Aileen is named St Ronan’s Principal Guest

Aileen Borthwick’s first introduction to Games Week was in her pram in the flower parade before she was a year old and one of the first things she learned to sing was On St Ronan’s, so she is no stranger to the town’s festival.

She grew up in Walkerburn, but spent a lot of time as a youngster in Innerleithen as her grandparents, aunt, uncles and cousins all lived in the town.

She attended Walkerburn Primary and Peebles High Schools before going on to Moray House Teacher Training College to fulfil her lifelong ambition of being a teacher. She spent some time at Walkerburn and Caddonfoot primary schools before stopping work to raise a family with husband Jim.

In 1990, once her children were at school, she went on the supply list and her first job was at St Ronan’s one day a week for a term. She then did supply at various schools in the area before being offered a permanent post at St Ronan’s in 1993, spending 27 and a half very happy years as a class and principal teacher.

As well as nurturing hundreds of children during those 27 years she also threw herself into school activities and events, organising sports day, assisting with the county sports, swimming galas and swimming lessons, school trips, Burns lunches, dance festivals, concerts, residentials, cycling proficiency and health weeks.

She ran the school library for many years, led the school choir from 2012 and was the staff representative on the Parent Partnership since the 1990s, even managing to find time to coach the netball team.