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School News
Thursday 28th January 2010
Del Anderson Memorial Prayers
Maddie and Issy next to a portrait of their great-grandmother, Mrs Anderson
We were delighted to welcome Governors to our Del Anderson Prayers last Monday. This annual event in the school calendar celebrates the life of Mrs Anderson, Headmistress from 1948 to 1981 and Principal, (with Mr Anderson from 1948 to 1974) from 1948 to 1999. The service is always scheduled to take place as close to her birthday, January 28th, as possible. The girls in UpperSchool always enjoy learning more about Mrs Anderson and the sweet that is given to all the children at break time in her memory is always gratefully received!
Mrs Anderson’s granddaughter, Mrs Belinda Avery, spoke to the girls in Upper School about her grandmother’s life and interests. It was very interesting to learn that Mrs Anderson met her husband, Robert Anderson, when they were travelling back to England on a boat from Argentina. Mrs Anderson had been recovering from diphtheria and Mr Anderson was returning from a teaching post in Buenos Aires. In 1948 Mr and Mrs Anderson moved to Beaconsfield and purchased High March School. Over the years, High March has grown into the happy and vibrant school that it is today and lives up to the motto introduced by Mr. and Mrs. Anderson of “Kindness and Friendship is the rule”.
Mr Anderson taught Latin and Mathematics, but Mrs Anderson’s great love was poetry. This is why we now have two scholarships – an academic one in memory of Mr Anderson and a Poetry Scholarship in memory of Mrs Anderson. Two particular facts that the girls enjoyed hearing were that Mrs Anderson’s dog was called “Sonnet” and her cat was called “William” because of her passion for the works of William Shakespeare. To celebrate Mrs Anderson’s fondness for poetry, Mrs Clifford read “Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening” by Robert Frost, a poem which has recently been voted the Nation’s favourite.
As well as singing Mrs and Mrs Anderson’s favourite hymns, “Morning Has Broken” and “He Who Would Valiant Be”, the girls enjoyed two performances by Mrs Anderson’s great granddaughters, Issy Avery and Maddie Chapples. Maddie’s delivery of “Amazing Grace” by John Newton was very moving and Issy’s performance of an extract from “Maddy Alone” by Pamela Browne showed great empathy with the character. Mrs Anderson would have been proud of both her great granddaughters!