Patricia heads off with a song!
Castleton’s popular head teacher retires
There was a song and dance being made at Castleton Primary last month when the head teacher retired after a career mostly spent at the school.
Patricia Elborn, 58, said her farewell to the school in style, with staff and pupils performing songs from her favourite musical, The Sound Of Music.
Patricia started her career at the school in 1977, and later returned, after six years away, in 1989.
She has been head teacher at the school for the past 21 years.
She said: “Castleton has been a huge part of my life.
“It’s been an amazing last week and there’s been a lot of surprises, it’s been very emotional.
“It’s a privilege to be connected with the students and parents of this school and I want to say thank you to staff, pupils and parents who have been part of the school in the time I’ve been here.”
Patricia found it hard to pick out any individual highlights from her time at the school, pointing instead to the overall experience.
She said: “There have been so may highlights, from school performances to sporting achievements, and it’s fantastic being part of such an amazing team of people over the years.
“There have been tremendous changes to Castlemilk in that time, and to the school too.
“One of the biggest was leaving our old building, which we loved, and moving to the new building, which has provided a teaching experience for the 21st century.”
Several events were organised by staff to mark Patricia’s farewell.
And it was the singing of youngsters and staff that provided a stand-out moment.
She added: “I think one of the highlights was the children singing songs from Sound of Music , because it’s one of my favourite films.
“They did a lovely job and then the staff choir sang How Do You Solve A Problem Like Patricia?, which made me laugh - although not because of the singing, which was excellent!”
Now she is looking forward to having some time away from work.
She said: “I’ve actually not got much planned at the moment, I’m just looking forward to the next chapter in my life.
“But I’ll be keeping in touch with the teachers and finding out how everything at Castleton is going, because it’s been such a big part of my life.”