11 minute read
Staff Leavers
Andrea Thomas Audrey Lillywhite
Andrea Thomas has taught at AGS since 1995 and is retiring after 21 years teaching French and German in the Languages Department, and her departure does mark the end of something of an era
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in Languages at AGS. She deserves some kind of award for having had to tolerate the same Head of Department for 20 of those 21 years. Having spent a number of years living in France, she brought a wealth of knowledge and experience to the classroom. Though part time for most of her time at the school, she has always worked well beyond that, to ensure the success of her students over the years, who have gained enormously from her energy, commitment and determination to bring out the best in them.
The number of trips Andrea has given her time to are almost too numerous to mention, so a snapshot must suffice. There have, as I hope Andrea will recall, been many joyous moments to compensate for the stress of taking away 40+ teenagers to a foreign country. In the time of the Year 9 homestay visits, the pre-cursor of the current French Exchange, Andrea led a number of successful trips to Paris and has helped forge the relationships we now enjoy with our colleagues and partner schools in Bourg en Bresse. For many years she was part of the German team which took groups of Year 8 boys to Cologne and indeed on occasion, the German Exchange to Stuttgart and has accompanied the Year 8 French trip both when Parc Astérix was the destination and now the rural delights of Normandy.
During the period when AGS enjoyed Language Specialism funding, Andrea shared her language teaching expertise with a number of local primary schools and will no doubt have been pleased to see a number of those boys subsequently come and thrive here. We will miss Andrea as both a friend and a colleague and the school is losing a superb languages teacher. We wish her and her family every possible happiness for the future.
Mr T Crapper Audrey Lillywhite is leaving us after 14 years, having arrived here initially to teach a small amount of lower school
French. She has since established herself as an indispensable part of both the Languages and Classics departments. She has taught French, Spanish and Latin, and in addition has always been willing to embrace new ideas for the classroom. Her teaching is always characterised by kindness and a commitment to her students and a real enthusiasm for her subjects.
For many years Audrey has taken responsibility for the Year 8 French Trip, so will have been responsible for taking hundreds of boys to Paris, Parc Astérix and latterly, Normandy. On a number of occasions she has also helped accompany the French Exchange to Bourg en Bresse and help us forge those important links
with our partner schools. For a languages teacher, such trips are virtually part of the job description, but Audrey has always been willing to give of her time to other departments; the Lake District and other less exotic locations with the Geography Department, and to the not entirely undemanding Year 7 Residential.
Audrey has always shown a commitment to lifelong learning, and her desire to improve her subject knowledge when taking on new challenges has always impressed, giving up one weekend a half term to expand her knowledge of Latin. She stepped up to be the resident Classics expert on the Bay of Naples trip in a time of need, without having been before.
In addition to her teaching at AGS, in past years several local primary schools, needing to fulfil their requirement to teach a modern foreign language, benefitted from Audrey’s expertise as part of the school’s language specialism outreach. We will miss Audrey’s friendship and she will be missed in more than one department as a colleague, as well as by the small eco-system which is the staff room balcony. We do wish Audrey and her family every happiness as they prepare to move to Wales, back towards the Celtic fringes. Perhaps another language to master?
Mr T Crapper
Debra Hughes
Debra joined the Maths Department as a full time teacher in 2010 arriving with much energy and lots of ideas.
Her drive and enthusiasm soon saw her involved with the wider work of the department including preparing students for team maths challenges and trialling extension ideas for gifted and talented students.
She has since extended her attentions beyond the Maths Department acting as school Pupil Premium Champion for two years, to help remove any obstacles to maximising progress for all students both at AGS and in our local primary schools. This has included organising many AGS Year 12 students (along with AHS girls) in providing extension activities for primary pupils. In 2011 Debra took on the responsibility of mentoring trainee teachers in the department, a role she continued for six years showing great commitment to each and every trainee. She will have had a very positive influence over many aspiring Maths teachers; I am sure her input will have been much appreciated and her example hopefully replicated in some small measure.
Debra’s dedication and commitment to always doing the best for the students and trainee teachers in her care have been unwavering. Understandably, given her intense contribution she decided to become part-time for the last two years; she has now decided to leave in order to allow more time for family life and to enjoy the new foothold her family have found in Dorset.
Debra’s energy, enthusiasm, friendship and tenacious positive outlook will be missed by all, not least by all in the Maths team.
Mr C Smith
Eric Friar
Eric Friar joined AGS in June 2010 immediately after completing his science PGCE.
He brought with him not only a deep knowledge and interest in Chemistry, Biochemistry and Science in general but also wider experience of working in the world outside school including work for the Health and Safety Executive and working for and volunteering with agencies supporting ex-prisoners and the homeless.
During his time at AGS, in addition to delivering some excellent results with GCSE and A-level Chemistry classes and his work in KS3 science he was a Denson House tutor and accompanied numerous school visits. He has been a stalwart member of the school’s Health and Safety Committee and supported the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme. One of his legacies will be the huge three dimensional model of DNA he has assembled over the past year which has since been nicknamed….Eric!
