
A street named Pater Dupierreuxlaan
 Father Eugène Dupierreux was shot by Germans on 27 August 1914 “for having been in possession of a private note written on a half sheet of notepaper inadvertently placed in his pocket amongst other papers in a hurry of departure”.
This eyewitness account was given by an anonymous professor of Physics and Mathematics in Leuven. The professor describes fires burning in university libraries, the discovery of the contents of the note and the subsequent shooting of Father Dupierreux at the edge of the wood.
Pater Dupierreuxlaan – the name that the road was given in his memory, shall be in the new postal address of BSB from 1 September 2014:
Pater Dupierreuxlaan 1
3080 Tervuren
Belgium
Father Dupierreux had become an ecclesiastical student after studying Classics at the Faculty of Philosophy and Science at Namur. He had just finished his first year’s study of philosophy at Leuven. Amongst the 26 ecclesiastics who were forced to witness his execution were about 16 of his fellow students, and in particular his twin brother, Father Robert Dupierreux.
How poignant that we as a school and place of learning now reside in the same place where Father Dupierreux lost his life protecting his belief in freedom of expression and education.
Announcing Project 3-2-1
 Project 3-2-1 is the name given to our new building development project over the coming two years. Its logo features a swimmer diving off the BSB swoosh, to remind us of the main attraction of Project 3-2-1: a six-lane, 25m indoor pool, a first for an international school in Belgium!
The numbers 3-2-1 refer to three facilities (swimming pool, gymnasium and the newly designed Reception area and offices), the 2 refers to the expected two-year build and the street number in our new address will be number 1. The name is also, of course, a countdown.
The new facilities will open in September 2016. Project 3-2-1 is not the name of the new building. Once completed, it will be given another name alongside Brel, Tintin, Rubens etc.
If you have ideas for a name for the new building let us know! Email project321@britishschool.be.
The renovation and extension of the school’s main building is the largest single infrastructure project that BSB has undertaken in its almost 45 year history. Our first phase starts with the demolition of the existing gym during the October 2014 half-term holiday.
Watch out for the next issue of BSB's Tapestry magazine, in which we interview the very first Chair and the current Chair of the Dolphins swimming club!
Alumna Katherine Rundell wins literary prize
 We celebrated an alumna's achievement last month as Katherine Rundell won a Blue Peter Book Award for best story. Aged 26, Katherine is the winner of Best Story for her critically acclaimed second novel 'Rooftoppers'. The panel of judges included author Marcus Sedgwick, who is a regular visitor to BSB’s biennial Book Week.
Kate grew up in Europe and Africa. Born in 1987, she studied at BSB from 2001 to 2005. She was elected a Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford in 2008.
'The Girl Savage' was her first book and was influenced by her own childhood in Zimbabwe. This second book, 'Rooftoppers', was inspired by her summers working in Paris and the many spires of Oxford. Kate joins the long list of accomplished BSB alumni around the world. Congratulations!
Upcoming reunions
We have two alumni reunions that combine a visit to BSB in June. One initiated by BSB alumna Sara Carter who was at BSB in the 1970s and one initiated by Elisabeth Goodman, the daughter of one of our founding fathers.
Both groups are being supported by ex-BSB teaching staff including Lily and Arthur Gamble, Hilary Vervaeck, Tony Blom and Liz Beck – more on this in our next issue of Swoosh. You can also catch up with these groups via our Facebook alumni page.
BBC Istanbul correspondent
BSB alumna Caroline O’Neill wrote to Swoosh after reading our last issue. She wrote:
Hello to everyone who reads this and especially if you remember me personally (I was on the teaching staff from 1976 until 2008). I do enjoy reading Swoosh, and keep up regularly with the Twitter and Facebook pages, and of course spot several names of my ex-students, but I wondered if anyone had realised that another ex-BSB student pops up on the BBC TV News regularly?
 One evening not long ago, I had just seen Simon Harper's name on the credits for Holby City and then James appeared on the screen. Both are ex-5C: my former students!
