March 2023 article
Marking neurodiversity week at Sutton High School we pay tribute to alumna, generous GDST benefactor and former Girton College, Cambridge, librarian, Helena Isabella McMorran.
To honour her memory, we have dedicated our neurodiversity section of the library, and named it ‘The McMorran Library for Neurodiversity’. This section of the library contains educational books about neurodiversity and books written in a style to support our neurodiverse students.
Learning Resources Manager, Dafni Cox, says, “The library’s neurodiverse section has an abundant cross section of books to support and educate our students. Helena Isabella McMorran was not only an alumna of SHS but also a librarian at Girton College, Cambridge and benefactor of the GDST, we felt naming it in her honour was a fitting tribute to her memory.”
Year 11 student Megan comments, “This is my favourite part of the library…..It has helped me so much to understand my ADHD condition.”
Helena Isabella McMorran attended Sutton High School between 1912 and 1916 before going on to read Modern Languages at Girton College, Cambridge. Following some years travelling the world, she returned to Girton College in 1930 to become their librarian for over 30 years.
She was described by her obituarist, Muriel Bradbrook, as both austere and a connoisseur of excellence, combining great dignity with great modesty. On her retirement in 1962, she became a Life Fellow of Girton College until her death in 1985.