Mrs Phillip Retires After 20 Years

In the words of Bob Marley “Beginnings are usually scary, and endings are usually sad, but it’s everything in between that makes it all worth living.” With this in mind, we bade a fond farewell to long-serving and legendary Textiles teacher, Marcia Phillip, who retired after 20 years at Christmas.

Mrs Phillip arrived at Wimbledon High in 2002 to take up her position as a DT Textiles teacher and was an invaluable member of the team thereafter, becoming Head of Department for a number of years and building the reputation of Textiles and the department as a whole from one which was originally housed in a portacabin to one of great prestige in the STEAM tower today!

During her time at WHS, Mrs Phillip supported and inspired countless Textiles students to achieve their dreams and goals and worked with more than a dozen colleagues in her department. She always encouraged students to look beyond SW19 – most notably in setting up the Textiles for Charity club and  generously contributing her time to our partnership SHINE programme. She was a warm and kind form teacher for many years as well.

In an emotional tribute at Christmas, Mr Sharman, Head of Design Technology & Engineering, articulated the sentiments of many:

“Marcia is one of the most organised and consistent teachers I have ever met. She will always go the extra mile to make sure students and staff feel welcomed, inspired, happy, safe, respected and so much more. As a teacher she has occupied a position of great trust and sensitivity, charged with the responsibility to lead young minds into the mysteries of life. “

Mrs Phillip’s contribution to life at WHS can be summed up by the words:

People will often forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.