James Reynolds, now the BBC's Istanbul correspondent, was at BSB when his father Paul was the BBC correspondent for two or three years from 1982, and was in my class, 5C, and then was with Mary Brown in 6M.
The family had come to Brussels from Washington and then went to Jerusalem after Brussels. He had a younger sister, Alice. For anyone interested in following James, he has a Twitter account: @JamesEReynolds.
BSB alumnus seeks support for cancer research
BSB alumnus Ryan Pierce wrote to Swoosh. He told us:
I attended BSB from 2005-2010. I and four other students at The University of Winchester are running from Winchester to Paris from the 26 May to 8 June in aid of Cancer Research UK. We will be covering approximately 300km over the nine days.
We all feel passionate about this cause and are all dedicated to reaching our target of £4,000 for Cancer Research UK.
We have been taking donations on our JustGiving page and would greatly appreciate your support. If you would like any more information about what we are doing and why please feel free to contact me at: ryanpierce93@hotmail.com.
Raising funds for Booth House Lifehouse
Alumna Lois Mann graduated from BSB in 2009. She wrote to Swoosh asking if we would help with a sponsorship drive.
Having graduated from BSB Lois attended Loughborough University from 2009-2012 where she studied Publishing with English. Since graduating, Lois has been working for The Salvation Army at their Territorial Headquarters based in London.
 Together with her colleague and friend, Rebecca, Lois will be undertaking a challenge in October 2014, travelling to Peru and are trekking to Machu Picchu to raise money for The Salvation Army. The trip is 10 days in total, which includes work in a local Peruvian community as well as the four-day trek to Machu Picchu.
They are raising funds for Booth House Lifehouse in Swindon – a sheltered accommodation for those who find themselves without a home, job, money, or any prospects. Their target is £4,000 each. Both are active on social media platforms and a JustGiving page.
If you would like to support them, please follow the links below.
https://www.facebook.com/Trekperu2014
https://twitter.com/TPeru2014
https://www.justgiving.com/trekperu2014
http://trekperu2014.wordpress.com
Thank you!
Alumnus Savenaca Vocea plays Rugby for Belgium
On 22 February, BSB alumnus Savenaca Vocea played as a second-half substitute for the Belgian National Black Devils Rugby team against Portugal. Save, as he prefers to be called, graduated from BSB in 2012 and attends United Business Institutes here in Brussels and hopes to go on to be an actuary.
 Save joined the Under-19 Belgian League with the support of the rugby coaching staff whilst at BSB. Being part of the national league allowed him opportunities to travel; he went to Las Vegas in January and he has had the opportunity to play against Romania and Russia.
In addition to studying business, Save also plays with the Brussels Celtics, which is less competitive and has a wider range of ages. Although study, rugby, and a social life keep him busy, Save is able to find a balance, “My priority lies in my studies. When the time comes I know I'm going to be choosing school over rugby,” he said. Not to say that he has not enjoyed the experiences rugby has provided him with, including a community who shares his enthusiasm for the sport.
 Of the game against Portugal, he said, “Obviously it being my first national match, I was very nervous. What struck me was that everything about the game was the same except for one factor: decision-making time! It is shorter than usual, you have split seconds where you have to make a decision and hope it's the right one. At club level I had more time to think, but at this level you have to adapt to thinking more quickly. And physicality, of course. The guys are bigger and more tailored to the game so I had to ‘toughen up’.”
Alumnus Craig Dowsett selected for championship side
Craig Dowsett, who studied at BSB from 2002-2010, has been selected to play for the Rotherham Titans rugby club in the UK.
 According to an announcement by Loughborough Sport, part of Loughborough University where Craig Dowsett is studying for a Master's in Finance and Management, he will “sign for Rotherham Titans ahead of the 2014/15 Championship season, following completion of his studies”.
Commenting about his move to the Rotherham Titans, Craig said, “Being born and raised in Belgium before moving to England for university, I have taken a different rugby development route to the norm, playing two seasons in National 2 North, two seasons in National 1 and now I am buzzing at the opportunity of playing full time rugby, working hard and making the step up”.
