RLS Alumni

Congratulations to all the student prize winners who will receive their book prizes at the annual Prize Giving this evening.
We are lucky to have a variety of books from past prize winners that have been donated to the RLS Archive over the years, including these beautiful examples from the early 1900s, when the school was still at the original site of the Chantry Chapel.

As we mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day, the history department has created a wonderful display to mark D-Day 80, and the Union Flag is flying at Brookfield to mark the occasion. We are also fortunate to have a small window into life at the Royal Latin on that fateful day, as Anthony Barr (Class of 1947) recently wrote this fascinating insight into school life during wartime & on 6th June 1944 in particular, which you can read here: http://bit.ly/4e8Dj74

We're thrilled to see that there are now 1,000 Old Latins with online profiles on RLS Connect! 🎉 Thinking of joining? It's quick and easy to do - just visit the site and sign up and set your preferences - to be as involved in the community as you wish. As a signed up member you can connect with other Old Latins, join groups, share stories, view online galleries and search for yourself in our expanding digital archives: https://rlsconnect.royallatin.org/

Old Latins, as members of the wider school community, as well as local community members are welcome to nominate (or be nominated) for these awards.

Do you know someone who has gone out of their way to help others? Is there someone in your family, school, business or community who is not only helping those around them, but also inspiring others to follow suit? As part of the Royal Latin’s commitment to the community, cemented with our 600th Anniversary Charter last year, and our inaugural Extraordinary People Awards in 2023 (presentation photos above) we’re inviting nominations from anyone from our school or local community for our Extraordinary People Awards in 2024. This year the five Award categories reflect the Royal Latin virtues of Integrity, Resilience, Respect, Courage and Compassion.
Nominations can be made between 13th May and 24th June, and awards presented by the Headteacher at the Royal Latin at a small presentation event on 9th October 2024. For more information, and to nominate someone you know, visit the
Extraordinary People Awards 2024 webpage
https://www.royallatin.org/extraordinary-people-awards-2024/

Awards were presented at the 2023 Extraordinary People Awards to (clockwise) Peter McNiven Hay, Ross Hockham, Mike Spencer-Jones, Penny Mason and Peter & Rosemary Frohock

Thank you to everyone who attended our annual Archive Day yesterday, Headteacher David Hudson's final Archive Day, during which he gave fond farewells to many Old Latins who he has got to know well over his 14-year headship. Archive material was on display in our newly-revamped Wagland Room and beyond, and Mr Hudson reflected on the past 14 years and led a tour of the school. John Hounslow (Class of 1970), author of the new history of the school, Latin Lives, presented Mr Hudson with tokens of appreciation on behalf of Old Latins, including a replica old-style scarf, with which he was thrilled. Read more and view a gallery of images from the afternoon on RLS Connect:
https://rlsconnect.royallatin.org/news/default-general/29/29-Archive-Day-

For those of you unable to attend our Archive Day tomorrow at school, don't forget that an increasing proportion of our archive is now also viewable and searchable online, with the latest batch of digitised items due to be uploaded in the coming week or two, if not sooner. If you have photos or material (either hard copy or digital) you'd like to share with other Old Latins, we'd love to hear from you, as we plan to keep on expanding both the physical and digital archive. You can view the online archive by clicking on the SDS tab on RLS Connect - our private online community for Old Latins. It's quick and easy to register:
https://rlsconnect.royallatin.org

We're looking forward to Archive Day a week today - Wednesday, 1st May 4pm-6pm in Rotherfield House - everyone welcome. We've refreshed the layout of the Archive Room, and we're looking forward to welcoming you back to see it. Headteacher David Hudson will be speaking at his last Archive Day about his 14 years at the helm before he retires in the summer, and there will be a chance to tour the site and hear about his favourite spots. There will also be tea and cake, of course, and the chance to catch up with old friends. Book your place here: https://rlsconnect.royallatin.org/event/archive-day-2024

A reminder that we will be hosting our annual Archive Day on Wednesday, 1st May (4.00pm-6.00pm) in Rotherfield House.
As always, this is a special day in our calendar where we invite Old Latins to join us to celebrate the heritage of our school and reunite with old friends. This year you will be able to delve into the archive in our newly-revamped Archive Room, with new display furniture, and our latest donations on display, and Headteacher David Hudson will be speaking at the event about his reflections on his 14-year headship of the Royal Latin, as he enters the final months before his retirement. You will also have the option to join a tour of the site which will incorporate David's favourite spots around the school.
If you would like to attend, please book your place via the link below, and feel free to email us at [email protected] with any queries.

