Ballymena teacher in running for ‘Woman of the Year’ Award

Now, in their sixth year, the awards recognise the outstanding talents of the women of Northern Ireland in nine categories including health, business, voluntary sector, fashion, arts, sport and, education.

The nominees will find out if they have won at a special ceremony and gala dinner next Wednesday, December 5, at the Ramada Plaza Hotel in Belfast and among them will be Mary McKendry of Castle Tower Special School, Frys Road.

Mary was nominated by Castle Tower colleague, Moira McBride, who, in her written nomination pointed out that Mary “devotes her whole life to the amazing pupils of Castle Tower School who suffer from moderate to profound and multiple learning difficulties”.

Moira added: “Despite being insulin dependant herself, Mary works so hard to provide learning experiences for our children outside of the classroom as well as in it. She always goes the extra mile for her pupils and has been involved in many extra–curricular activities that require dedication and risk taking, but everything that she does is for the benefit and well-being of our pupils.

“She will attempt to overcome any obstacle in her desire to provide many learning opportunities for our children that they could only dream of participating in”.

Moira pointed out that this included Mary - a non-swimmer - leading the way in introducing the children to water based activities at Newferry during the summer such as canoeing.

Moira also stated in her nomination: “Mary feels very strongly that our students should have the same experiences as main-stream children and entered a team of eight students for the Northern Ireland Team Enterprise Competition in March.

“The students won an award on the evening for the Best Overall Team Company and as part of their prize they attended a gala dinner at prestigious Titanic Centre in Belfast.”

She added: “Mary is such an outstanding teacher that, unfortunately for the staff and pupils of Castle Tower School, her talents have been recognised by others and she has just been appointed as Vice-Principal of Sandleford Special School in Coleraine...our loss is their gain!

“We are devastated to lose such a committed and dedicated teacher, but Mary will continue to influence and touch the lives of many more pupils in her new school. She is a dedicated teacher who brings her energy, creativity and enthusiasm to the classroom (and beyond!) each day and strives to provide the best opportunities for those in her care!”