Mrs Mowat and I are very pleased to be invited to contribute to the second edition of the ICOSA Newsletter.

During our many years as Principal and Vice-Principal from 1980 until our retirement in 1997, we came to know almost all of the students who came to International College during that period. We have good memories of you ~ of your parents, of your problems, and especially of your successes.
Now, most of the students we knew are no longer teenagers. You’ve grown up, you’ve been to university, you’ve got a career, many of you are married and have children. We’d like to know what you’ve done since you left Sherborne.

Some of you have kept in touch and it is always a pleasure for Mrs Mowat and myself to hear from you and to share your new experiences in life. But we also know that you like to know about what has been happening in Sherborne.

From 1977 to 1991 the International Study Centre was in Greenhill House where numbers grew from one student to over 60. In 1991 we were able to move to a new boarding house and new classrooms and laboratories at Newell Grange, about 300 metres from Greenhill House. Numbers continued to increase, new courses were introduced and finally, in 1996, a year before Mrs Mowat and I retired, we achieved an ambition which we had had for many many years ~ the Study Centre was able to accept girls and become co-educational.

Mrs Mowat and I retired from the Study Centre in 1997. Much had been achieved over 20 years but there was still room for further progress and we are delighted that Dr Greenfield has been determined to push forward the development of what is now called the International College. Student numbers have been maintained and examination results have continued to improve. We are also very pleased that Mr Hardaker is still with the College after almost 25 years. Our own early careers were very different; Mrs Mowat and I taught and managed several different types of school before finding one in which we were happy to continue for the last 20 years of our careers. Mr Hardaker was lucky enough to find, at the start of his teaching career, a school in which he has wished to continue until today. This continuity of experience is invaluable to the College and Mrs Mowat and I know very well the great importance of Mr Hardaker’s contribution to the education and welfare of hundreds of students over the years.
The College now has excellent boarding and classroom facilities and Mrs Mowat and I are proud that our efforts and leadership have helped to create these educational facilities. Our best memories of our many years as Principal and Vice- Principal are, however, of the very many friends we made who were our students and whom we helped in their education. We know that many of you have achieved success in your education and in your further careers, but we would like to know more about what you have done since leaving Sherborne, We would like to receive more information from you if you are a Civil Engineer in Hong Kong, a Travel Agent in Malaysia, a Government Minister in Spain, or a Medical Doctor in London, or whatever!

Please contact the ICOSA website address www.icosa.org At the time of writing, Mrs Mowat and I are about to leave England and move to a warmer climate in Spain. If you wish to contact us personally, our UK email address, ralph@mowat.co.uk will get you through to us.

Please get in touch. The ICOSA community of 20+ years can help you to make contact with your schoolmates in Sherborne. Maybe you shared a room with a boy at Greenhill many years ago. What’s he doing now? Is he married? What’s his career? Maybe he’s become King somewhere?

We look forward to hearing from you.

Ralph and Diane Mowat

Welcome to the second ICOSA
newsletter. First of all a big ‘Thank
You’ to those of you who have sent in
your details and registered. I have really
enjoyed reading the replies and catching
up with your progress. I must apologise
to those of you who have asked for
details of your friends. Unfortunately,
the Data Protection Act allows me to
reveal details only of those who have
registered.

We really need more of you to get
in touch. This is YOUR association. We
have all sorts of exciting ideas about reunions
and get-togethers, but we need
your help. If you have not yet registered,
please do so by faxing the form provided
or by e-mail. If you are in contact with
any other students please encourage
them to reply. This is why there are two
fax forms in this newsletter. Over the
years addresses change and we have so
far had over 60 newsletters returned.

The letters that have sometimes
accompanied the replies have been very
encouraging and for me, particularly
interesting, as although I have now
retired, I have been at the College with
most of you. I started in 1978 and in fact
have had a reply from someone who
was a student that year. Although we
were very small in the early days, there
are now nearly 1300 former students, so
PLEASE get in touch.
I look forward to hearing from you.

With best wishes

John Walters

When I wrote for the first edition of ICOSA, I listed some of the developments which had taken place during the past 25 years of the College’s – or International Study Centre’s – existence. Mr Walters has now asked me to write a little about some of the more recent developments.

Firstly I am pleased that there have been many developments since I took over as Principal from Ralph Mowat only five short years ago. It was daunting to take over responsibility at a time when the College had established a worldwide reputation for excellence. The College was already looking to the future. For example, plans had already been drawn up for the construction of a new classroom block on the Newell Grange campus.

In 1999, the planned threestorey classroom block was opened by the British former Ambassador to the United Nations, Sir John Weston. The block contained six fully equipped laboratories, six classrooms and an ICT (Computer) centre. Perhaps most importantly for the College was the large library, complete with computers (and full time librarian) on the ground floor of the block. The library is well patronised for reading books, magazines and newspapers every break, lunchtime and late afternoon. (The library closes at 6.00 p.m.) But the best used resource is the internet as eight students at a time email all over the world keeping in touch with friends and family.

Just a few months later in 1999 Westcott House, formerly used by Sherborne School, was transferred to the College. After substantial re-building work within the building, it opened in September 2000 to 40 female students of the College. Mrs Frances Walker was appointed as the first Housemistress at the College, and the House was staffed by resident Matron/Housekeeper, House Tutor and Graduate Resident Assistant.

The development for the girls made use of only part of Westcott House, however. A substantial 1960 building on the same site was left virtually unused until the College was able to refurbish it and open it in September this year as Grosvenor House, for junior boys aged 11 to 13. Mr Martin Broadbridge, who had previously been House Tutor at Cheapside; became the first Housemaster at Grosvenor, and all 18 places were filled in the very first year.

So the College starts its 26th year of existence with 122 students, (37 girls and 85 boys) and four boarding houses (Mswati House at Newell Grange, Cheapside, Westcott and Grosvenor). In January the College will also have the use of Cutlers near the centre of Sherborne, and we hope to have more than 130 students by the Summer Term. Recent Developments at the International College

Dr Christopher Greenfield

Principal