The Abingdonian 2019

99 www.abingdon.org.uk Staff Farewells in September and an outing by all the assistants to a language event where they cracked the escape room and left as the winners of the event. Receiving the ‘Please Don’t Go’ award from the Upper Sixth leavers shows how much Fernando will be missed. Alexandra von Widdern Birte Hellwig Birte comes from the north of Germany, from Wilhelmshaven, which is a small city by the sea. The area is flat and windy, which is why it is populated by wind turbines to harness alternative energy. She is looking forward to seeing her friends and the sea again on her return. From her year in the UK, she was hoping to gain good experience of working with students, travel and to learn more about the UK, improve her English and make new friends. She feels that it has been a good experience and that having to step outside her comfort zone at times has really helped her personal development. When she first arrived as German Assistant in Abingdon, she was surprised at how small it was, however, this has allowed her to really get to know the town and she has found it nice and peaceful. Having Oxford, London, Heathrow and a good train network at her disposal meant she could gain many cultural experiences and visit places like Dublin. She took particular delight in hearing such a wide variety of accents on her travels. Fish and chips on a Friday in the dining hall was another favourite. The one thing she will not miss about the UK are the high train fares. Her highlights at Abingdon were numerous: the Common Room social events, accompanying boys to events such as the debating competition, and setting up her own exchange project with third years as a cultural ambassador with a link to Trier. She truly enjoyed seeing the boys progress in her time here resulting in their ability to have normal conversations with her in German. We will miss Birte’s gentle, quiet and efficient presence in the Department and wish her the best of luck for the future — possibly even in the UK! Alexandra von Widdern Jackie Simpson Jackie joined the Economics and Business Department in September 2018 on a one-year contract. With her husband teaching in the Chemistry Department and her son at the Prep School, Jackie joined with plenty of knowledge of the school but with little knowledge of teaching economics or business given she hadn’t taught before and her degree was in chemistry! With an impressive background in business and finance behind her though, Jackie was undaunted by this challenge which she approached with her typical energy and enthusiasm. Her lessons were always meticulously planned and her pupils really appreciated the efforts that Jackie went to – particularly when it came to making Friday afternoon Kahoot quizzes! Jackie’s efforts were also very much appreciated by her colleagues within the Department as she was always a cheerful, self-reliant person who was happy to carry out any job, no matter how big or small, which needed doing. Outside of the classroom, Jackie was always willing to volunteer to get involved and help out where she could whether this be through the CCF or by scribing for A Level Chemistry candidates. Jackie’s year in the CCF was an undoubted success for all parties with her throwing herself into it wholeheartedly, attending camps and going on several trips. In