Deighton Griffith Secondary School held a special ceremony to honour 20 members of its non-teaching staff, presenting them with certificates of appreciation in recognition of their years of dedicated service.
Among those celebrated were some of the Kingsland, Christ Church school’s longest-serving employees, including groundsman Michael Spooner, who has devoted three decades to maintaining the grounds and facilities.
Spooner, who began his tenure in 1991 when Deighton Griffith opened, will retire next March after 35 years.
“It was a pleasure working here for all these years, interacting with the schoolchildren, dealing with the cricket, football and marking the field,” he said.
He spoke fondly of his role in the early days, helping to bring in furniture, plant trees and clear bush from around the windows.
“It was fun opening up the school,” he recalled.
The veteran groundsman admitted that leaving will be difficult.
“Deighton will be missed,” he said, noting that he will particularly miss the staff members who “have kept me going all these years”. Even during vacation periods, Spooner said he misses his interactions with the students.
Also honoured was janitor Dennies Bradshaw, who is celebrating 20 years of service. Acknowledging that the work can be challenging at times, she expressed gratitude.
“I am thankful to be here and hopeful that I can spend the other seven to eight years and I’ll be going home then.”
She credited “hard work”
for sustaining her throughout, noting her peaceful relationships with colleagues.
Principal Major Michael Boyce said it was important to acknowledge the non-teaching staff’s contributions.
“We recognised the hard work and the dedication of our non-teaching staff over the years. We’re often saying it to them, but we felt that a more tangible demonstration was necessary.”
He added that while the school consists of different constituents and partners, the non-teaching staff were an integral part of the institution.
“They are a part that sometimes can be overlooked and under-appreciated. We appreciate them here.”
Wendy Knight-Hunte, chair of the board of management, praised the visible impact of the staff’s work.
“Looking around the school, Deighton is always immaculate. If you look at the grounds, they are always clean. That is mainly due to the contribution of the non-teaching staff,” she said.
“I was more than happy to say to them ‘Job well done and thank you’.”
(DDS)
