Ms McCluskey has been a pivotal member of the SIS community for the past 4 years, teaching Language and Literature to grades 8 through 12, Individuals and Societies to grades 8 through 10, and leading MUN for the MYP. Her significant contribution to transforming SIS into the environment we are in today has not gone unnoticed which is why it is with a heavy heart that we will wave our goodbyes as this school year comes to an end. Ms McCluskey will be starting the year 2024/2025 in Kigali, Rwanda

Although we are sure you all have many memories with Ms McCluskey that may come to mind, like MUN trips to New York and Berlin, or helping with the St Patrick’s Day festival, we would like to focus on the moments Ms McCluskey cherishes the most. The recurring theme that came up the most in the QQ’s interview was learning through students and learning to understand them further. Through her time spent teaching English and Humanities, the content generally remained the same, however, every year she found that students perceived it differently. Being able to see literature through a different lens and hearing different interpretations allowed her to learn more about her subject through her students in every class. This interest in gaining knowledge is not exclusive to course work, during the 9th-grade trip to Utö last year Ms McCluskey was able to see students outside the classroom and therefore learn more about them. These students are currently in 10th grade and she feels a deeper understanding of how they work thanks to the outing. 

You may be wondering why Ms McCluskey will move to Rwanda when she clearly loves SIS so much. Her husband has a posting in foreign affairs at the Dutch embassy which naturally requires them to move. However, this brings many new opportunities and experiences for her to look forward to. It is a beautiful country, with warm weather, and many birds to look for. Bird watching is something that she discovered when living in Ethiopia which she has missed while in Stockholm. Additionally, she will gain responsibility in the embassy as she will become an embassy representative. Despite all of this, she will of course miss SIS, all of the friendships she has made, and all of the stable infrastructure present in Sweden that she will have to adapt to not having or being able to fully rely on. An example of this is online banking and public transport, however, with time it will all become routine and she will learn to live without it. She was comfortable in the school and felt like she was leaving it all behind, but Ms McCluskey is starting to be excited about all of the changes that come with the move rather than dismissing them. It’s a new challenge and change is always an opportunity.

She will be missed by her advisory classes, the MUN group, her English and IaS students, the Swedish Irish association she organised the St Patrick’s Day festival for, and many others within the SIS community. The message she has left the QQ is ‘Keep the MUN torch glowing and the flag flying. Keep enjoying learning from each other, especially DP students, and I am expecting very good grades from my grade 11 students moving up to 12th grade. Make me proud!’. 

Thank you for your 4 years at SIS!