We invite you to come together on Saturday 12 June to honour a titan of UWC
This special event of conversation and music unites UWC Atlantic, UWC Adriatic and UWC Mostar in tribute to David’s enduring influence on the lives of so many – past, present and future.
David Sutcliffe’s career took off as a young modern languages teacher at Salem School in Germany, where he first met Kurt Hahn. After four years at Salem and one year at Gordonstoun, he became a founding staff member at UWC Atlantic, where he was heavily involved in the college’s historic role in sea-rescue services, and helped create an audacious and radical curriculum blazing the trail for the International Baccalaureate.
In 1982, after 13 years at the helm in Wales, David left the coast of Wales, for the coast of Duino, near Trieste, as founding headmaster at UWC Adriatic. On arrival there was a major problem – the school was not ready for occupation. With characteristic resilience he set up a makeshift campus at a nearby hotel for the opening year.
That resilience came to the fore once again when, after 19 years at UWC Adriatic, David “retired” and then grasped the opportunity to focus on a new kind of UWC in Bosnia where he saw that the recovery from war was slow.
He later co-founded the UWC-IB Initiative in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which set up UWC Mostar in 2006. The college, with its emphasis on conflict and post-conflict countries, thrived with students from the three main ethnic groups in Bosnia uniting with international students.
The true extent of his achievements during his career are chronicled in the book ‘David Sutcliffe: Pioneer of International Education. His Life, His Words and His Legacy’ which is officially launched at this celebration.
There is a distinguished panel of speakers, hosted by New York Times journalist Katrin Bennhold (UWC USA), promising inspiring anecdotes with poignant yet uplifting musical interludes.
Speakers
Intermezzo performers
We will be joined by Elisabeth Sutcliffe, David’s widow.
The event will last around 90 minutes. If you do not wish to be featured in the recording, you’ll also be able to view it live via Facebook where it will be simultaneously live streamed on several UWC channels.
