Yellow tribute to loved teacher
A tide of yellow descended on the playground of Longwarry Primary School on Friday morning as the school community gathered to pay tribute to former teacher Cheryl McLeod who died on November 26.
Students and staff dressed in Cheryl’s favourite colour, yellow, to reflect on happy memories before descending on the playground where senior students released yellow balloons in a fitting tribute.
It was grades four, five and six that Cheryl taught at the school in recent times, but students both young and old shared many happy memories in assembly before gathering in the school yard.
Well-known in the Drouin and Longwarry communities, having taught at Longwarry Primary for 27 years, students remembered Cheryl as a bright and bubbly, kind person who always thought of others first.
Her love of the colour yellow, AFL team Essendon and competitive nature for school sports were also shared by students, along with her love of teaching mathematics and science.
Speaking at a packed funeral last Thursday, where hundreds of people were in attendance, school principal Paula Johnston said Cheryl had been a leader at the school.
“Cheryl was a trained maths and science specialist who shaped the curriculum and led teachers in planning to ensure that students were engaged and growing in their learning,” she said.
“There are young teachers here today, very close to Cheryl, who were mentored strongly by her over the past four years and they have become strong engaging teachers in their own right because they were schooled by Cheryl.
“Cheryl taught hundreds of students present and past, many of our current parents.
“When children describe her as their favourite, they are quick to give the reasons why.”