Tribute to Mary Meade
There was a fitting piece by the team at St Patrick’s NS in Slane about a wonderful teacher who sadly passed away recently. Mrs. Mary Meade was a former teacher and Deputy Principal at the school.
“Mary had been a past pupil of Monknewtown National School and she began teaching in St. Patrick’s National School, Slane in 1977. She remained here for almost forty years until her retirement. Mary was a kind, caring and compassionate teacher, and was very proud of her parish.
“It was her commitment to the children that she taught and cared for that set her apart as a teacher. Mary loved helping children to achieve milestones in their education, whether as a class or special education teacher. She championed those that needed additional support and recognised and nurtured the many talents that lay inside every child she came in contact with. Her commitment to the pastoral care of pupils was rightly noted in our school’s Department of Education Whole
School Evaluation in 2014. Mary also was a superb role model as a staff member and discharged her deputy principal duties with aplomb. She was a teacher, school leader and human being that everybody looked up to.
“Mary was also incredibly creative and brought her love of the arts, the environment and gardening to her work. She created a fantastic school garden in St. Patrick’s National School, long before it became fashionable to do so and was heavily involved in St. Patrick’s N.S. participation in the Green Schools programme. Most weeks she had a packet of seeds or an assortment of vegetables in her bag for pupils to plant. On one occasion, after harvesting vegetables, Mary was making soup with the children in the staff room when the condensation set off the fire alarm. It became known by the pupils as the “soup alarm” from then on.
“Mary retired from her position in St. Patrick’s National School in 2015 to spend more time with her family, including her children and grandchildren, of whom she was immensely proud. Her family attended the school assembly with staff and pupils to wish her well.”
Well said.