Valete
took netball in school to new heights. She motivated, inspired and encouraged girls and staff to get involved in netball, overseeing and organising league matches at all levels. Success followed, with the Senior team winning the Belfast Development League in 2010. It has become one of the most successful sports in the life of the school. On a personal note, her support, commitment and leadership in developing our Malawi partnership has been invaluable. She was part of the first team to visit Malawi and became a team leader over the past five years. Her organisation was meticulous as she invested so much time and energy in making the Malawi experience a memorable one for pupils. She has made a connection in Malawi that is very special.
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We thank Vera for all she has done for BRA and for the 23 years of service she has given, the School is in her debt. Vera is not retiring, that is just not in her nature. She has vitality and creativity to embark upon entirely new adventures. On her last day, having typically shown generosity in providing smiling-faced cupcakes for all the staff, Vera quoted from the Old Testament prophet Jeremiah, a prophet she had studied and taught at GCE A Level. She shared how a particular passage would now take on new meaning for her. The prophet spoke of the plans God had for his people as being plans that were good and promised a “ future and a hope”. We will miss her very much. We wish her well for all that lies ahead and look forward to hearing of the new adventures that she will undertake in the future. A.R.C.
C. Leyden A former pupil of Assumption Grammar School, Ballynahinch, and a graduate of Queen’s University, Mrs Claire Leyden was appointed to the staff of Belfast Royal Academy as Miss Hodgson in September 1982, joining the Modern Languages Department as a teacher of French and Spanish. Happily, she was to remain with us for 30 years. Mr Sillery, who was Headmaster at the time of Claire’s appointment, later identified her as “a strikingly successful, much admired teacher” and referred to her “warm, sympathetic and attractive personality”. It was these qualities of character along with her kindness, her concern for the individual and her gentle humour which endeared her to her colleagues and her pupils alike. The Modern Languages Department was the richer for her presence. In 1997 Claire became Senior Careers Advisor and in 2001 took up the post of Senior Subject Teacher
for Spanish. She devoted herself to both tasks with characteristic enthusiasm and dedication. As Careers Advisor she participated in the organisation of Work Experience and Careers events, conducted career guidance interviews with pupils and participated in the registration process. As Senior Subject Teacher for Spanish, Claire carried out her duties with exemplary efficiency, from looking after the Spanish Assistants to organising the internal Spanish examination papers. Claire was unfailingly enthusiastic in promoting Modern Languages and Spanish in particular within school, to which her presentations on subject choice evenings attested. She also involved herself wholeheartedly in the corporate life of the School, running the Girls’ Badminton Club and taking part in school trips abroad. As a classroom practitioner, Claire was exemplary. Her mastery of her subjects, her professionalism, her patient manner and her expertise were constantly in evidence. Conscientious, thorough and well-organised, she brought the French and Spanish languages to life within her classroom. Her ability to engage her pupils and bring out the best in them was impressive. A versatile teacher, she coached pupils for Oxbridge, but was also adept at teaching the full range of ability. She gained the respect and admiration of her pupils, some of whom, inspired to follow in her footsteps, have since become successful Modern Languages teachers in their own right. It is impossible to quantify Claire’s contribution to the Modern Languages Department over the years. Loyal and supportive, Claire was absolutely central to the Department personally and professionally, bringing wit and calm, good sense to the meetings, as well as sound judgement and wise advice. Always ready with a smile and a word of encouragement for her colleagues, she became a much-loved member of the Department and indeed of the staff as a whole. Claire will be much missed in the Modern Languages Department. Always an advocate of our department, her contribution to its smooth running over the years has been invaluable. She is a wonderful, warm person, one of the kindest and most genuine people you could meet. She has been a tower of strength. We will miss the sound of her light step and her high heels in the corridor, her fabulous dresses, her hug on the first day back each term and her humour, especially in our Tuesday meetings. It has truly been a privilege to work with her. To envisage our department without her has been well nigh impossible. Claire leaves with our deepest thanks and our warmest good wishes. As our former Headmaster, Mr. Young, would say, she will always be one of ours. S.M.C.