Archive Day 2024 Join us in Rotherfield House and the Wagland Archive Room (4pm-6pm) for the chance to delve into the school archives in our newly-re-vamped Archive Room, meet up with old friends with a cup of tea and a slice of cake cake in a relaxed and welcoming environment, meet students and staff, and hear fro...

As we reach the end of another busy term, the traditional whole-school assembly has taken place this afternoon, the last whole-school assembly for our Year 13s (Upper Sixth) and we can report that NEWTON are in the lead so far with house points for 2023/24, and with the most house points earned this term!

In other news - did you know that we send out monthly bulletins to alumni on our mailing list, full of alumni-related events and reunion news and more (as well as our Latin Life e-magazine twice a year)? If you'd like to receive our regular news updates, hop over to https://rlsconnect.royallatin.org/ to join.

Wishing you a very Happy Easter from everyone at the Royal Latin!

Alumni are warmly invited to attend our annual House Music competition at Aylesbury Waterside Theatre on 7th February. Come along and support your old House. Tickets are available to purchase here: https://www.atgtickets.com/shows/royal-latin-school/aylesbury-waterside-theatre/

As the final week of the term draws to a close, with Christmas dinners eaten, secret santa presents swapped, and carols sung at our annual service, we would like to wish all alumni and their families a very happy and peaceful Christmas. We'd also like to share a special Christmas message from Headteacher, David Hudson, as we look back and reflect on our special anniversary year. The message includes a short two-minute video commissioned specially for the anniversary, featuring Old Latin historian and author, Dan Jones. Do take a few minutes to look back at our 600th year at the Royal Latin and watch the video: https://www.royallatin.org/christmas-message-2023/

*Can we reach 1,000 members of RLS Connect for Christmas?*
As we come to the end of our special 600th anniversary year, we're so pleased to be in touch with more Old Latins than ever and to have helped to connect more Old Latins with each other, with nearly 900 members with online profiles on our new online private community for Old latins - RLS Connect. It would be wonderful to get to 1,000 before 2023 is out! Join up today to get access to news stories, galleries of events, year group clubs, our new and growing digital archive, connect with fellow members and more. Use the link below to join up, and if you are already a member you can invite other Old Latins through the 'Invite friends' button at the top of the homepage once logged in:

Home Royal Latin School RLS Connect Alumni networking platform

The final panelist to introduce, for our 'Evening with Inspirational Women in Leadership' on 14th November, is Virginia Sentance MBE (Class of 2009):

Virginia is currently Deputy Director at the HM Treasury, and before that was Chief of Staff for the UK COP26 presidency team, when the UK hosted the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26), the UN's annual climate change summit, in Glasgow in 2021. Prior to this, Virginia was an international economist for the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and HM Treasury ministry, focusing on a number of international finance issues including G7, G20 and the IMF, financial services, economic security, and trade. In 2022 Virginia was awarded an MBE in the late Her Majesty the Queen’s Birthday Honours list for her role in delivering the UK's COP26 Presidency and tackling climate change.�

We hope to see you on Tuesday to hear from Virginia and all our panelists, if you can make it, for our final 600th anniversary event for 2023. Book your tickets (free of charge) at: https://rlsconnect.royallatin.org/event/inspirational-women

The fifth person we'd like to introduce in our line-up of six panelists for our 600th anniversary event: 'An Evening with Royal Latin Women in Leadership', is Lakechia Jeanne MPH (Class of 2014).

Lakechia is a multi-award winning scientist-founder for the social initiative: 'Girls in Science'. She is also an economic development officer at Milton Keynes City Council for inward investment, and a non-executive board member for the national housing association CDS co-operatives. Within the first five years of her career, she won five awards, and her political projects have been recognised nationally by the UK Government.

Hear more from Lakechia in person next Tuesday, 14th November - book your tickets here:
https://rlsconnect.royallatin.org/event/inspirational-women

The fourth Old Latin we'd like to introduce, as one of our six panelists for our next 600th anniversary event: 'An Evening with Inspirational Royal Latin Women in Leadership', is Dame Shan Morgan (Class of 1973):

Shan is currently Chair of the Royal Devon University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, and, between 2017 and 2021, worked as the Welsh Government's Permanent Secretary leading the Welsh Government civil service in delivering the priorities of ministers, accountable for a budget of £17 billion. Her career has spanned a wide range of roles in the civil service and diplomatic service, including as the counsellor responsible for social, environmental and regional affairs for the UK representation in Brussels, Director, European Union in the Foreign Office, responsible for negotiations on the Lisbon Treaty and leading the UK parliamentary process of ratification, and HM Ambassador to Argentina and Paraguay from 2008-2012. She returned to UKRep, Brussels, as Deputy Permanent Representative in 2012, representing the UK on the Committee of Permanent Representatives of the Member States (COREPER I). Shan was responsible for leading negotiations across a wide range of subject areas including climate change, environment, energy, fisheries, social affairs, health, transport, and other single market issues.

