Alumnae events

One of the highlights of the alumnae calendar is our annual summer reunion of selected year groups. There are tours of the school, a picnic lunch provided by our catering team, and, of course, the opportunity to socialise and reminisce with fellow HelKats.

And every five years we have our Golden Anniversary reunion, when alumnae who left 50 years or more ago return from the four corners of the world to reminisce and rekindle old friendships.

For those who prefer a more personalised visit, our termly Tour and Tea offers a curated tour of the School and archives for up to 8 people. There is plenty of time to see familiar haunts such as Old School Hall and Chapel before finishing with tea in the Refectory.

The SHSK Society Professional Networking events are an opportunity for the alumnae community to forge new professional and social links through a series of sector-specific or theme-based events held in London, Oxford, or at the School itself.

In past years, networking events have been held for those working in the legal sector, STEMM, Education and Academia, Finance, Healthcare and Medicine, the Creative and Media industries and the Charity Sector. For each event we invite a panel of experts to speak and encourage both those who work within the sector and those who wish to learn more about it, to attend. We have also held events focusing on relevant themes such as ‘Women in Leadership’.

It is not only our older alumnae who can share their advice and wisdom, but our recent leavers too! Each year we ask our alumnae studying at university to come back to school in early July to share their recent experiences of their chosen university with our Lower Sixth, who are at that moment finalising their university choices.

One of the highlights of the year is our annual Old Girls’ Lacrosse match, at which teams of alumnae and current students compete for the Ottie Uden Memorial Trophy, in memory of Old Girl Ottie Uden (2014 leaver). HelKat spirit is always much in evidence at this hotly contested event, but so too is the love and support that our community show for each other.

St Kate’s Day is a landmark day in the year of St Helen and St Katharine. The whole day is given over to fun, fundraising and festivities, from singing the School hymn in the morning Eucharist service to the traditional thrashing of Abingdon School’s 1st XV rugby team in the annual St Helen’s versus Abingdon Lacrosse match. St Kate’s Day is such an important part of St Helen’s school life that alumnae from all over the world continue to join in once their school days are long over, raising a KitKat to current students and reminiscing over their own memories of St Kate’s Day. In recent years, St Kate’s Day celebrations have extended to socials in London for alumnae organised by the SHSK Society.

To celebrate the centenary of our lovely Chapel, we hosted a series of Dinners in Chapel for alumnae and former staff. The Chapel was atmospherically lit and beautifully dressed, thereby enabling the guests to enjoy a wonderful evening catching up with old friends over a delicious three-course meal provided by our catering team.

The SHSK Society events programme is always evolving to provide the best service to our alumnae community. When lockdown threatened our Professional Networking events, we launched SHSK Society Talks, a series of online talks from alumnae which proved to be popular with our alumnae community across the globe. Ideas and suggestions from alumnae are always welcome!