After teaching at Stanborough School for an impressive number of 29 years, our beloved Mr Poddar is retiring. To celebrate his outstanding contribution to our school community, we hosted a special Assembly on Monday 10th July. It was an emotive occasion with many black and white pictures, tales of older times and tears. Several former students travelled to share in the moment, to tell all of us how Mr Poddar’s teaching inspired them. Many commented how his generosity and moral values, as much as his teaching, left an undeletable mark in their lives. “Thank you” seems so inadequate to express our gratitude to you, sir, for your life-commitment to educating young people. You’ll be sorely missed!
“I remember the high standards you set for your students in Biology. However, your classroom was not just about high standards; it was about the success of each student. They knew that you cared about each of them. And that you prayed for each of them.” Andrea Luxton
“Thank you for making Biology a great subject!” Becca Dean-Roberts
“Thank you for all your dedication and hard work and for being a servant of God. You truly left a long-lasting impression in me. I thank you for contributing to my love for the medical profession to which I have dedicated my life.” Rebecca Greco
“Thank you for your commitment to the success of your students.” Lydia Dean
“I admire the amount of time he put into helping others and his charitable work, I think that this is one of the greatest testaments of his character.” Shane Castagnet
“Thank you for your inspiration and everything you did for me.” Karlene Myers
“Thank you, Mr Poddar, for everything you did for me while I was a student at Stanborough. Not only were you a fantastic teacher, you also fostered my continuing interest for badminton, gave me the opportunity to travel to India twice and supported me through my school years.” Adam Gibbard
“To this day, I still want to greet him as Mr Poddar, he will always be my Biology teacher. However, beyond teaching me Biology, in the most recent times he has taught me humility, he has become a role model of faith and love.” Nick Dean
“You never doubted I could make it (although at first it seemed difficult), and were always available to help me when I needed it, whether it was with my homework, improving my English or just giving me advice about life.” Sara Pasor Ferri