To hear Shan reflect on her life and career since her days at the Royal Latin, book your (free) tickets here:
https://rlsconnect.royallatin.org/event/inspirational-women

To end the week, we'd like to feature the next of our six inspirational female Old Latins to be part of the panel at our 'Evening with Inspirational Royal Latin Women in Leadership' on 14th November - Sarah Deaves (Class of 1980):

Sarah has had a long career in banking and particularly extensive experience in wealth management, leading regulated financial planning firms and holding senior leadership positions in a range of major wealth management businesses in the UK. She is a customer champion with a particular focus on leading client-facing teams and delivering client experience. Sarah was appointed to her first iNED as Chair of Hottinger Group in July 2023, and took up a new role at abrdn as Managing Director, Head of Financial Planning in 2022, gaining the FT Non-Executive Director Diploma in the same year. Previous roles include senior positions at Schroders Personal Wealth, Lloyds Banking Group and RBS, and for 7 years Sarah was the first female chief executive of Coutts & Co, the UK’s leading private bank. She started her career in NatWest, undertaking a wide range of roles in head office, marketing and general retail banking & lending.

Hear Sarah share her thoughts on her career path, and what she learned along the way, together with what the Royal Latin means to her, by joining us for what should be a fascinating evening.

Watch this space next week to learn more about the remaining three inspirational women on the panel, and book your (free) tickets for the event here: https://rlsconnect.royallatin.org/event/inspirational-women

The second of our six Old Latin panelists for our 'Evening with Inspirational Women in Leadership' on 14th November we would like to introduce is Commodore Alison Hofman RRC KHNS MA MSc QARNNS (Class of 1989):

Alison is currently Head of the Royal Navy Medical Service. She is a career military nurse with extensive operational experience in clinical and healthcare leadership and management roles, completing operational tours of Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan, and also has NHS experience with clinical postings to Portsmouth, Plymouth and Birmingham. She was awarded the Associate Royal Red Cross and Royal Red Cross in the New Years’ Honours list 2007 and Operational Honours List Sep 2009 respectively. In May 2022 she was appointed Honorary Nursing Sister to Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and is honoured to retain the position in service of His Majesty the King. In addition to her military responsibilities, she is an active volunteer trustee of the Florence Nightingale Museum in London.

To hear Alison share more about her career and how her days at the Royal Latin helped to shape her into the person she is today, book your tickets here: https://rlsconnect.royallatin.org/event/inspirational-women

Our upcoming 600th anniversary event - 'An Evening with Inspirational Royal Latin Women in Leadership' on 14th November will include six Old Latins who attended RLS from the 1970s to the 2000s, and we'd like to introduce all six individually over the next few days, starting with Sam Tatlow MBE:

Sam (Class of 2005) is currently Creative Diversity Partner at ITV, working closely with producers and the commissioning teams to ensure a diverse and inclusive team is involved for ITV commissions. Sam also chairs the board of trustees of the UK's first disabled-led theatre company, the Graeae Theatre Company, and sits on Disability Advisory Groups for BAFTA and the BFI. In 2021 Sam was listed in the Shaw Trust's Power 100, the list of the top 100 most influential Disabled people in the UK, and in June 2022 was awarded an MBE for her services to Disabled People in the Queen's Birthday Honours list.

To book a seat at the event at the Royal Latin and hear Sam reflect on her career, and the influence her time at the Latin had on her life after school, visit the event booking page here: https://rlsconnect.royallatin.org/event/inspirational-women

The final event in our 600th anniversary calendar takes place on Tuesday 14th November, 6.30pm. Join us in the Discovery Centre at the Royal Latin School for a fascinating evening in conversation with some of the Royal Latin’s most dynamic and successful female leaders. Our panel includes Old Latins who’ve led the way in media, the diplomatic and civil service, STEM education, wealth management, and in the Royal Navy. Come along to hear their stories, reflections, and the lessons they wish they’d learned sooner, as well as their reflections on how the Royal Latin helped to shape the person they are today. Our panelists will include:
*Dame Shan Morgan DCMG, Chair of the Royal Devon NHS Trust and former Head of the Civil Service of the Welsh Government
*Lakechia Jeanne, Biomedical Scientist; Founder of Girls in Science
*Commodore Alison Hofman RRC KHNS Royal Navy. Head of Navy Healthcare and Head of the Royal Navy Medical Service
*Sam Tatlow MBE, Creative Diversity Partner, ITV
*Virginia Sentance MBE, Deputy Director International Policy, HM Treasury
*Sarah Deaves, Head of Financial Planning and Personal Wealth for ABDRN
This event is free to attend, but booking is required. To book your tickets visit: https://rlsconnect.royallatin.org/event/inspirational-women
Email [email protected] with any queries.

