All of us here at St. Ninian’s High School would like to publicly pay tribute to Mr. Roberts, our long serving and highly respected Head of Business Education and our School Governor who died suddenly and unexpectedly prior to half term.
Mr. Roberts was one of the longest serving members of our teaching staff. He was originally appointed as a teacher of Economics in 1986 and went on to become the very successful Subject Leader of Business Education, overseeing the development of not only Economics, but also Business Studies and, more recently, Enterprise courses.
The enthusiasm, positivity and drive for constant improvement he displayed towards his teaching and to school life in general were ever present and burnt as brightly on his last day in school as they did on his first. He never stopped thinking about how he could improve things to enhance the experience of students. And because he was so open, chatty and genuine with everyone he met, he had a long list of contacts from all areas of life who he could call on to come in to judge, mentor or support the students for various projects, presentations and exhibitions. The positive relationships he built with all of these people, and the enrichment they all brought to the learning of the students whether in Economics, Business or Enterprise are further testament to the kind of man he was and his ability to connect with people.
Mr. Roberts was also one of our longest serving Sixth Form tutors and many of our young people have gained much from being under his tutelage over the years - they have learnt to work to his high standards, enjoyed his humour and understood how much he cared for how well they do. We have received many tributes from former students which are testament to the high regard he is held in by so many people.
Mr. Roberts was passionate about his role as Teacher Governor at our school. The high esteem in which he was held in by all the teaching staff saw him re-elected to the role time and time again. As in everything he did, he gave it 100% of his commitment. He sat on many interview panels over the years and was always able to put candidates at ease; he had a way of bringing the best out of people and always did everything he could to make sure that we recruited the best staff to our school.
Mr, Roberts was simply an integral part of our school and was its most fiercely loyal advocate. St. Ninian’s High School mattered to him and he cared for it deeply in all that he did here. The staff and students mattered to him him too and he was the person who many staff turned to when they wanted honest and reliable advice. He was exacting, meticulous and supportive. He had a heart of gold and a tremendous sense of fun and camaraderie. His constant desire to improve was infectious and made others want to do better. He was the ultimate professional and could be completely relied upon for his discretion.
Over his thirty-two years at the school Mr. Roberts influenced so many students and staff in such positive ways. His loss is felt keenly throughout the school. Over the coming weeks and months we will look for how we might create a lasting tribute to his memory so that his legacy of inspiring others to strive for standards of excellence lives on in the school he gave his whole working life to.