Welcome to our Kensington Relived Series where we chat to former Kensington School students. For our first interview of the series, meet former pupil, Cristian.
From his home office in Madrid, Cristian Conti '94 of Spanish and Swedish nationality, reminisces on his time at Kensington School. In his own words, "Kensington was my eighth and final school and by far the best one. It's given me lasting friendships, shaped my attitude and my expectation for the rest of my life. The beginning of those shapes starting at Kensington." Cristian is now a successful writer, working with the likes of Netflix, Disney and Amazon. He wrote Distrito Salvaje, a two season drama aired on Netflix.
We thoroughly enjoyed listening to him talk about his time at Kensington and touched at how highly he described his experience and time with us. It was moving to see him (virtually) reminisce on some of the best times of his life, spent within our walls and with our Kensington family.
A big thank you to Cristian for participating in the first episode of Kensington Relived.
It was relaxed but also demanding at the same time. It was the last school I went to and it was the only school I found where students wanted to do well. The student body wanted to perform, do well for themselves and for their teachers. The most unique thing that I always remember is that when teachers would ask who wanted to come in for a mock exam voluntarily, everyone in the class would raise their hand. It was almost uncool to be the person who didn’t want to come and do the exam. I think it began with the founder Mr Edward Paul Giles, who worked so hard and was so invested in the success of his own school but it was all linked to success of students. You felt you didn't want to let him or your teachers down. They worked hard and you could tell, that was unique.
The teachers, they were great. They were your support, your friends, your inspiration and your guidance. Aside from that, you stopped the academic studies at 2pm and had sports everyday till 4pm. That time and the idea that you could hang out with your friends at school but after school was special. We talked a lot, we didn't have mobile phones or anything, we would sit on the stairs and chat. Those 8-9 hours a week of just chatting to one another were great moments. Just talking about what we were going to do and where things were heading and what was going on in the world. You know it was just cool, that relaxed kind of approach, you felt trusted when the school would let you hang out on the premises for a few hours. There was no one checking on you and that gave us a sense of responsibility. Which was great, we felt a little bit grown up I guess because of the lack of strictness. There was almost a perfect combination of this relaxed approach but then when you had to bring it, you brought it.
Kensington is a school that teaches a nice mixture of common sense and ambition which ultimately led to responsibility over one's actions. You want to achieve and you apply yourself in an organised and coherent matter.
Absolutely, my core group of friends remains essentially the same as back then. Jaime, Duncan, Mateo, the 4 of us (see photograph below), with one other guy that's joined us since. We only see each other 2 or 3 times a year because we are all spread out across the country. We don't need more than that, we are best friends. We sit down and it's like not a day has gone by.
Mr Giles was the Headmaster and was a big figure, my favourite teacher was Mr Mason. Again, someone who left us to our own devices and trusted our intelligence and really felt for us when we didn't do what we could do. He taught History. He was one of us, kind and always on our side. There were some great teachers but this is one that stands out to me to this day.
Mr Langdon-Davies was another, he was really hard, but he was really good. In a different way to Mr Mason, he was direct and could be quite mean. Different strategies but both I remember with a lot of warmth. They loved their job (I think!) or they really felt it and were passionate about what they did; they took it seriously.
History, no doubt. I guess also English, I write in English and I'm a writer so go figure. I've always loved to write. I've never been a maths guy but I stuck with it to the end because of Mr Giles. I was a good overall student, good at languages. I really fell in love with Biology, I think it comes with writing to understand how things work, how things are they way they are, perspective.
Yes, O Level, GCSE and A Level when I was there. I went all the way to A Level maths even though I hated it! I guess I did it for Mr Giles, I wanted to do well for him. But it was useful and I ended up studying Economics at Uni which I always hated but I learned a lot from it.
It was relaxed but also demanding at the same time. It was the last school I went to and it was the only school I found where students wanted to do well.
University College London (UCL), to study Economics then went into investment banking, then I went into fund management and then to film production and now writing.
I write for netflix, apple, disney, amazon. My company produces film, series and documentaries, a popular Netflix series that we produced, one that you’ll know, is Narcos.
It equipped me with a sense of responsibility over my own actions, and confidence. Especially that first one, I've never really stopped to think about it but now you're asking... (Cristian pauses and ponders). As a parent you can tell your child not to drink or smoke, and if you absolutely prohibit it, it's probably what they'll end up doing. But if you allow them to come to their own conclusion, it's less likely what they’ll do.
Kensington is a school that teaches a nice mixture of common sense and ambition which ultimately led to responsibility over one's actions. You want to achieve and you apply yourself in an organised and coherent matter. You design that path, no-one designs it for you. It wasn't competitive or aggressive, it wasn't confiscatory, it wasn't about punishment, it was about common sense and responsibility.
Kensington was my eighth and final school and by far the best one. It's given me lasting friendships, shaped my attitude and my expectation for the rest of my life. The beginning of those shapes starting at Kensington.
Make the most of your time there. Don't expect anyone to map out your life for you but make the most of the opportunities that a committed, experienced faculty and positive environment give you.
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