Mrs Margaret Skarland

What will remain of us is love

Mrs Catherine Jackson

An inspirational teacher and mentor at Atlantic College, remembered with huge respect, admiration and affection. RIP Mrs Skarland. Rusty Dawson (Owen-Jones). AC 1970-72

Mrs Rusty Dawson

It was a pleasure and privilege to work with Margaret at St Clare’s, when she was Vice-Principal, and later as Principal. Her approach was nurturing and collegial, and she was unfailingly pleasant in all her dealings with colleagues and students. Approachable without being familiar, and with a quiet insistence on key values and principles, she was very highly respected. Margaret is much missed by former colleagues, and the many generations of students who benefited from her inspiring teaching and love of literature, her memorable and remarkable drama productions and her calm, gentle and kindly oversight of the College.

Mr Boyd Roberts

Thank you Margaret for stimulating our critical thinking & for your wise analysis of littérature to guide our lives, Ditte Christiansen-Jucht Atlantic College 70-72 Skarland House 71-72

Mrs Ditte Christiansen-Jucht

To the Family and Friends of Margaret Skarland, In the fall of 1971, a new dormitory opened at Atlantic College. For 24 girls only, smaller than the standard 48-student dorm, it had Margaret Skarland as housemistress. As second year female students, we could apply to move from our current dorms into Skarland House. The undersigned all made that application successfully. Why did we want to move into an all-girls dorm? After all, most of us were intensely interested in boys, so it might seem a retrograde step – come to a co-ed school only to select an all-girls residence. There were many reasons for moving, but above all it was the lure of Margaret Skarland herself. Margaret attained that magical balance essential in dealing with older teenagers. She commanded respect, but she treated us like human beings. She had, particularly as housemistress, some delightful blind spots (or so we thought and hoped; in fact, she didn’t miss much). She failed to notice the boy under the bed, the veil of cigarette smoke drifting into the hallway, the overwhelming alcohol fumes on a Saturday night. She was deaf to enthusiastic late night in-room chats and must have been asleep when we snuck out to meet boys. These characteristics alone would have made her beloved of all the girls she oversaw, but there was much more to Margaret. She seemed so much younger than other teachers, many of whom were much sterner and stricter. In fact, she was about fifteen years older than us. She had a wicked sense of humour and laughed freely. She did delightful things like invite us to her flat for tea or for spaghetti and burger suppers, cooked collectively and consumed sitting on the floor. We felt she was there for us, but also that she trusted and believed in us. A heady combination. Skarland House was a very popular place to be. Margaret also taught English quite brilliantly, persuading easily distractable teens to pay serious attention to Shakespeare, Eliot, Milton. She made learning fun, and never disparaged her students for dull or late assignments. It was a pleasure to be in her class. As head of Drama activities, she led an exuberant troupe of players. Her enthusiasm for theatre was contagious, and Drama sessions were the highlight of the week for many of us. She introduced us to cutting edge plays and playwrights. We performed in the terraced gardens at St. Donat’s Castle – and just about anywhere she proposed. With Margaret at the helm, we felt we were making novel contributions to the world of theatre, pushing the limits, achieving great breakthroughs. No matter that in retrospect those productions were probably quite amateur; we felt they were high art. Margaret could be a deceptively quiet soul. She made her mark through wisdom and humour and intelligence, not fanfare. Even in class, it never felt like she was lecturing, but she did impart invaluable lessons in literature, drama and life to all who had the immense good fortune to come into her sphere of influence. Many of us kept in touch with her. Four years ago, Meg and Scarlett met her for lunch in Stratford-upon-Avon. She was just as she’d been, although her hair was white instead of black. She’d been battling serious health issues for some time, but had built a lovely retirement life for herself, taking Latin classes and going to the theatre, learning to play bridge. She shared much about her life that was unknown to us: affairs of the heart, struggles, accomplishments. She told us we looked glamorous. As ever, she knew exactly what to say to lift our spirits. ‘We shall not look upon her like again’ (to misquote Shakespeare). We are deeply grateful to have crossed paths with this exceptional woman, and we extend our heartfelt condolences to her family and friends. She will be sorely missed – by us and the myriad students whose lives she touched. Ditte Christiansen-Jucht Alessandra Gnecchi Vera Holst Eckbo Scarlett MccGwire Cesilie Tanderø Meg Westley and very likely all our roommates whom we have not been able to reach

Ms Meg Westley

I loved working with Margaret. She was thoughtful, concerned for others, and idealistic. She brought a seriousness, and a steadiness, to St Clare's which helped to transform it. She will be remembered with love and respect by friends, former students and colleagues.

Mr Nick Lee