Thank you and Farewell
Iona Carmody As Miss Iona Carmody steps away from her role as Head of The Queen’s Lower School, we pause to re fl ect on the extraordinary legacy she leaves behind — one rooted in curiosity, courage, and connec ti on. From the moment she joined The Queen’s School, Iona brought with her a deep love of the outdoors and a belief that learning should be as expansive as the sky and as grounded as the forest fl oor. Her vision gave rise to two of the school’s most cherished ini ti a ti ves: Beach School and Forest School. These programmes have not only rede fi ned outdoor learning but have also given our girls the freedom to explore, take risks, and discover their own resilience in the natural world.
As she embarks on her next adventure, we know she’ll con ti nue to inspire others to look beyond the hedgerows, to embrace the sparkle in the air, and to always, always take the front seat when life o ff ers it. Thank you, Iona, for everything. You’ve helped us all see the bigger picture.
Louise Hughes A ft er eight years at The Queen’s School, Louise is moving on to new adventures — and leaving behind an incredible legacy. Over the years, she built her role from the ground up, becoming an essen ti al part of the External Rela ti ons team and a go ‐ to person for just about everything.
From helping to launch the fi rst virtual school experience during COVID to delivering more than 50 events, Louise tackled every challenge with drive, humour, and no ‐ nonsense e ffi ciency. She somehow made even the most chao ti c days feel manageable. She’s famous for her straight ‐ talking honesty — never one to sugar ‐ coat, always pushing for be tt er. Her work ethic? Relentless. While the rest of us were s ti ll in the mee ti ng, Louise had already done the task. Her standards were high, her output incredible, and her refusal to accept “good enough” made everything be tt er. Louise wasn’t just a colleague — she was a teammate, a fi xer, and a friend. We’ll miss her laugh, her legendary to ‐ do lists, and the way she just got things done. No more hire boards, no more explaining how to spell “A ‐ level,” and no more Queen’s emails in her inbox—but she’ll always be part of the Queen’s story. Thank you, Louise — for everything.
Iona has always encouraged the girls to “have a go” — to try, to stumble, to get muddy, and to grow. Whether it was building dens in the woods, re fl ec ti ng by the shoreline, or simply learning how to listen to the world around them, her leadership has helped shape a genera ti on of young learners who are more con fi dent, more compassionate, and more connected to the world beyond the classroom. Her though tf ul blog posts — rich with insight, humour, and wisdom — have o ff ered parents and colleagues alike a window into the heart of her educa ti onal philosophy. In her fi nal re fl ec ti on, she wrote about the joy of seeing the world from the top deck of a bus, and how that elevated perspec ti ve reminded her of the importance of stepping back to see the bigger picture. It’s a fi tti ng metaphor for her ti me at Queen’s: always looking beyond the obvious, always seeking deeper understanding, and always encouraging others to do the same. Iona’s legacy is not just in the programmes she’s pioneered or the policies she’s shaped — it’s in the countless conversa ti ons she’s had with children, parents, and sta ff . It’s in the way she’s helped us all to see more clearly, to listen more deeply, and to nurture the kind of perspec ti ve that leads to empathy, wisdom, and growth.
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