school year.

Mr. Rowell, who was appointed to Saltus in 1995, has accepted the post of principal of the British School in The Netherlands (BSN) from next September.

In a statement released yesterday, Mr. Rowell said: "I shall miss Saltus and Bermuda greatly.'' "Saltus is an excellent school in a strong and healthy position, and with a very bright future,'' he added. "I sincerely hope that I have made a lasting contribution to its continuing success.

"The whole Saltus family has made Gabi (my wife) and me very welcome and we shall always remember the special warmth of Bermuda.

"At the same time, it is an enormous privilege to be invited to lead the BSN.

It also allows us to be nearer to our families in Germany and England, especially our parents who are getting on in years.'' BSN, which was founded in 1935, has 1,600 pupils aged three to 18 and 1,100 part-time adult students from 66 different countries.

With a staff of 250, its serves the diplomatic community and international as well as commercial organisations such as the European Patent Office and Shell Oil at The Hague, seat of Dutch government and the International Courts of Justice.

Chairman of Saltus' Board of Trustees, James Amos, said while Mr. Rowell will be missed, he was certain that the veteran educator will "further enhance his highly successful career'' at BSN.

"We will be extremely sorry to lose Mr. Rowell at the end of this academic year in June, completing four outstanding productive years as headmaster at Saltus,'' Mr. Amos said.

"Mr. Rowell embodies all that one could ask for in a headmaster and more.

"He joined us with proven abilities and he leaves having significantly enhanced Saltus' reputation as a school that delivers a truly high-quality education. We hope he feels a great sense of accomplishment for his service at Saltus...'' Mr. Rowell's "successful'' Development Plan for Saltus will benefit the school in years to come, Mr. Amos added.

"We have made enormous strides in overall development of Saltus, notably the recent laptop computer programme, curriculum development and substantial enhancement to our physical plant,'' he said.

"We are privileged to have had the benefit of his (Mr. Rowell's) enormous physical and mental energy in applying his considerable leadership skills and style, that have ensured Saltus Grammar School will enter the next millennium as a truly world class school.'' The board of trustees are scheduled to meet on Friday to discuss the selection of Mr. Rowell's successor.

Trevor Rowell