Head of German and Benson House Housemistress Kate Gregory leaves the College and looks forward to a creative future both indoors and out.

Kate followed a fascinating global teaching journey to the College having completed a Degree in German at Manchester University and her PGCE at Goldsmiths her first teaching job was at Gravesend Grammar School for Girls teaching French and German. She then moved to Australia teaching German before returning to the UK and rejoined Gravesend Grammar before moving to Hertfordshire and briefly teaching German at Leventhorpe. International travel beckoned again and she moved to Hong Kong where she volunteered to support ESL pupil. Back to Hertfordshire and she helped set up and ran Little Hadham playgroup, set up a pre-school music group (Music Makers – some College pupils started their musical career Kate!) and finally working at Little Hadham Primary School teaching Years 4 and 5. Kate then returned to secondary education and taught German and French at Birchwood for 10 years before moving to the College in 2014.

After joining the College Kate quickly became Deputy House Mistress in Alliott House and Sarah Wilson was an inspirational role model – Kate learning so much from her. Alliott at that time was a rather dilapidated building where Trotman now stands but it was a House full of happiness and drive. Kate moved with Alliott into its current building and then took on the role of Housemistress in Benson which she absolutely adores.

Kate has taken great pride in turning Benson House into the stunning building it now is and there is not a day in House where she doesn’t feel so lucky to be surrounded by such a fabulous set of girls.

Kate’s interests go well beyond the House and classroom as she has emersed herself in additional College activities. Kate was desperate to join the College choir when she arrived and has enjoyed numerous opportunities with the choir to sing a broad range of music. She has loved being part of the D of E team and accompanying the Bronze pupils locally as well as the Silver students in Derbyshire. Her Organisation of the transport for the Senior Citizens Christmas party was always a challenge but incredibly satisfying when it all falls into place.

Kate enthuses that the German department is fantastic. Over the years she has got to know nine German assistants and is still in touch with many of them having visited them in Germany. She will really miss the German exchange as she has forged lifelong friendships there & is thrilled that the College are still unbeaten in the yearly exchange football match!

Kate has taken trips to Boppard, Munich, accompanied the French trip to Paris and accompanied the French exchange – all the trips will stay with her forever. One of Kate’s biggest College highlights was firstly the Malawi trip and following on from that the Kenya trips, she feels very lucky to be accompanying another trip to Kenya this summer.

Kate’s proudest moment in the department is starting the College’s involvement in the MFL Debating competitions at The Perse School, Cambridge. She is proud that the College prepares our students thoroughly and as yet we have never been beaten in the German Department.

Although looking forward to having the time to organise her garden and house and then planning to retrain in upholstery, carpentry, gardening and painting and drawing – all the things she has been yearning to do for years but never had the time for, Kate will hugely miss her BSC colleagues and pupils. She will miss working with her fabulous team of colleagues in the German Department (Jo, Colleen and Jane) but will also miss her amazing House team particularly Charlotte and Angustias. She will miss Ian Morris’ assemblies and singing hymns to the organ in the Mem Hall assemblies and will miss Paul West’s Friday morning and lunchtime choir rehearsals – even on the ‘tiredest’ days, she comes out feeling renewed and refreshed from the singing. She will also miss the opportunities the College has given her to develop her interests with the pupils and to travel, the only thing she certainly won’t miss is getting up at 5:30 on a Saturday morning!

We wish Kate every happiness in her next, hugely creative adventures in life and when she enjoys more travels we do hope that sometimes they will bring her back to the College for events and reunions. Her legacy at the College will  live on in the German Department and within the fabulous Benson Girls that she has nurtured across the years and we thank you for all she has given and achieved over the past 8 years.