A LUMNI N EWS “Thank you CTC for making me what I am today” Justin Kon (left CTC in 1976) In This Issue Catching up with former staff and students Focus on retiring tutorsDr Sherratt and Mrs Hayes Report from recent Alumni events Principal’s Welcome I am delighted to be writing this as the new Principal of CTC although I have now been here since April. I have thoroughly enjoyed my first few weeks here: the students are delightful and all have been well focused on their studies so we are looking at some excellent results in August. You might like to know that my own background fits the CTC profile quite well. I was born in the USA (my father was a British diplomat there) and for many years I worked in Singapore at the United World College there. More recently I was head of a Round Square school committed to a set of IDEALS – the ‘I’ of which was to promote internationalism and international understanding. I love the international mix of students here at CTC. I am lucky to have inherited such an interesting place. We face some challenging times but the essential foundation blocks are in place. Over the next few weeks we will be spending quite a lot of money on refurbishing areas of the College like the student common room, a new reception area, better classrooms and hidden things like the electricity supply and much better Wi-Fi provision. It is very important that the College presents itself well and our students have access to the best facilities and a wider range of activities over the coming months. I will be busy over the summer holidays working on the College’s next development plan which I will share with you in due course, but one aspect of it will focus on the development of our alumni relations. Sadly we have two colleagues who are retiring this term after many years’ service: Dr Doris Sherratt, Head of Biology, and Mrs Heather Hayes, Head of Economics, Business Studies and Accounting. Between them they have served CTC for an amazing 71 years. I know you will join me in wishing them a long and happy retirement. For sure CTC has a stable and settled staff. If you are ever in London then do please think of coming to see the College; it is always best to let us know beforehand! I do hope to meet many of you in the coming months and years. Mark Eagers [email protected]CTC Alumni Newsletter Issue 2 July 2014
Alumni Newsletter for former students of CTC London
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ALUMNI NEWS
“Thank
you CTC
for making
me what I
am today”
Justin Kon (left
CTC in 1976)
In This Issue
Catching up with
former staff and
students
Focus on retiring
tutorsDr Sherratt and
Mrs Hayes
Report from recent
Alumni events
Principal’s Welcome
I am delighted to be writing this as the new Principal of CTC although I have
now been here since April. I have thoroughly enjoyed my first few weeks
here: the students are delightful and all have been well focused on their
studies so we are looking at some excellent results in August.
You might like to know that my own background fits the CTC profile quite
well. I was born in the USA (my father was a British diplomat there) and for
many years I worked in Singapore at the United World College there. More
recently I was head of a Round Square school committed to a set of IDEALS
– the ‘I’ of which was to promote internationalism and international
understanding. I love the international mix of students here at CTC.
I am lucky to have inherited such an interesting place. We face some
challenging times but the essential foundation blocks are in place. Over the
next few weeks we will be spending quite a lot of money on refurbishing
areas of the College like the student common room, a new reception area,
better classrooms and hidden things like the electricity supply and much
better Wi-Fi provision. It is very important that the College presents itself
well and our students have access to the best facilities and a wider range of
activities over the coming months. I will be busy over the summer holidays
working on the College’s next development plan which I will share with you
in due course, but one aspect of it will focus on the development of our
alumni relations.
Sadly we have two colleagues who are retiring this term after many years’
service: Dr Doris Sherratt, Head of Biology, and Mrs Heather Hayes, Head
of Economics, Business Studies and Accounting. Between them they have
served CTC for an amazing 71 years. I know you will join me in wishing
them a long and happy retirement. For sure CTC has a stable and settled
staff.
If you are ever in London then do please think of coming to see the College;
it is always best to let us know beforehand! I do hope to meet many of you
I liked the students, especially the hard working ones, and I liked my great team of mathematics
teachers. I had handpicked everyone of those teachers and it was fun bossing them around! I also liked
having rice and curry for lunch every day
What did you like least about working at CTC?
I did not like writing reports, taking minutes at tutors meetings, doing staff appraisals nor marking
endless papers.
Which student or class do you remember most clearly from your time at CTC, and why?
I can remember many/most of my students over the years and remember most of them fondly. I probably
remember my Malaysian students more than any other nationality as I often saw them on my numerous
trips to Malaysia. Whenever I was on the same flight as them, they would always offer to help me with
my luggage and ask if I needed a lift from the airport.
I also remember my Latvian students as they came to welcome me at my hotel on my first night in Riga
when I did a week long Mathematics Induction Course. That trip will be remembered for the “volcanic
ash” flight
cancellations and
my 38 hour coach
trip home. If I were
to pick one student
from the very, very
many who were
special to me it
would be Yimong
Aye from
Mynamar. Although
very humble,
Yimong was one of
the kindest,
cleverest students
that ever came to
CTC. She was the
top student in
Chemistry at
Somerville College, Oxford and went on to Harvard. She chose Chemistry over Mathematics but I
did not hold that against her.
What is your most amusing memory of your time at CTC?
I once had a GCSE student who thought the formula sheet was her weekly test and spent 45
minutes trying to solve it. Another GCSE student was rummaging around in his bag trying to find his
homework when he pulled out a goldfish. Or perhaps it was the time that I started a lesson with no
students. I had warned my Kings College Foundation Group that I was tired of them turning up late
and I would start my lesson without them. I had been teaching for 15 minutes when the first student
arrived!
Name and nationality
Justin Kon Khoon Jin,
Malaysian.
