Retiring principal Mary thanks everyone for making her feel part of the community

AFTER 13 years as principal of St Anne’s Primary School in Fettercairn, and 15 years as a teacher in the school before that, Mary Cullen is now looking forward to commencing her retirement.

Ms Cullen’s retirement, and the retirement of the school’s longest serving SNA, Carmel Donnelly, was marked with a surprise concert and presentation at a school assembly last Friday.

Staff and pupils had diligently prepared for the day, which included a performance of an Abba medley, and managed to keep it under wraps until the big day.

The children, from junior infants all the way up to sixth class, gave presentations about the impact the two retiring members of staff had on them, and bouquets of flowers were presented to them.

When talking to The Echo on Monday morning, Ms Cullen reflected on her first impression of St Anne’s when she walked through the doors 28 years ago on a temporary teaching contract.

“Everybody was so welcoming from the start,” she said. “When I went home that evening, I remember thinking, ‘Was that really my first day?’

“I’d been subbing in other schools before that, but I never got that sense of belonging in other schools.”

That sense of belonging continued throughout Ms Cullen’s almost three decades in the school, and led her to become principal – which she never could’ve foreseen when she started in the school.

“Never for a second would I have ever dreamt of becoming a principal then,” she said. “All I was hoping was that I’d get a permanent job in the school, and I did after four years.”

In 2010, the principal of St Anne’s, John Fitzpatrick, retired and up to that point, all of the school’s principals had been hired internally.

“No one else from the school was going for the principalship, and I thought, I can’t hand over the school to a stranger without at least trying to keep it,” Ms Cullen added.

“That’s when I went for it, and I was so lucky and honoured to get it.”

The tradition of the principals of St Anne’s being hired internally has continued, with the appointment of current teacher Ray Lynn as principal from the next academic year onwards.

Ms Cullen is now enjoying her last few days as the principal of the school that she spent most of her teaching career in and is grateful for the experiences she had over the years.

“From the bottom of my heart, thank you to the parents for trusting me and giving me the opportunity to guide their children over the years,” she said.

“Thank you to the community for welcoming me to Fettercairn and making me feel a part of Fettercairn, and to the staff for all they’ve done over the years. I will never forget them.”

Ms Cullen added that what she will miss the most about her role is the interaction with the children, who she has greeted at the schools gates every morning and evening in recent years.

While Ms Cullen said she “won’t know what to do” with herself when her retirement officially begins, she’s looking forward to spending more time with her family and will still link in with St Anne’s.

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