Distinguished scientists addresses graduates

Old boy Dr Kypros Nicolaides returns to English School where building named after him

English school leavers “will always be proud” to have studied there, alumnus and foetal medicine professor Dr Kypros Nicolaides said during his speech at the school’s recent graduation ceremony.

A total of 154 students graduated from the English School this year, at a ceremony on June 25. Apart from Dr Nicolaides, the new graduates were addressed by headmaster David Lambon, Chairman of the Board of Management Charalambos Iosephides and Minister of Finance Constantinos Petrides.

Iosephides wished graduates “the very best of success and happiness.

“I am confident that the lessons you were taught at the English School, both academic and non-academic, have given you the tools to become respectful, respectable, and free-thinking citizens, and given you the confidence to hold your own in the new world into which you are now venturing”.

For his part, Lambon said: “For all of us, graduation is both a time of reflection and of eager anticipation for the exciting opportunities that our graduates will embrace in the coming years”.

Welcoming Dr Kypros Nicolaides “home”, Lambon then touched upon the distinguished alumnus’ journey from being a boarder at the English School to professor of foetal medicine at King’s College Hospital in London. “His personal journey […] is one of commitment, compassion, and leadership”, he said.

Addressing the graduating class, Dr Nicolaides, applauded their resilience and dedication.

“I congratulate you for reaching this wonderful milestone in your life, especially so during the Covid pandemic, which may well have been one of the most difficult periods in a lifetime”.

Having returned to his alma mater over 50 years after his own graduation in 1970, the alumnus also emphasised the enduring bond carried them post-graduation. “However many years pass, wherever you happen to be, you will always be proud to have studied at the English School,” he said, referring to the English School as one of the best schools in the world.

Earlier in the day, the school’s Science Building was officially named in honour of the revered English School graduate, during a brief ceremony in which he was warmly applauded by the school’s science teachers and the Board of Management to Coldplay’s The Scientist.

This is the first time that a building has been named in honour of a former student.

Petrides too noted how the English School stands apart in terms of the skills and resources it offers, enabling its students to utilise their full potential. “You should be proud of being part of this family, the English School Family,” the minister said.   

Founded in 1900, the English School began with 13 pupils but rapidly grew to become a leading English medium school in Cyprus, drawing its students from a range of cultural communities both locally and abroad.