erudite teacher . Simon was also a Sixth Form tutor for many years , with his tutees flourishing under his care and attention .
When Simon came to Sevenoaks , he swiftly made big changes to the Classics curriculum here , increasing access to the subjects on offer by adding Classical Civilisation as a GCSE subject , and making it possible for more students to study GCSE Greek with the introduction of the combined ‘ Gratin ’ set . Simon also helped launch the VSU Minimus Project in local primary schools . These changes show Simon ’ s commitment to Classics and his belief in its continuing educational value for all . He also contributed to VSU as the much-loved minibus driver for the elderly who came to school for the Thursday Club . Many of the old ladies regarded their drives with Simon as a highlight of their week !
Simon also led many trips for students to the Bay of Naples , Rome and Greece . All of us on these trips benefited both from Simon ’ s wonderful knowledge of the sites we visited , and his ability to boom these nuggets of wisdom to the assembled party . Many a time we watched as neighbouring tourists gathered nearer to benefit from Simon ’ s expertise .
SIMON CARR
Many students have enjoyed the benefit of a classical education at Sevenoaks , either under Simon ’ s aegis as Head of the Classics department from 2003 to 2012 , or in his classroom . Many will have fond memories of Simon ’ s main classroom , M7 : his wonderful book collection , ceiling-scraping stacks of paper , and the regular arrival of a cup of coffee delivered by ‘ Ganymede ’. ( For Simon ’ s mystified students , I can now reveal that it was the department barista , Phil de May , who would leave the coffee outside Simon ’ s door , rather than Jupiter ’ s cup bearer – as he claimed !)
Aside from these distractions , students benefited from Simon ’ s encyclopaedic knowledge of the classical world , being a true academic , and a most
Simon ’ s favourite time of year must be the Summer term . Not only is it his birthday in June , with ice creams all round for whichever lucky class he is seeing that day , but of course it is also time for the cricket season . Simon has enjoyed accompanying the 1st XI , on tour , but mostly in scoring for the team , and I understand the books he keeps are the most beautiful you may see , with his calligraphic hand and assortment of coloured pens .
Simon will be greatly missed by us all , especially in the Classics department . It will be a much quieter place , and we will miss his joviality and academic generosity . However , we wish Simon much love and all the best for his new chapter – retiring to Spain , and being with his wife , Marta .
Helen de May
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