Derry school officially opens 'Teach an Cheoil' in memory of beloved teacher Monica

Monica Tunney is described as a ‘teacher for everyone’ who looked out for every single student, especially those with behavioural issues. Sadly, Monica passed away from cancer in 2018 and she has been sorely missed by staff and pupils in the school.

Principal of Sacred Heart Primary School, Louise Cunning said: “Monica was great craic. She was the life and soul of the party but she was one of those teachers who was so dedicated and so passionate about what she was doing. She was always about the kids, everything we did was for them.

"The first year after she passed away, staff spent a lot of time just grieving, because Monica had been there for so long. We did a lot of fundraising for cancer research and support but we were discussing what we could do in the long-term in her memory. I am not really a believer in sticking a picture in the wall and saying that's it and Monica would have hated that too. She would not have wanted her picture on the wall for everybody to walk past thinking ‘poor Monica’.

"There was a play area at the school and it was falling apart and I decided that it was no longer viable to keep it there because it was a health and safety risk. We pulled it down and started talking about what we would put in its place. One of the longer serving members of staff had suggested an outdoor classroom area, somewhere the kids could go that was inspired by Monica. So, the building appeared!

"Teach an Cheoil is a little wooden outdoor classroom and it's beautiful. Monica was all about the music, that was her passion, and she was our music coordinator and also took the choir. So, we decided to call it ‘Teach an Cheoil’ – the music house – and it has a music wall, a story area and a beautiful tree with a bench underneath it dedicated to Monica. It's just a really nice area that classes can go to do lessons, read stories, potter about or play.

"With Monica, you always felt safe when you were talking to her, so this is a safe space where the children can go and not have to worry about grades or anything like that. We hope that everything that we put in will reflect the passion and the legacy that Monica had. Our school is in an area of great need and Monica always rose to that need and provided it. I suppose we're hoping that even in her memory, we're still doing that for her. The area is reflective of who she was and what she did.

"We had a lovely day at the opening, Monica’s son and husband came up to officially open it and the choir sang. There was a guitar and one of our teachers played the whistle and it was very emotional but very fitting too.

"A lot of the staff still remember Monica and would have worked with her for their whole careers so we still feel the loss but we've given something back to the kids in memory of Monica. Monica’s husband said ‘as much as this is in memory of Monica, this is actually for you’. So even in her memory, Monica is still giving something back to the kids, which is what she would have wanted."