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At one point when she did a lot of support lessons in maths, she was actually teaching 37 lessons a week as a parttimer. Enough was enough so she cut her hours by becoming full-time when the present Headmaster started.
Helen Barnett 1994-2012 Helen answered an advert in the local paper and was interviewed by Keith Hamflett in Lupton during the summer holidays two decades ago.
Helen remained part-time for her first decade here but this is a bit of a misnomer.
So many of her close colleagues, past and present, talk about her with great warmth and affection and she will be a loss to the Department and the School. We wish her and Bill a long and happy retirement. N Riley
Richard Stephens 1995-2012 Richard Stephens joined us from Wellington School, Somerset in 1995 as Assistant Director of Music, a position he held with great distinction. From the outset we knew we had appointed an immensely hard-working, passionately dedicated, loyal colleague. A sense of duty in every task undertaken for the School was a hallmark of the man. He was a Bromsgrovian through and through and one of his ancestors was a boy here in the 1880s. Musically an accomplished organist and piano accompanist, he ran brass groups, a Barber Shop choir, he was a member of Chapel Choir and the Orchestra. Richard played a vital role on music tours, an organist at Durham and Salzburg Cathedrals, and his crowning joy, in Bach’s church in Eisenach for Luther Day.
So to the Corps which he led with remarkable success for fifteen years. Weekly routines, Recruits Passing Out Parades, Biennial Inspections (with a host of distinguished visitors), Field Days, Ten Tors, Summer Camps, National Orienteering and First Aid Competitions (victorious at both), Nijmegan Marches, Iceland, Norway, Pyrenees – the opportunities for cadets were legion. Cadets attended a Buckingham Palace Garden Party; Kimmy Chak paraded before Her Majesty in the Royal Albert Hall last November representing thousands.
SENIOR BROMSGROVIAN 2012
She did a first term covering maths for Liz Langlands in 1992, then a second and third term covering for other staff. The following year, Helen was ideal to cover for another member of staff who travelled to Australia. She happened to mention in passing that her subsidiary subject while doing PGCE was science and so she ended up covering physics and chemistry for an absent Deputy Head. David Wilson asked her to carry on teaching some physics so Helen did that for two years alongside her part-time maths teaching.
Helen has given many fine years of service and enabled endless numbers of students to achieve their potential. Her results are consistently one of the best in the Mathematics Department and she has taught the full range of abilities from bottom set Lower Fourth to Sixth Form Further Maths. She has taught in four different departments and has been a long serving tutor in Thomas Cookes House.
Even after moving to lead CCF, his contribution to music continued, often playing in Chapel and for Jonathan Kingston a very reliable, invaluable helper. In Mathematics Mr Riley said “Really passionate about the subject”. A talented teacher, Further Maths teaching was inspirational and in Lecture Week there were erudite talks on Maths and Music, Countability and the size of Infinity. Richard dutifully served Wendron-Gordon throughout and as Assistant House Parent for seven years. Tony Johns and Duncan Langlands appreciated his great sense of loyalty and duty. His unfailing contribution to the pastoral care of the boys was outstanding.