Scottish Catholic Observer

Grace Jack, a music teacher at St David’s High School, Dalkeith, won the best secondary school music teacher award at the Classic FM Music Teacher of the Year Awards 2017.

Ms Jack, had the surprise nomination sprung on her by a group of S6 students, and was overwhelmed by their touching gesture.

“It came as a bit of a shock,” she told the Daily Record. “Back in January, my Sixth Year pupils were acting very suspiciously and were being very secretive.

“And at the end of the week they pulled me into a classroom and told me they had put me forward for this award. They had written a nomination sheet about me and pulled together a video about me from secret filming they had done that week.

“I was nearly in tears reading it and realising just how much I meant to them.

“Teaching for me is a job and I absolutely love it, but I never realised how much of an effect I had on pupils before.

“I was really, really touched by it. But I never thought I was going to win it. When I heard I had won, it was really quite shocking.

“I am sure there were many more dedicated teachers throughout the whole of the UK who would have been equally deserving. I am not sure why they chose me.”

35-year-old Ms Jack was chosen from the hundreds of entries that flooded in from across the country, after her 11 advanced higher music students chose to nominate her.

She was also gifted a digital hybrid piano as part of her winner’s prize.

Since arriving at the school four years ago, Ms Jack has started a number of bands of various musical styles including rhythm and blues, jazz, a ceilidh band and a ukulele group, as well as bringing new productions to the music department and school