St Mary’s Community Spotlight

Being part of a community, whether in a school, or your local neighbourhood, can be a hugely rewarding experience. Our very own Thea Field, a member of the Art department at St Mary’s School, demonstrates the power of community engagement. 

Thea is the Founder and now Lead of Girl Skate Cambridgeshire, a community initiative aimed at encouraging girls and women to get involved in skateboarding across the Cambridgeshire area. They host events, including girls' nights at local indoor skateparks, where participants can practice and enjoy skateboarding in an inclusive and supportive environment. The group focuses on fostering confidence and building a welcoming space for female skaters of all skill levels. This movement is part of a wider effort to boost female participation in skateboarding.

Thea started skating about 6 years ago and noticed that there were almost no other girls at the skate parks she was visiting. Influenced by Girl Skate UK, she decided to start Girl Skate Cambridgeshire. 

Thea noticed how intimidating skateparks can feel for many girls and that there was a lack of girls taking up the sport. She said

“I wanted to change that by building a community where girls of all abilities, and backgrounds could feel comfortable, supported, and empowered.”

Girl Skate Cambridgeshire runs monthly girls only sessions at the new skate park, The Warehouse on Coldhams Lane.  

Thea’s drive to go above and beyond does not stop at Girls Skate Cambridgeshire, earlier this year, she was awarded High Performance Learning expert teacher status following months of hard work. With her new teacher status, Thea encourages students to be creative, to ask questions, to be curious and to see learning not as a series of examination hurdles to overcome, but a chance to collaborate with their peers, refuse to give up and become expert cross-curricular problem-solvers. 

Thea is looking forward to “incorporating the techniques of HPL and the values of St Mary’s to advance the experience in the art department, and to help girls reach their full creative and academic potential”