The Week Ahead 23 February 2017

Dear Parents,

Following the visit of Mr Murray Lindo, Development Director of Wellington College, and further to my column last week, I presented to the Sixth Form on our vision for ‘WeConnect’, the new online platform being developed for alumni graduates and families of all schools within the Wellington family.  Over the coming weeks we will facilitate our current Year 13 and past Tianjin alumni to join ‘WeConnect’, enabling them to make connections and keep in touch with many thousands of Old Wellingtonians in the future, for educational, professional and social purposes.

Mr Lindo’s visit was also an opportunity to share with us a new Wellington College publication, copies of which we will make available to our Tianjin Community in due course.  This booklet addresses two questions: ‘What does it mean to be a Wellingtonian’ and ‘What is the Wellington Community?’  I will expand a little on this now, and next week, looking at the first question in today’s column. 

In his introduction to the booklet, Julian Thomas, Master of Wellington College, answers the first question in terms of the ‘Wellington Identity’, as I did in my talk with our Sixth Form this week.  This consideration is particularly relevant for our students approaching graduation, because the ‘Wellington Identity’ defines the finished product of a Wellington education, in particular the skills and characteristics we want our students to have to equip them for the challenges and responsibilities of life in the 21st Century.  Our Identity is what we want Wellingtonians to be, and is expressed in terms of the following five inter-linked areas:

Inspired.
We want Wellingtonians to have been genuinely excited by everything they have done during their time at the College. They will have developed a zest for life so that they, in turn, go into the world ready and able to inspire others. This is the core pillar of the Wellington Identity.

Intellectual.
Wellingtonians must move into the world able to think critically and to engage in deep learning. They will be able to study beyond the bounds of any curriculum, to be inquisitive and ask questions of everything around them, and be imbued with a life-long love of learning.

Independent.
Wellingtonians will develop the personal, cognitive, social and study skills to enable them to cope with the challenges of university and their lives beyond. They will adapt, cope and thrive within an ever-changing world. This will be reflected in our academic curriculum, our co-curricular programme, our commitment to the coaching philosophy, and our continued focus of character development and leadership.

Individual.
The aim of a Wellington education is to allow students to develop themselves fully in every sense. The pastoral care and focus on student wellbeing at the College will value each and every student as a unique individual. The journey to individuality will also be reflected in the broad curricular and co-curricular opportunities, where every student discovers and develops fully their talents, passions and interests, knowing that interested children become interesting adults.

Inclusive.
Wellingtonians will leave the College, not in a bubble of elitism, privilege and exclusivity, but with the moral values and social conscience to serve others and do good in life. This inclusivity includes a strong pride in coeducation, a commitment to internationalism, and a service programme unrivalled in schools.
 
Next week I will expand on the second question addressed in this Wellington College publication, ‘What is the Wellington Community?’
 
With best wishes to all our Wellington families.
Michael Higgins,
Master