NEW YEAR’S HONOURS LIST ELAINE FORSYTH OBE

Mrs Elaine Forsyth, (parent of former students and current staff), Head of Pre-Prep 1980-2019 has been awarded the most excellent Order of the British Empire Medal, for services to education in Surrey in the Queen’s New Years Honours List 2022. Elaine joined at The Hawthorns Pre-Prep, back in 1980 with a class of just nine children. Over time, this grew to an outstanding 240 pupils. Having been recognised throughout her career as a teacher that embraced children learning in their natural environment and being outdoors, she went on to teach children about the importance of sustainability. A career that has included being governor for Furzefield Community Primary School and part time teacher at Reigate Grammar School, Elaine was presented her medal by Her Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Surrey, Mr Michael More-Molyneux at a ceremony held in April at Loseley House.

CARA MCGOOGAN (RGS 2001-2009)

Cara’s investigative podcast series, Bed of Lies, about major British scandals has won seven awards to date, including News Podcast of the Year in the prestigious Press Awards and Features Journalism in the British Journalism Awards. After seven years at the Telegraph, becoming its first Narrative Audio Journalist, she is finishing a five month stint in Washington DC as this year’s Stern-Bryan Fellow at The Washington Post. An initiative established in 1979, the SternBryan Fellowship brings a young British journalist to work at The Post for 3 months each year. Being selected for this fellowship is an accolade few journalists get the opportunity to be a part of and it is said that some of the best British journalists are graduates of this program. Cara’s first book, The Poison Line, will come out with Viking, Penguin, later this year.