Damiano Pietroni
“What made the NSR so special was that it was a tight knit community, with small classes in which students got to really know each other.”
NSR Stories
When were you at school?
I attended the New School from 1991 to 2003 – starting in nursery and going all the way to year nine.
Favourite NSR memory?
Playing football in the football court. What made it especially fun was that were no limits to how many people would play on each side, meaning there often were over ten people per side on a court that was intended for five per side. The end result was we all developed very strong dribbling skills. Also – on the same note, playing on the red circle was enjoyable.
What do you do now?
I work in technology consulting in the Middle East, across the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, and few other countries. Before that I spent twelve years in the UK – doing similar work.
What does the school mean to you?
I recall the NSR as a happy place, where both students and teachers worked together to make the experience as enjoyable and useful as possible. What made the NSR so special was that it was a tight knit community, with small classes in which students got to really know each other. Furthermore, the fact that school lasted to 15:30, and was often followed by other activities, meant that it really did play a big part in the life of students.
What life lessons have you learnt at the school that still help you today?
The ability to effectively interact with people from different cultures and backgrounds. Growing up, this was a constant at the NSR; in my class alone there were students from Italy, the UK, the US, Australia, Pakistan, Sri-Lanka, Canada, Argentina, and Nigeria. Furthermore, some students were long-term residents of Rome, whereas some others were there for a limited number of years. Getting to see so many different cultures early on meant that moving to the UK, and then the UAE was a breeze in terms of cultural adaptation.