Congratulations to June Simm who was appointed MBE in the New Year’s Honours list and has recently received her award from the Princess Royal at Windsor Castle.
Tell us a bit about why you were nominated for the MBE.
"I was nominated for my services to education. As well as being a secondary RE teacher for 38 years, 36 of them in the same Liverpool school, my life in education did not end once I retired in 2010. I am a governor in four Liverpool primary schools and chair in two of them. I sit on school admission appeals panels and exclusion review panels. I have done work for Community Spirit, working with children of all ages as well as trainee teachers, I run a Worship group in Emmaus school and help to prepare our St Cuthbert’s young people for confirmation – and I do private tutoring!"
How did you feel when it was announced?
"I cried!! I was absolutely shocked and overwhelmed with emotion at the response of my past pupils. You don’t think that things like that happen to you!"
Tell us about the ceremony and receiving the medal.
"The ceremony was at Windsor Castle and I received my medal from the Princess Royal. Everything was so well organised although having been told exactly what would happen, I had forgotten it all by the time I left that room. There was a string orchestra playing and as my husband and I approached the room where the investiture took place, they were playing Panis Angelicus, which we had at our wedding 50 years ago! Princess Anne was amazing. She put you at your ease immediately and she must have an amazing memory to have talked to me about the things she did. She asked if I was still as busy, then she asked if I chose to teach RE and when I said yes, we had a conversation about the importance of the subject in today’s world. She then picked up on the Liverpool connection and asked if it could be challenging teaching RE in Liverpool secondary schools. The signal that it is your time to leave is when she shakes your hand. My one error – I forgot to bow as I left, something my husband loves to remind me about!
On my arrival home, I found my front porch decorated with banners. The guilty party was one of my past pupils, which seems so appropriate since they have been the bedrock of my career. Church also marked the occasion on Sunday 15th and I came home with a lovely plant and a special cake."