New principal for Newtownhamilton PS

LOOKING ahead to her first full school year in charge at Newtownhamilton Primary School is new principal Mrs Lynne Whitford.

She comes to the school after 25 years teaching at Richmount Primary School at Scotch Street, Portadown where she has built up a wealth of experience.

The 51-year-old mother of two grown up daughters - Louise (22) and Ellie (19) - is very much looking forward to putting Newtownhamilton Primary School on the map, at the centre of its community and putting its children first.

She explained, “I was at Richmount Primary School for 25 years and decided to take the plunge and go for a wee step up.

“I was there from 1998, I co-ordinated various parts of the curriculum at Richmount and gained wide experience and then applied for this post and was successful.”

And of her new school, her genuine affection and pride shone through as she said, “It’s the most lovely little treasure trove.

“It’s undiscovered and the staff... I am really blessed with an amazing staff. The girl’s are great and we have a group of really lovely children.

“It’s a really, really nice place to work and I’ve been made really welcome and people couldn’t be more helpful.

“We’re part of the high school building and Mr Megaw (Newtownhamilton High School principal), I know him anyway, he has been really good about giving me advice and support.

“I love being here.”

Lynne grew up in Armagh and is a former pupil of the Armstrong Primary School and the girl’s high school which then became the Royal School.

She studied Geography at Queen’s University before mapping out her future teaching career by taking a Post Graduate Certificate in Education.

On what led her to teaching she said, “It was probably always in my head, if anyone asked me what I wanted to do, I always wanted to be a teacher. I know children go through phases of everything but teaching was really all I wanted to do.”

And she started early working towards that goal, “I worked towards that, I was involved with Sunday School and youth organisations in my church in the Mall, I go to the Mall church in Armagh. I was an officer and then the captain in the Girls’ Brigade for a number of years, helped with the youth club. Anything I was doing, even playing hockey, I was helping with coaching. Anything I did was all children related basically.

“It was the only thing I ever really wanted to do, even though its a stressful job, its the only one that I would get the amount of satisfaction out of what
I do.”

And so much of that job satisfaction comes from seeing the children learn as she explained, “Just seeing the pleasure on children’s faces and the enjoyment of what you’re doing with them. That is worth more than anything, just knowing that you’re instilling knowledge into a child, that you are the first person to have taught them something new. That’s the most amazing feeling ever.”

And she went on, “You learn from the children as much as they learn from you. They keep you very grounded and very humble.

“You would never get above your station!”

And of her ambitions for the school she said, “My vision for the future is to put Newtownhamilton Primary School more on the map and to build on the really great community that it is.

“We want to promote the school and get people to realise what a really great place it is.”