The current heidie of my old school has received an CBE in the New Years Honours list. Mary McLaughlin has championed the use of technology in the school, vocational training and community involvement among other things and the girls at Notre Dame gie it a fright.
“Mary, Mrs MCLAUGHLIN Headteacher, Notre Dame High School and Principal, Notre Dame New Learning Community, Glasgow. For
services to Education. (Bothwell, Lanarkshire)”
When I was leaving secondary, the woman known as Sadie was nominated for a BEM (British Empire Medal). Sadie was unarguably the most important person in the school, even the heidie wouldn’t argue. Trust me you wouldn’t want to experience the wrath of the Sadie. Sadie was the toilet warden and patrolled the mean streets of 1960’s green and white tiling, mop and Ajax in hand, stubbing out smoking (whilst nipping out for a fly puff herself), keeping a clean patch and served over a quarter of a century. That woman deserved a medal and By George I Think She Got It! So Sadie ya bam morphed to Sadie ya bem. And the most amazing beehive hairdo with never a hair out of place. Bet she scrubbed up well for Her Majesty. So from toilet cleaners to headteachers, when it comes to serving the country, Notre Dame’s bagged them all.
You can download the audio from Mary’s (and pupil) session at SETT 2005 – ICT in a Curriculum for Exellence
BBC NEWS | UK | The complete New Year Honours lists
Other Scottish women with honours: Dame Evelyn Glennie (percussionist) just about single-handedly created the role of touring soloist percussionist, Heather “the weather” Reid (BBC Scotland weather), uber-geek into Physics, science and helping kids and women to get interested in science and technology, she spends a lot of her off-screen time supporting these kinds of projects.
