Kilgraston’s Mrs Saunders is retiring
It is with great sadness for us that Mrs Saunders has decided to retire after 26 years at Kilgraston. For all of us who have worked with her in either capacity as pupil or colleague, we all share this truly privileged position to have known her and witnessed the everyday acts that make her an astonishing educator and person.
She subverts all notions of the tired retiree needing to be put out to pasture. The perfect example of this was right at the end of last academic year when the teaching staff were exhausted from rounds of internal assessments yet Mrs Saunders was the epitome of creative power leading the entire school to transform glass square into an art installation that expressed our concerns about the climate emergency.
We will remember everything Mrs Saunders has said. All of it brilliant.
We will remember everything she did. All of it equally brilliant too.
But more than anything, we will remember how she made us feel.
Ms Hall, Kilgraston’s Head of English and friend of Mrs Saunders
A longer length version of this will appear in the next Cor Unum, our annual school magazine. which will be published later this year. Sign up to our mailing list here.
Subject Spotlight: English at Kilgraston
Ms Hall tells us more about: English at Kilgraston
English is a subject that has at its heart discussion; Kilgraston is the place that allows discussion to flourish with the girls assertively articulating their views in an environment that encourages full participation. It is a source of pride that we do not have quiet classrooms with passive listeners. Much of the discussion arises from the sparks that literature provides us with in abundance. Advanced Higher students have delighted in discussing class divisions, the position of women and the unconventional and aspirational hope for love in marriage following their close comparative study of ‘Far from the Madding Crowd’ and ‘Pride and Prejudice’. Higher students, as they do each year, relished the study of Tennesse Williams’ ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ with the conflict between two characters, representing two contrasting world views, inspiring much heated debate. Blanche, the central female character, is arguably one of the finest dramatic creations that ranks alongside the likes of Lady Macbeth, and she never fails to provoke powerful reactions in our girls.
The Lower and Upper Fifth girls similarly enjoy the discussion that arises from their study of ‘Of Mice and Men’. Curley’s wife’s character is always understood by the girls who feel the injustice of her treatment keenly. Likewise, the plight of all the characters leads to in-depth and enriching discussion on race, the futility of the American Dream during the Great Depression and the enduring power of friendship. ‘Journey’s End’ also leads to great interest in WWI and it is wonderful to see the girls using their knowledge gained from History to inform their understanding of this most poignant play. Other texts studied at National 5 include ‘Romeo and Juliet’ and Ms Hall’s favourite for the philosophical debate it provokes on the nature of humankind, ‘Lord of the Flies’.
Texts in the early years of the senior school are equally academic in their rigour with the likes of ‘Animal Farm’ and ‘The Merchant of Venice’ being studied. These are mighty texts that the girls derive great enjoyment from. Pleasure in reading is central to what the English department does. Subsequently we balance these classics with modern writing that is of the highest calibre and is simply brilliant to read. Upper fourth, many of whom were staunch ‘Non-readers’ at the beginning of the year, all read and loved the thrill of ‘Uncle Montague’s Tales of Terror’, wonderfully crafted short stories, written in an accessible gothic style. Lower fourth had the pleasure of Louis Sacher’s modern classic, ‘Holes’, a carefully crafted novel that plays with time and narrative perspective and yet remains a page-turner; it was eagerly devoured by the girls.
We are fortunate at Kilgraston to be able to be responsive to the reading needs of our girls. Our small classes enable us to know our pupils and their needs fully enabling us to choose texts that we know would be most suitable for them. We do love our classics and delight in making those texts accessible (many parents will certainly recognise a few that we study!) but we are not wedded to them; the needs of our girls come first and we take greater satisfaction in finding just the right text that will unlock that love of reading.
Ms Hall, Head of Kilgraston’s English Department
Biodiversity bonanza
Kilgraston’s Glass Square is right at the centre of the School, a corridor ’roundabout’ directing pupils and staff in several directions. What better place then to host a vast mural, depicting personal interpretations of images from nature, designed to highlight the inter-dependency of the planet’s lifeforms?
English teacher, Mrs Saunders, had the idea, asking every pupil and staff member to add their bit for the impressive installation, hoping to create something that would make David Attenborough proud, urging: “Let us fill the space by painting paradise with a biodiversity bonanza.”.
Covid restrictions limited numbers which could congregate at one time, however, a strict booking scheme ensured Junior, Senior, Sixth Form and all boarders had their chance with a brush: “It’s very therapeutic,” commented U6s Anna, “it makes you stop and think and really visualise how everything in the natural world is connected.”
The mural will be continually updated and, hopefully, available for visitors to see and enjoy in the not-too-distant future.