Thank you to everyone who attended our Alumni Autumn Reunion on Saturday, the last of our 600th Anniversary Reunion Days. We welcomed attendees from the 1940s to the 2010s, with a large 1970s contingent included! Special thanks go to those who travelled long distances to return to school, and to those who wore their school ties (of various designs through the decades!) The sun shone down on us for the majority of the afternoon, until we were treated to rainbows right at the end of the day. It was wonderful to see everyone. To view the full gallery of photos log on to RLS Connect: https://rlsconnect.royallatin.org/

We're looking forward to our final 2023 reunion event for alumni to mark our 600th anniversary - our Autumn Reunion on Saturday 14th October (2pm-5pm). We'd love to see you back at school - either on your own, with family members, or with a gang of old school friends. Register here to book your place: https://rlsconnect.royallatin.org/event/autumn-reunion

*GOLD GALA BALL ADVERTISING OPPORTUNITY*
Calling all Old Latins in our local business community or beyond - would you like to be part of our pinnacle 600th anniversary 2023 event? We’d like to offer you the opportunity to take centre-stage at at the Gold Gala Ball, incorporating our Extraordinary People Awards, and attended by 400 guests including current and former parents, alumni, business partners and VIPs. Full colour adverts start at £250 in our full-colour A4 gloss commemorative programme. Click here to find out more and to book your space: https://www.royallatin.org/goldgalaball2023/

It's the end of another busy school year at the Royal Latin. Some emotional farewell speeches were made by staff leavers in the Headteacher's Garden at Brookfield at lunchtime ('Once a Latin always a Latin), and Newton won the 2022/23 House Cup, presented at the end-of-year whole school assembly this afternoon. Staff and students have all now set off for a well-earned summer break. We hope you all enjoy a wonderful summer, and we look forward to updating you on the latest Latin news in September.

**EXTRA TICKETS AVAILABLE**

Due to the generosity of one of our sponsors, we are able to offer a limited quantity of extra tickets at our special Gold Gala Ball in September. If you missed out and would like to join us with friends or family, please send an email asap to Jo Ballantine at [email protected] to find out more.

To all our guests attending the 600th Anniversary Gold Gala Ball on 30th September - information about dietary requirements and wine pre-orders was sent out over the weekend by email, please take a look and reply by Friday 14th July!

Also. We may have a few tickets available if you know anyone still interested in joining us. Please get in touch to [email protected] to let us know and we will try our best to squeeze you in.

Today is Sports Day. Competing students (and staff!) will be warming up soon for this afternoon's main track events, where they will be cheered on by fellow staff and students from Barton, Denton, Newton, Verney, Ruding and Stratton. Here are a few archive clips and pics from Sports Days past to get us into the spirit. You can browse a variety of Sports Day programmes, as well as photos we have added so far (more material to be added over the coming months) in the online archive on the 'SDS Archive' tab by in RLS Connect: https://rlsconnect.royallatin.org/home.

Happy Founders Day! In our 600th anniversary year this is a particularly special one. To honour a tradition going back as long as we all remember, students walked down to Buckingham Parish Church this morning for a service to remember our Founders. Then, this afternoon, lessons will finish half an hour early so that all students and staff can gather outside together to enjoy cakes AND a special flypast over the school (weather-permitting) by the RAF's Red Arrows at 3.27pm - so if you live locally watch the skies (they are approaching from the north)!

As an Old Latin you can get involved today too by visiting our new virtual timeline, launched today to mark 600 years since the founding of the school: https://www.royallatin.org/royal-latin-school-history, and, if you're unable to get to the Royal Latin in 2023 to sign our physical 2023 Visitors' Book, you can sign our new virtual Visitors' Book here: https://www.royallatin.org/visitorbook/

We'll share a gallery of photos from all our Founders' Day activities today in due course.

Know someone interested in bird watching and wildlife and living close enough to attend our Go Wild At The Latin evening this Thursday? All welcome, all ages!

Meet outside Brookfield Lodge at 6pm followed by interactive talks and demonstrations in the Discovery Centre.

Reserve free tickets here: https://rlsconnect.royallatin.org/event/go-wild-at-the-latin-pre-event