On Friday 1st July, we celebrated Mrs Drummond, who has worked at Francis Holland, Regent’s Park for 35 years and is this year retiring.

Mrs Drummond joined FHS in 1981 as a full time member of the Physical Education department and quickly established herself as an enthusiastic, fun and energetic PE teacher who was loved by all she taught. She was an incredible asset to the school and taught all aspects of PE to all years, but her love of two areas was evident in the introduction of senior hockey teams and senior dance club.

Gym and Dance displays moved away from the traditional fencing, ballet and country dancing routines to exciting and expertly choreographed dances that Mrs Drummond did such as West Side story, the Voyage and the Mission. Part of the gym section was vaulting – a club that Sue has taken for 35 years and I have heard it say one of the most popular in the school Ā– with girls performing death defying vaults where they almost landed in the corridor!!

In addition to all this Sue has choreographed some imaginative and theatrically brilliant dances for school musicals such as South Pacific, Cabaret and Mrs OakleyĀ’s all time favourite Ā– a fantastic opening sequence for our 2005 production of Guys and dolls in which she had Bonnie Shearston leapfrogging over another girlĀ’s head. She always had a great understanding of what each piece needed and how to create theatrical effects with dance.

Mrs Drummond has been involved in life at FHS in many ways. She was the first Head of Year, and introduced Careers evenings, Lower Sixth taster days for the Upper Fifth, work experience and also set up afternoon registration. Also, she was one of the original Knapp house team back in the 80s, has been Mrs OakleyĀ’s and Miss TuckerĀ’s second lieutenant on ski trips and sports tours respectively and has been an enthusiastic staff member of the choir tours to Prague and St Petersburg

Finally, I would describe her as a fabulous disciplinarian Ā– girls always knew where they stood with her; she was firm but fair and girls always learnt from a brush with Mrs D.
Mrs Drummond went part time in 1998 and taught Biology as well as PE – her teaching of the menstrual cycle was unique!! She continued to be fully involved in the life of the school. Mrs Drummond has finally decided to ‘hang up her hockey stick’ after 35 years of outstanding service to the school. Colleagues marked her retirement with a party on Friday 1st July in the School Hall.
We all wish her a very long, happy and healthy retirement.