On Saturday 24th September Igor Korczagin (S95) together with other Polish OGs hosted this year’s Old Gregorian Polish Dinner in Warsaw.
The day began with a guided walking tour of Warsaw for the Head, Andrew Hobbs, his wife, Damaris, and Director of Development, Jessica Newman. The Old Town Market Place and St. John’s Cathedral were just two of the locations explored alongside the Staszic Palace, where Igor explained the first interviews for scholarships to Downside School were held in 1993. They were organised under patronage of the late prof. Paweł Czartoryski – a Polish historian and the founder of the Polish United World Colleges Committee.
Traditional Polish ‘pierogi’ were enjoyed for lunch before the party was joined by other OGs and their families for Holy Mass at the Church of the Gracious Mother of God. Fr. Grzegorz Walkiewicz celebrated mass with Jędrzej Kozak (R12) serving, concluding with the School Song.
Finally, a delicious supper was served at Enoteka Warszawska Restaurant. During supper, the Head provided an update on the School, noting the long-standing relationship Downside has with Poland, remarking that we have welcomed the largest number of scholars, 52, through the St John Paul II Scholarships and in cooperation with the Polish United World Colleges Committee (UWC) that coordinates a highly competitive selection process in Poland. Igor and Rafał Milczarski (S95) were the first two scholars to attend Downside through the UWC process and it was a pleasure to hear of their experiences alongside more recent scholars Julia Cebula (C20) and Gabriela Król (C18).
Our history with Poland and Polish alumni reaches far beyond the UWC programme, with one of the first pupils noted as Jan Gawroński, who joined Downside in 1904. Soon many other Polish boys have followed in his footsteps like Alfred Sapiecha, Władysław Żółtowski, Stefan Zamoyski and his two brothers Zdzisław and Władysław. The tradition now continues with new Polish girls and boys joining Downside School every year.
The Polish OG Dinner is a great opportunity to meet and strengthen the OG community in Poland. This year in attendance were Marek Niedużak (B00), Igor Korczagin (S95), Anna Kosińska (C10), Julia Cebula (C20), Rafał Milczarski (S95), Jędrzej Kozak (R12), Gabriela Król (C18), Tomasz Duda (B00) and Paweł Krzeczunowicz (B83). We hope to see more OGs (not only from Poland) next year.