“Loughborough has played a major role in my development on and off the pitch, providing me with the grounding and support to allow me to advance. I have really enjoyed my time at Loughborough and am highly motivated in finishing the season as strongly as possible with them to ensure that the club remains in National 1,” he said.
Best Fairtrade School 2014
On Friday, 9 May BSB took part in Oxfam’s Fairtrade Day along with 65 other schools across Belgium. This year, Oxfam urged schools to raise awareness through playful activities.
Click here for more photos
 At BSB, the day started with a bang with tutors raising awareness during registration and some tutor groups taking part in an inflatable banana race across the pitch.
At break time the cafeteria and tuck shop offered a variety of Fairtrade snacks. There was even a special Fairtrade menu at lunch.
Representatives from Tervuren commune invited the school’s Faitrade group, as well as BSB singers and bands, to the Oxfam shop to support their ‘Wereldcafe’ (world cafe) that weekend.
The organisers were so impressed with what the BSB Fairtrade group did on the day, and over the year, that they awarded the school ’FairTrade@School laureate of the province’: best Fairtrade school in the province of Flemish Brabant 2014.
Primary School students at Roots & Shoots ceremony
Mighty oaks from little acorns grow. The British School of Brussels’ Student Council has been working hard, looking at ways to make BSB more eco-friendly.
 Students have developed an ‘Eco Code’ and have shared this with all the children in the hope that making some small changes will have a big impact.
They were really fortunate to have been invited once again to attend the annual Roots & Shoots ceremony of the Jane Goodall Institute of Belgium. The ceremony was held at the European Parliament, and students from various schools presented projects about Animals, People, and the Environment (APE).
BSB students plant poppies at Edith Cavell ceremony
 A group of BSB Primary School students attended a WWI ceremony at the Edith Cavell hospital in April. They were interviewed by local media: click here to watch the TV report.
The hospital carries the name of a British nurse who lost her life during the war. Almost 100 years after her death, she receive this symbolic tribute in front of the hospital that she helped establish.
The students helped to plant poppy seeds and will continue to look after the plants here at school.
Old PE kit finds new life in Ukraine and Ghana
Red BSB PE T-shirts are now a familiar sight around campus but many of you will remember the white T-shirts our students used to wear. These are now out-of-date, and we recently decided to give the remaining stock to two charities, together with other PE kit items.
Earlier this week, 70 boxes of sweaters and tracksuit bottoms were sent to Ukraine in the care of the Belgian NGO ‘Oekraïne werkgroep - Pand 66’. The organisation supports underprivileged and orphan children, as well as other vulnerable members of Ukrainian society.
 Now The Best of Both is investigating the possibility of sending 30 boxes of T-shirts and shorts to four our partner schools in Bolgatanga, Ghana to supplement the schools’ PE resources.
If there is anyone in the BSB community who might be able to help us with the logistics of shipping these boxes to Bolgatanga, The Best of Both would be very pleased to hear from you!
BSB students attend US President speech at Bozar
“I have to admit it is easy to love a country famous for chocolate and beer”. Barack Obama, Brussels, 26 March 2014. After three hours of security scrutiny and waiting in eager anticipation, 18 students were about to see the remarks by the President of the United States of America, Barack Obama. Waiting alongside 2,000 other students and dignitaries, they saw well-known Belgian and EU politicians making their entrance into the venue, including Catherine Ashton and Elio Di Rupo.
TEDxBSB
On Thursday, 27 March BSB was proud to present its first TEDx event. The theme was ‘Access to Education’, a topic that students were particularly interested in. Both external and internal speakers took part. Students, all of whom presented to an extremely high standard, had the opportunity to interact with other external speakers who were experts in their field of knowledge.
The idea of TED is to inspire through ideas. The communication and production was a learning curve for everyone, and the event, run entirely by students with guidance from their teachers, was a great success. We are now hoping to produce another TEDx event, so you might have the opportunity to enjoy another of these educational and interesting evenings in the future.
