Islandmagee Primary School principal Mrs Arlene Cambridge retires after 26 years
The principal of Islandmagee Primary has told of how the school will always have a ‘special place in her heart’ as she begins her retirement.
Mrs Arlene Cambridge stepped down from the role at the end of October.
She was first appointed 26 years ago to what was then Mullaghdubh Primary - a school her own grandmother had gone to in the 1920s.
That family connection continued, with her own children later attending Mullaghdubh.
Mrs Cambridge worked with determination through an amalgamation of the Kilcoan and Mullaghdubh schools to open what became Islandmagee Primary in 2016.
Construction of a brand new building for the school at the Low Road site commenced in March 2023, and was handed over to the school in August 2024.
The official opening of the £5.4million project took place on May 7, 2025, providing the children and staff at Islandmagee Primary with a modern, state of the art, energy efficient school.
Speaking at the ribbon-cutting ceremony back in May, Mrs Cambridge thanked all those who had worked so hard to help bring the new school project to fruition, adding: “Islandmagee Primary School will serve this community for many years to come.”
Reflecting as her own chapter at Islandmagee Primary came to an end, Mrs Cambridge said: “My journey as principal in Islandmagee has been amazing. I’m thankful for all the opportunities, the people I have had the honour of meeting and working alongside, and the children I’ve been blessed to teach and share my days with.
"They say teaching is a vocation; it has been that and so much more. Islandmagee Primary will always hold a special place in my heart.
"The school gave me a beautiful send off, with a special assembly with the choir and children performing some of my favourites.
"At my final assembly, I wore the gold medal that my gran, Jean Stewart, was awarded for being top pupil in 1926.”
As for her retirement plans, Mrs Cambridge is looking forward first and foremost to some much needed family time. “And then – let’s see what the next chapter has in store,” she added.