SHSK Old Girls

Thrilled to share Emma Judge’s news that she’s appearing in an original show at the Edinburgh Festival this August - Paper Cuts (and other small tragedies). Check out the papercutstheplay instagram page for all the details and to support her crowdfunding page. Wishing Emma (OG 2023) all the best with the upcoming show!

This summer we say fond farewells to some long-serving staff at St Helen's. Mrs Nash, Head of Middle School and Teacher of English, who first started at St Helen's in 2000, leaves to enjoy a well-earned retirement. Mrs Alpers, Head of Food and Nutrition, and Deputy Head of Lower School, who joined in 2017, is returning to her home country of New Zealand. Mrs Cartwright, Head of Careers and Professional Guidance since 2016, and Miss Walters, Head of Lacrosse, who joined in 2018, move onto pastures new. We thank them for all that they have contributed to the School and wish them the very best for their next adventures.

Delightful news about Mrs Frances Wassell, who is possibly the longest-serving teachers of all time at St Helen and St Katharine (Teacher of Biology 1962-1997). Sharing a beautiful photo from her recent wedding. Wishing the happy couple all the best for their future together! You can read more through the SHSK Society link below.
https://shsksociety.org.uk/news/alumnae-news/187/187-Frances-Wassell-gets-married-in-May-

Sharing some exciting school news!

At today's Tour and Tea in school we welcomed Emma and Susan from Class of 1979, Liz and Ellie from Class of 2004 and Miss Feuell, who was a teacher in the late 1970s. It was a pleasure to show them the older and newer parts of the School, as well as share photos and magazines of their time at school during their visit to the Archives. Thank you for coming back to visit us!

Ten friends from Class of 1976 recently got together to celebrate their 50th anniversary since leaving St Helen and St Katharine. For the occasion, Carole Robinson (Storey) made some porcelain decorations for everyone. 'My love of pottery started at St Helen's with Sister Marjorie Anne', she told us. 'The HelKats are wearing an impressionistic version of our school scarves!' We love it! Great to see enduring friendships 50 years on.

Learning to fly! Katy Thompson (Lee), Class of 2007, shares her experiences as a commercial pilot and tells of her role with the charity AiR (Aviation in Reach) promoting diversity in the sector, specifically mentoring women, who account for only 1 in 20 UK pilots. To read the full article, go to https://shsksociety.org.uk/news

We haven't had a photo from the Archive for a while, so please enjoy this lovely picture of the School from way back in 1936, shortly before St Helen's became St Helen and St Katharine! We've added some colour to bring it to life and the original black and white pic is here for contrast.

If you have any pictures of the School from when you were here, do please share them with us. What we would love are any pictures of the front of the school from the 1970s/80s/90s. But other pictures of the school are also welcome. You can send them to [email protected]. Thank you!

Huge congratulations to alumna author Alice Jolly, who has won the 2026 Walter Scott Prize for her novel The Matchbox Girl! She received her award last week from a direct descendant of Walter Scott at a ceremony held at Scott's home in Scotland. You can read more about this in her BBC interview -

Alice Jolly's The Matchbox Girl wins Walter Scott prize Alice Jolly's The Matchbox Girl wins the £25,000 Walter Scott Prize at the Borders Book Festival.