Yolande Henderson (14 January 1934 – 5 December 2015) was a high school teacher from

Karachi Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former cap ...

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

."Educationist with a Heart of Gold"
Dawn.com, 16 October 2011.

Education

Yolande Henderson finished her schooling at St Anne's School, Mumbai before moving to Pakistan in 1950.Citizens Archive of Pakistan's Oral History Project
YouTube.com; accessed 4 December 2017. She began her teaching career in 1954 after graduating from St Joseph's College, Karachi. She received a scholarship to do her MA in literature from

Laval University Laval means ''The Valley'' in old French and is the name of: People * House of Laval, a French noble family originating from the town of Laval, Mayenne * Laval (surname) Places Belgium * Laval, a village in the municipality of Sainte-Ode, Luxemb ...

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, which she completed in 1957.

Career

She joined St Patrick's High School, Karachi while Father Stephen Raymond was principal. Her teaching career with this school lasted for 34 years until the day she retired. In a 2013 tribute in the '' Christian Voice'' to the late Bishop Anthony Theodore Lobo she eulogised Raymond calling him "an educational visionary and leader." While teaching at St Patrick's she also completed her teacher training. Henderson became headmistress of the St Patrick's "O" Levels section in 1991. Under her, the St Patrick's "O" Levels section was an exceptional institution with strict discipline, excellent academics, and great extracurricular activities. Henderson retired in 2006 because of her failing health. She is remembered as one of the

teachers A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...

who "focused more on the lessons of life and character-building than the curriculum.""Service to God and Country"
Dawn.com, 1 May 2011. At an 18 October 2010 school reunion to celebrate the 150-year anniversary of its founding, one of her former students described her as "one of the most well-loved teachers and mentors." Another student, Roland de Souza, described her as "one of the best teachers" he had."A Life Well-Lived"
''Express Tribune'', 17 September 2015. On 6 May 2011, The Old Patricians (former students of the school) presented the Yolande Henderson Gold Medal to the top student from the Cambridge "O" level section at the closing ceremony of the 150th anniversary of the school. On 12 October 2012, the

Society of Pakistan English Language Teachers Society of Pakistan English Language Teachers (SPELT) is a professional forum for practitioners teaching English as a foreign/second language to facilitate effective communication and improve the teaching/learning standards of English in Pakistan. ...

(SPELT) paid tribute to Henderson, for whom it was said that "her students spread across the world are better human beings thanks to her guidance." In March 2013, she was asked by ''

The Express Tribune ''The Express Tribune'' is a daily English-language newspaper based in Pakistan. It is the flagship publication of the '' Daily Express'' media group. It is Pakistan's only internationally affiliated newspaper in a partnership with the ''Interna ...

'' to write a tribute to the late Bishop Anthony Theodore Lobo, a former principal of St Patrick's High School.

Death

On 5 December 2015, she died from intestinal cancer in Karachi at age 81. Her memorial was held the next day at Saint Patrick's Cathedral, Karachi.Mrs Henderson passes away in Karachi
''The Express Tribune'', 5 December 2015. She was laid to rest in

Gora Qabaristan, Karachi The Gora Qabaristan (Urdu: ; also spelled as ''Gora Kabristan''), or Gora Cemetery, literally transliterated as ''White (man's) graveyard'' is Karachi's only operational Christianity, Christian cemetery. History The original consecration of the K ...

Notable students

Rashid Minhas Pilot Officer Rashid Minhas ( ur, ) was a Pakistani pilot in the Pakistan Air Force. Minhas was the only PAF officer to receive the highest valour award, the Nishan-e-Haider. He was also the youngest person and the shortest-serving officer ...

Mrs. Henderson pases away
Dawn.com, 5 December 2015.

Legacy

An Inter School Basketball tournament called the Yolande Henderson Memorial Inter School Basketball tournament was initiated in 2016 in her memory. The tournament for both boys and girls was organised by St Patrick's High School and run by the Karachi Basketball Association.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Henderson, Yolande Heads of schools in Pakistan Pakistani Roman Catholics Pakistani women Pakistani people of Goan descent Deaths from cancer in Pakistan 1934 births 2015 deaths Pakistani schoolteachers