The CSOSA

Dear Combermerians:
May this letter find you in good health, and progressing well in your personal and professional endeavours. For those of you requiring support in these endeavours, we hope that you will embrace this opportunity to meaningfully engage your Old Scholars Association. May we all realize the investment potential from our association with Combermere School. This year, the Combermere School Old Scholars Association (CSOSA) intends to focus on, inter alia: encouraging our students, honouring our past and present staff, bridging the gap between graduation and employment for our recent graduates, and facilitating continuous learning among our alumni.

Encouraging Our Students
It has been said that people do not care how much you know, until they know how much you care. We care about our students and we plan to demonstrate our care by filling all available slots allotted to CSOSA for the annual Career Day, and the Combermere week of events. During Combermere week, we plan to have full participation in the sporting events, and expect that during the Thursday class room event, that at least one alumnus will be in each class room to encourage our students to aim high. We also plan to have alumni visit the extra-curricular organisations during the year to give our students further encouragement

Encouraging and Supporting Our Graduates
Graduating from secondary school can be a milestone filled with uncertainty about whether one is adequately prepared for the future. We intend to recognize our students transition from juvenile to adult by formally inducting them into the CSOSA where we will, inter alia, encourage them to assume responsibilities associated with adulthood. Past graduates who were not formally invited to join the CSOSA will be invited to participate in this inaugural event. In order to bridge the gap between graduation and employment, we propose to include a Graduate Guidance section on the CSOSA web site. This section will include information on resume writing, interviews, career choices, and an active discussion forum providing advice to new graduates from an employer's perspective. It is proposed that students and graduates from any school will be invited to participate and benefit from the information shared in this forum. Students who have invested in their development and have demonstrated exceptional potential should be tangibly encouraged. We plan to offer 15 graduates with annual scholarships of $15,000 each. This will require a $75 annual donation from 3,000 alumni. The scholarship will be used to assist students who are leaving Combermere in their future endeavours.

These endeavours can include, inter alia:
further academic study;
technical vocational training;
entertainment career;
sports career;
seed capital for entrepreneurial business.

Honouring Our Teachers
Teaching is a calling, and those who have responded to that call for over a decade deserve special recognition. We plan to honour our teachers, both past and present, for their commitment to investing in our lives. Formal events will be held at least annually to honour our teachers. We plan to provide 15 teachers with scholarships of $15,000 each. Retired teachers will be eligible since they taught us that learning is a lifelong journey. This will require a $75 annual donation from 3,000 Combermerians.

Continuous Learning
Ideas are powerful things. Ideas that are developed and critically reviewed can be incorporated into national policies. We plan to host debates and discussion sessions on national topical issues, and provide the resultant agreed position papers to the relevant authorities. We aim to host at least one session each quarter.

Miscellaneous Activities
During the year, we also plan to resume the Colours of Combermere concert, foster a closer relationship with the Board of management, and the New York and United Kingdom Associations, honour those who have achieved international acclaim, and of course, honour our Prime Minister. To successfully execute these plans, we need your participation. We have prepared a very brief survey form which is annexed to this letter. Please complete it and return it to our recording secretary as soon as possible. We encourage you to distribute this letter and accompanying survey to all Combermerians (current and past students, teachers, parents, and friends of Combermere).

We look forward to a good and productive year.

Up and On!

Combermere School Old Scholars Association
Grenville Phillips II
President