He has an exciting year in prospect as he gets married during the summer and moves to Reading where he will be taking up a new Chemistry teaching post.
We send our very best wishes to him.
Dr C Gardner
Ann Goodin
Ann retired in October 2016 after 18 years of service to the school as a science
technician. Her most recent post was as Principal Physics Technician, a job which requires a high level of organisation and a wealth of interpersonal skills. Ann supported the department admirably through the huge science refurbishment project and through curriculum changes across key stages 4 and 5. As well as demonstrating her dedication to ensuring that students and teachers received the vital practical equipment required to efficiently resource learning, she also had time to be a good listener. I know that this is a quality that all members of the department appreciated.
We wished Ann a fond farewell in October as she moved into the next great adventure in life, namely retirement. She spoke of plans to spend a lot more time in the garden, however I believe that she has been too busy to let the grass grow beneath her feet.
Mr J Kemp
Rebecca Wilson
Rebecca Wilson joined AGS as Finance Manager in January
2012. She has overseen a complete change in the way the department works and its responsibilities. Gone are the countless envelopes containing cash and cheques for educational visits, the School is now almost completely cashless. We have new financial systems, an online School uniform shop and salaries are processed in School. Not content with just running the AGS Finance Department, she took on the finance and administration for The Buckinghamshire Grammar Schools and the Bucks Teaching School project. She gained a Business Management qualification and was promoted to Finance Director and the SLT in 2014. Rebecca enjoyed her lunchtime duties and interacting with the students. It was also a chance to increase the number of steps on her Fitbit, much to the annoyance of her deskbound colleagues who wanted to win the Workweek Hustle. Rebecca is a well respected member of staff, always calm, friendly and efficient, never too busy to deal with any problems. Her financial knowledge is vast and she always seems to have the answer to any question. She has enjoyed attending various cabaret evenings, School drama productions and plenty of lunches and dinners with colleagues.
While line managing the Premises Department we have seen some great changes in the fabric of the School. Refurbished squash courts and hall, new science labs, improved heating, a new library and sixth form area.
Rebecca leaves us to take up a post at the Royal Latin School where her daughter was a student, her son is about to enter the sixth form and hopefully her youngest son will join her there next year. There are big changes ahead with a new role, shorter commute and hours and her daughter going off to Plymouth to study medicine. Hopefully, she will be able to spend more time with her family at her parents’ holiday home in Polzeath. We wish Rebecca the very best for the future.
Mr M Sturgeon
Andy Barth
Andy Barth joined the Physics department in July 2009 and said his goodbyes in December
2016. A valued member of the department he worked hard to accomplish many of the tasks faced by a teacher, contributing to the implementation of new KS4 and KS5 courses. He was dedicated to his work and did all he could to maximise the achievements of his students. We thank him and wish him well in his retirement.
Mr J Kemp
Jean Alexander
Decorating, walking, reading, theatre going, travelling, socialising with friends and above all a wonderful grandma to her two grandchildren Zac and Ivy….how on earth did she ever find the time to work in our busy Finance Office?
For 17 years Jean was the ‘go to’ person in Finance, if you messed it up Jean would sort it out, if you forgot to complete a green order form Jean would sort it out, if you had a problem, of course Jean would sort it out! Forthright, yet brilliantly friendly, Jean was great to have around but did not suffer fools gladly as some certainly found out to their cost. An expert at ParentPay, ticket sales, MUFTI day collections and all things financial Jean was always there to make sure that things were right. Having worked with around seven Bursars/Business Managers over the years, she certainly proved that she could get on with people whatever their personality.
We will miss her terribly and hope that she misses us, just a little bit. Good luck Jeanie for the future and enjoy all those lovely days with your little ones.
Mrs V Kennedy
Lisa Rowland
Lisa Rowland joined Aylesbury Grammar School as a Food Technician school in September 2007 where she was very much involved in setting up the new Food Room
with all its equipment. We are most indebted to her for her positive approach to practical details in ensuring that all equipment was prepared for all practical lessons. She contributed valuable suggestions about the learning environment to ensure students learnt about the
resources and how to use them
effectively.
In 2012 Lisa changed roles to become a Senior Biology Technician. Lisa has ensured that students have
been provided with the apparatus, chemicals and specimens they needed to carry out practical work, so important to their understanding and enjoyment of Biology. She has supported the department superbly for the past 5 years with her organisational skills and can do approach. We were particularly grateful for all her help and advice when we moved the Department into the new Biology block which was opened in October 2015. Many of the design features of the new laboratories and preparation rooms incorporated suggestions by Lisa which means the facilities work so
effectively in practice. Lisa has also helped on a number of school trips. She leaves AGS to give more time to her family and we all wish her well.