BSB student wins prestigious art award
Alice Poggio, a student in her last year at BSB won the European Prize in the Pomilio Blumm Art Award 2014 for under 20s. The award included a cash prize and a two-week internship at the Pomilio Blumm Ideas Company, a communications agency in Italy. Alice's work, entitled 'Curiosity' was exhibited in Pescara, Italy where she was presented with the award. Her submitted work was on the theme of 'the concept of rhinoceros'.
Feedback from previous editions of Swoosh
Dear Swoosh: Super! Congratulations on this first edition of the BSB alumni newsletter. I look forward to reading future issues and wish the school continued success! Best wishes from Paris,
Alison Reid Caralis
Hi there: Just wanted to say it was great to receive this newsletter. Sitting in the airport in Penang (Malaysia) and my flight to Singapore is delayed by three hours. This will help me day dream back to the heady days in Tervuren between ’93 and ’97. Signed up to Facebook and Linkedin pages. Keep up the good work and look forward to hearing more news from Brussels. Cheers,
Devon Bovenlander
I taught at BSB from 1971 to the end of 1983. Was really pleased to receive Swoosh. Thank you.
Stephanie Whitaker nee Jones
Dear Swoosh: Loved it! Loved the film about the bilingual programme too – wish they’d done that in my day – and as an ex-treader-of-the-boards there glad to see they are doing ambitious shows in the Brel Theatre still! Keep up the good work and do keep sending this to me! Best,
Simon Harper, Script Producer, Holby City
Dear Swoosh, Thanks for the great newsletter you sent me, great work. I attended the BSB in Form 6 and graduated in 1992. Thanks to Facebook I'm now back on touch with a lot of my old school friends. Thanks and best regards,
Nicky Coates, graphic designer
Do you have any anecdotes to share?
Send them to KBurgess@britishschool.be and we can feature them here or in our next issue of Tapestry magazine, due out in October. Don’t forget to forward this newsletter to other alumni if you wish, and look for us on Facebook.
Final outdoor Summer Concert
Friday, 13 June will be the very last time we are able to put on an outdoor concert on the Groenplan before building work starts during the summer holiday. The evening will be filled with a wide range of music from BSB's vocal and instrumental ensembles as well as some talented soloists and even the parents' choir!
There will be stalls selling a variety of items, including strawberries and cream, Pimms and other drinks. There will also be a barbecue, a play area for children including a trike track and a huge bouncy castle.
An event not to be missed! Please come along and set up your picnic blanket/deck chairs ready for a 19.00 start. It may be wise to bring a brolly, hopefully to shield you from the sun, but of course if it rains this will also come in handy!
Entry is free - no need to book, just turn up on the night. Everyone is sincerely welcome.
Christi-Ann Nancarrow, Director of Music
Come to the 2014 Charity Ball!
If you will be in Brussels on Saturday, 7 June and would like to join the annual summer Charity Ball, tickets are now available.
BSB alumni are invited to join the ball at the Colonial Palace, Tervuren in support of the Belgian Special Olympic Association. For those who haven’t been before, the Charity Ball is a formal event where men wear black tie/suit and ladies wear evening gowns or cocktail dresses.
You can either book your own table, partial table or individual tickets. There will be a champagne reception, followed by a four-course meal with complimentary beer, wine, soft drinks and water until 01.00. Enjoy a special appearance by the BSB Parents’ Choir then dance to DJ Emile from 23.00.
The ticket price of €95 covers the cost of the event. Every cent collected on the evening through a live auction, Mystery Prize Draw and raffle will go towards the Friends of BSB’s goal of sponsoring 14 Belgian Special Olympians who will represent Belgium at the European Games in Antwerp this September. Join us!
About this mailing list
The Swoosh newsletter is delivered directly to BSB alumni by email. If you do not wish to receive the newsletter, you can simply unsubscribe using the link in the footer, below.
Not yet on the distribution list? Click here to add your email address.
Tell us what you think
What do you think of the first Swoosh? Would you like to send in a contribution? Email us at ER@britishschool.be. We look forward to hearing from you.
|