During which years
were you a student at CTC?
December 1975 – June 1976.
What have you been up to since leaving CTC?
After completing my A’Level at CTC, I left for the University of Essex in September 1976 to pursue my
tertiary education.
Upon my return to Malaysia in 1978, I worked for a distributor of Mercedes Benz vehicles as a
Management Executive for 2 years. In 1980, I joined a diversified local conglomerate as a Corporate
Executive for slightly over 5 years.
In 1986, I started my career with a German international logistics company as its Managing Director in
Malaysia for almost 20 years. In 2005, I formed my own logistics company and I have been working
here ever since.
Most difficult thing to get used to when you first arrived at CTC?
I come from a tropical country with almost perpetual summer-like weather throughout the year. I found
the cold English winter, with short hours of daylight, as the most difficult thing for me to get accustomed
to when I first arrived at CTC.
Unlike most students, I came to the U.K in December which did not give me time for transition to adapt
to the changing weather and its surrounding. But now, I miss the cold, crisp air of winter morning at
times.
Most valuable lesson learned at CTC?
The most valuable lesson I learnt at CTC is that it has taught me the skills to think outside the box ;
emphasing on critical, creative and analytical learning.
Justin, pictured with local host Mrs
Dabin and her pet dogs..Circa 1976
Justin, Mrs Dabin and fellow student Tay Hua
Hui. Tay is now a Gastroentoroligist at
Gleneagles Medical Centre in Singapore
The teachers focused on the students from the very start of the course. They made learning very
interesting and they were very passionate in the subjects they taught. The small tutorial class allowed
students to interact and participate actively in the learning process which we all gained from it
immeasurably.
Which tutor do you remember most clearly from your time at CTC, and why?
Mr Andrew Stuart , my tutor for Economics subject,had made great impact on me. When I joined his class
in December 1975, I had a lot to catch up and he patiently guarded me and marked all the essays that I
did in my spare time. He was always there to help me whenever I ran into obstacles in my studies. He
was strict but very approachable and helpful. I owe CTC a great depth of gratitude for the excellent
teaching staff who are best placed to help me in realising my dream. I am happily married with two
children who arein the legal profession.
Thank you CTC for making me what I am today.
What is your most amusing memory of your time at CTC?
I found the free and open discussion in tutorial classes at CTC very amusing. The English students are
usually very vocal and they often argue with the tutor. This makes for a
lively, interesting and sometime quite heated debate.
Generally speaking, students from Southeast Asia tend to be more inhibitive and less expressive but they
warm up quite quickly and join the fray.
I remembered an English student arguing vehemently with Mr Roger Osborne, the then Principal, in the
Students Committee meeting. As a student from Malaysia, our educational system does not encourage us
to be critical or expressive, let alone challenging
the view point of the College Principal.
Justin with his wife Margaret at the Topicana Golf and Country
Resort in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia
Alumni Re-Union Dinners
In January 2014, CTC held three successful alumni re-union dinners in Singapore, Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi.
Prominent amongst the invited guests were Mr & Mrs Ong (above), who sent all three of their children to
CTC.
In Vietnam, the college was celebrating the 20th anniversary of its first visit in 1994
Guest of Honour at the dinner in Ho Chi Minh City was Mr Huyen,
the Vice-Principal of Le Hong Phong High School for the Gifted,
seen here with 4 students from CTC’s outstanding vintage of 2007.
Amongst other Le Hong Phong ex-pupils at the dinner was Nguyen
Chi Hieu (in centre of picture below left), CTC’s most successful
student ever. In 2004, he was the UK’s top A-level student and
featured in all of the national daily newspapers. He went on to
become the top graduate of the LSE in 2007 and won a full
scholarship to Stanford University in the USA
The event in Singapore was
to mark the 20th
anniversary of CTC’s
partnership with Dr James
Loh of Unidegree
Consultancy. Dr Loh
(pictured here with Mario Di
Clemente) is the college’s
exclusive representative in
Singapore.
Hanoi The event in Hanoi brought together the heads and deputy heads of Hanoi’s top high schools as well
as students who were at CTC back in 1995. Guests of Honour (in picture below) included Mr Dung,
the Vice-President of the Vietnamese Chamber of Commerce who helped David Wilson obtain a visa
for his first visit to Vietnam in January 1994, Mrs Nga, the Vice-Principal of the Foreign Language
Specialising School and Mrs Oanh, Principal of Hanoi-Amsterdam High School for the Gifted.
When Mr Wilson first visited the school in1994,
Mrs Oanh was a Russian teacher, and he helped
her gain a scholarship to the UK to re-train as an
English teacher. Now, twenty years later, she
has become Principal of the school.
Like Le Hong Phong in Ho Chi Minh City,Hanoi
-Amsterdam has sent many outstanding
scholars to CTC in the intervening 20 years!
One of the highlights of the dinner was a slideshow presented by Mr Wilson and entitled “Down Memory Lane”; in it, he told the story behind CTC’s success in Vietnam, where the college went from one student in 1995 to 46 in 2012:
Students attending the Hanoi dinner included Hang - a top student from 1995 (bottom left) - and An - a 100% scholarship winner who graduated in 2013 (bottom right).
Both girls came to us from Hanoi Amsterdam High
An was the event’s MC and was interviewed by Hanoi Television
Further photographs from the 2014 Alumni events can be seen on the college Facebook page