A Fond Farewell: Beloved Teacher Retires After 40 Years of Inspiring Generations

As the longest serving member of staff in the school’s history, Mrs Wisely has been a constant, caring presence in the lives of pupils, families and colleagues alike.

Mrs Wisely first arrived at Albyn, not as a teacher but as a pupil in 1969 when she joined P7 and went on to spend her secondary years here.  Following her time at Albyn, Sandra qualified as a teacher then, in her words, spent the most exciting 4 years of her teaching career at Peterhead Primary due to the proximity of the prison and the fact that many of the children in the school were children of the wardens and every time a prisoner escaped the school it had to be locked down.

Looking for a life with less lockdowns Sandra returned to Albyn to teach P2 in August 1985 and she has remained here ever since. During her time at Albyn, Sandra has taught every stage in the Lower School, saw the school become co-educational- something she viewed with delight as “boys bring so much more energy to the classroom”, and has seen the school’s buildings and classrooms morph and change into what we recognise today.

Through all this change Sandra has continued to adapt her teaching to meet the needs of the differing cohorts of pupils over the years. Her intrinsic sense of fairness and genuine care for every child has been hugely beneficial to those who she has taught. Staff will remember her for her stories about Albyn past and pupils for her passion for art and craft, doing reading with dogs and the Junior Duke Award which she has run so faithfully for 7 years.

Head of School David Starbuck paid tribute saying, “We can’t simply put into words what Mrs Wisely has meant to this school. Her dedication and compassion have left a mark on this community that will be felt for years to come.”

As Mrs Wisely steps into retirement, her legacy lives on in countless lives she’s touched, and the love of learning she’s sparked in thousands of pupils. We wish her all the best in her next chapter.