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THE ALLEYNIAN 710
with all of these challenges with stoicism and professionalism. Clearly she was deemed to have been very effective in the role since three years later she was appointed to succeed Damian King as Director of Science. At this point I was sharing an office with Rachel and I saw at first‐hand how effectively she dealt with the demands of this new post. Her supportive yet direct and honest approach meant that she was very popular and respected by the Science staff throughout her tenure, and when the next promotion came along, this time to Director of Studies, many of us in Science were saddened that our day‐to‐day contact with her would inevitably be less, given that this new role entailed a move out of the Science Block to the educational engine room that is the Academic Office. Although in this new post for just a year, Rachel has carried it off with her usual aplomb and I know that her colleagues in the Academic Team have enjoyed working closely with her just as much as we did. Rachel’s no-nonsense savvy combined with her wicked sense of humour mean that she has many friends at the College. I know I am not alone in saying that I have probably laughed more with Rachel than with any other colleague. There is no question that she has also been highly popular among her students, presumably won over by many of those very same qualities that have endeared her to her friends. Perhaps from her own experience studying in America, Rachel understands how daunting being a student abroad can be, and both as a classroom teacher and in her UCAS role she has always been particularly supportive of our overseas students, amongst whom she is especially well regarded. All of us who count Rachel as a friend will have stories about her, some of which may not be known to the College community at large. One of the things that surprised me was her predilection for online clothes shopping. Armfuls of packages would arrive in the office on a regular basis. Rachel would disappear to change into the latest item, and opinion would be solicited as to whether it should be returned or not. I am as qualified to offer sartorial advice as I am to coach kick-boxing; from the fact that the office increasingly resembled a particularly untidy women’s outfitters, I deduce that little winged its way back to Boden or John Lewis. She is a devoted foodie and an excellent cook. Her packed lunches were always a talking point and tended to oscillate between the previous night’s leftovers (generally very appetising) or, when going through a less calorific phase, half a boiled egg on a dry cracker (much less so). She is also a dyed-in-the-wool chocaholic; I was particularly impressed when a couple of years ago she had demolished the contents of her Advent calendar by the end of November. Rachel’s PhD was on the Belousov-Zhabotinsky reaction which, according to her, is just about the most exciting thing ever in the field of Chemistry (actually, it is quite cool – check it out on YouTube). It was a running joke that Rachel managed to crowbar a talk on the BZ reaction into the Upper School Symposium every year, completely irrespective of its theme.
“
IT WAS A RUNNING JOKE THAT RACHEL MANAGED TO CROWBAR A TALK ON THE BELOUSOV-
ZHABOTINSKY REACTION INTO
THE UPPER SCHOOL SYMPOSIUM EVERY YEAR, COMPLETELY IRRESPECTIVE OF ITS THEME.
”
A few other things you may not know about Rachel are as follows: she likes beer, she is a keen skier and she has a penchant for the trashiest of trashy TV. As well as being an accomplished scientist, she is also very musical. During the various lockdowns she regularly played the fiddle on Zoom meetings with an Irish folk group of which her mum was also a member. I found this particularly impressive. Rachel was clearly destined to progress further, and has always been open about her desire to return to her northern roots. Lately, the pull of the countryside and the appeal of a slower pace of life for her family have grown stronger. It was therefore not entirely a surprise when Rachel was recently appointed to the role of Deputy Head of Kingswood school in Bath and, although headed west rather than north, Rachel, Tom, Finn and Cass can now look forward to life in a beautiful part of the country. Of course, Rachel will be a huge success there and although we are extremely sorry to see her go, I think that we, her friends and colleagues, know that she is making the right move for herself and her family. She has been an absolute joy to work with in so many ways, and we hope she remembers her time at Dulwich with laughter and affection, as that is the way in which we will remember her. Thanks Rach!
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