Denise Glasgow

OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO SCHOOL COMMUNITY

The “heart and soul” of a Townsville high school who has changed the lives of generations of students over 50 years is a finalist in state teaching awards.

Pimlico State High School (PSHS) Deputy Principal (DP) Denise Glasgow is the driving force behind the school’s Music and Performing Arts Program and its outstanding success within the school and wider community.

Integral in developing PSHS’s award-winning Instrumental Music Program, Mrs Glasgow has also been the Artistic Director or Producer of Pimlico Presents, the school’s annual concert which showcases students’ talents in music, drama, dance and vocal performance, since 1982.

She has led the North Queensland District Regional Instrumental Program for decades.

“Denise is not only an exemplary school leader and member of the teaching profession, she is an institution in Townsville education, having touched the lives of generations,” her QCT nomination form states.

This year she is a finalist for the Queensland College of Teachers TEACHX Outstanding Contribution to School Community Award, for the difference she has made in countless PSHS students’ lives, in her colleagues’ lives and in the wider school community.

Mrs Glasgow said PSHS students meaningfully contributed to the wider school and Townsville community by performing in charity benefit music concerts, hosting the Artscape exhibition, performing and showcasing their talents in Pimlico Presents, music, dance and drama eisteddfods, and performing playouts at aged care facilities, the hospital and schools.

Under her leadership, PSHS was endorsed to have a Music Program of Excellence.

“This program has enabled students at Pimlico to receive world class tuition in music and has seen many students over the years selected into the prestigious State Honours Ensemble Program (SHEP) and Musically Outstanding Students Program (MOST) hosted by the Queensland Conservatorium of Music.

Pimlico State High School ensembles also regularly make Queensland Instrumental and Choral Fanfare finals, with our Symphony Orchestra and Senior Strings previously winning these competitions,” Mrs Glasgow said.

Through her leadership, the Performing Arts, Visual Arts and Languages curricular and extra-curricular opportunities have grown significantly, with many students achieving Creative Generation Excellence Awards in Visual Art, first place and commendations in Language Speaking Competitions, the Festival of One Act Plays, and various Townsville and North Queensland Dance and Choral Eisteddfods.

Performance events have continued under her leadership during floods and during the global pandemic. PSHS staff say she is “the first person to arrive and the last person to leave” at school events and that she works tirelessly behind the scenes.

Having first started as a French teacher at Kedron State High School in 1972, Mrs Glasgow was soon transferred to Townsville and has been at PSHS since.

She inspired a love for the French language through student language competitions, cultural festivals, and by teaching students to cook French dishes. Mrs Glasgow went on to become the Languages Head of Department before being made a Deputy Principal.

“Denise displays enormous school pride and instils this in others and it is impossible to imagine anyone who is more dedicated to the teaching profession or her beloved school,” her nomination states.

The TEACHX Awards winners will be announced on 28 October, the eve of World Teachers’ Day in Australia. Finalists receive $500, and winners $5000, for professional development.