Goodbye, Mrs Woodridge
As I write this, the England football team is looking for a new manager. I know just the person for the job. Someone who is loyal and strong; inspiring and knowledgeable; fair and conscientious: someone who has a proven track record stretching back for 33 years.
This amazing person has made it her life’s purpose to nurture young people through the training camp of life. She is able to assess their strengths and develop their skills so that they are able to reach their full potential. Anyone who has ever worked as part of her team will testify to her exceptional ability as a leader; building confidence and skill in her colleagues and students, as well as being the glue that holds them all together.
Her team have always earned high praise. However, over the past two years, she has guided them to achieve greater feats than anyone ever dreamt were possible. Goal after goal after goal has exploded into the back of the net! Key players have come and gone but she, with her indomitable spirit, has stayed the course. Constantly adapting to new strategies, her motto has always been: “Our kids are good!” Her belief in them as individuals has always shone through. This is what makes her great. Surely you’ll now agree that she would be our best contender for the England manager’s job.
I have had the honour of working with Gill Woodridge for the past 16 years. She was the one who interviewed me as ‘a foreign transfer’ and later trusted me as her ‘Assistant Coach’. For this I will always be grateful. More than this though, I have gained a highly respected colleague and a dear friend.
I know that many of our parents reading this newsletter today will have been taught by ‘Mrs Woodridge’. I have been present at many parents’ evenings and events over the years where ex-students have taken great pleasure in renewing their acquaintance with their old English teacher. They always smile, laugh and enjoy sharing their precious memories with her: they bring their own children back to the school time and again because they know that she is the ‘Sir Alex Ferguson’ of Nova Hreod. Her present students are going to miss her, this goes without saying, but her legacy within the faculty is here to stay and to be built upon through generations to come. She may be tiny but her impact is immense!
Gill Woodridge is retiring at the end of this school year. This is a decision she has not taken lightly but it is the right time for Gill and her family. More than anyone I know, she deserves a long and happy retirement - a retirement free of the stresses and strains of work which enables her to enjoy some more of the relaxing times in warmer climes that she so enjoys. I am sure that students, colleagues, governors and staff, both past and present will join me in wishing Gill all the very best for her retirement.
We’ll miss you Gill.
Margaret Cornish
Deputy Faculty Leader: English
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