b'THE ELLESMERIAN Mrs Tina Cox has been with us for almost 14 years and in that time has developed the College netball provision to a very high standard.Her commitment and enthusiasm for the sport and 7its players has never been in doubt and the Colleges loss will certainly be Kings Schools gain. However, her replacement has every opportunity to build on the excellent foundations that she has developed. Tina has also been an active participant in various school tours, including to such exotic places as the Isle of Man. Through her links with Wrexham Netball she provided talent pathways for College students and ensured that there were national playing opportunities. On a personal level I will miss our conversations about football, even though she is a Tottenham Hotspur supporter. It has been fantastic to see the choir back in action, given that choral singing suffered so much during the Covid period.Staying with voices, the English Speaking Board resultsa really important skill in itself for preparation for future lifewere as excellent as ever.This term saw a tremendously positive CCF Biennial Inspection led by Colonel Richard Jones OE, who seemed greatly to enjoy his day, and I enjoyed my conversations with him about how Ellesmere has changed for the betterand I will return to that theme later.The Duke of Edinburghs Award scheme has now come back fully, with just under 50 Gold Award candidates beginning their journey this year, and 15 recent leavers attended Buckingham Palace in May to receive their Gold Awards.One part of my speech that must not change is anMrs Margaret Hutchings joined us in 2007, some 15 years ago.acknowledgement of people who have given great service to theIn her time at the College she has taught English at GCSE,College over a range of years, but who are now leaving us.at A Level, and as part of the International Baccalaureate, and led Mrs Valentina Frulloni joined the College on a one-year contract inand developed the Media Department. She has also been Arts the Mathematics Department. That contract has come to an endAward coordinator, taken three productions on tour to our and I am pleased that she has secured a full-time job at the Darlandpartner drama school in the United States, Tabor Academy, School. During her time at Ellesmere, Mrs Frulloni has settled in welledited the Ellesmerian Magazine for a number of years, and been with the Maths Department and become a popular and well- responsible for the production of the Ellesmere News integrated member of Common Room. She will not be too farnewsletter. Her warmth and support for her pupils, tutees, and away and I hope that she will keep in touch with us in the future.colleagues will be greatly missed and she leaves us with our very best wishes in her retirement. She will be staying in Ellesmere so we should be able to keep in touch.Mr Ian Roberts joined the PE Department as a very young teacher in 2006. We are actually saying goodbye to him a term late as he moved at Easter to be Head of Sport at a school in North Wales so that he could be closer to his family. In a recent farewell speech for him it was suggested that he had to leave because he had completed the Ellesmere experience. I think what is meant by that is that in his time with us he has been a teacher, a rugby coach, a football coach, master in charge of football (and his last season saw him complete his third unbeaten season of seven managing the first XI), and a cricket coach. He has also been a Housemaster of a competitive house and of a Mrs Sarah Shakibi has been with us for six years, joining us frompastoral house, St Cuthberts. He has also tutored across all an independent school in London. As Head of Computerthree sections of the school and been a significant contributor to Science she handled the transition from Information Technologythe social life of the common room through football, cricket, and to Computer Science (two quite different subjects in reality)tennis. I can see why it might be suggested that he had to leave very successfully indeed, and had a particularly strong trackbecause there were no further mountains to climb! I know he record in developing gifted Computer Science pupils. She alsomisses Ellesmere and Ellesmere certainly misses him, but it is contributed to life in girls boarding.great that we have stayed in touch.'