Profile of Miss Cecile Marcel |10 July 2019
Miss Cecile
‘A beautiful soul is gone’
Barely five months after being diagnosed with cancer, Cecile Eliza Brigitte Marcel passed away on July 1, 2019, the day her eldest son Keith turned 14, and was laid to rest together with her mum Gemma at the Mont Fleuri cemetery on Friday July 5, 2019.
She has left behind her father Bernard, companion Terrence, sons Keith and Joey, sisters Nadia, Maria and Jennifa, and brother Ryan.
Miss Cecile got a funeral ceremony fit for a queen inside a packed Cathedral of Immaculate Conception as family, friends and the many admirers and students she has taught celebrated her life and legacy.
Born on August 17, 1978 and the second in a family of five children – four girls and one boy – she was a teacher by profession and had reached the rank of head teacher.
Known to her students and colleagues as Miss Cecile, Cecile Eliza Brigitte Marcel decided to become a teacher upon completion of her Advanced Level Studies at the Seychelles Polytechnic, School of Humanities and Science in December 1998.
Her teacher education journey began in January 1999 at the then National Institute of Education (NIE). She completed her teacher training course and obtained a Diploma II in Secondary Education in December 2001, specialising in Social Sciences. Thereafter, she was posted to Belonie secondary school in January 2002. During her career she also served at English River secondary, Pointe Larue secondary, Anse Royale secondary and Perseverance secondary schools.
Miss Cecile availed of opportunities to upgrade her knowledge and successfully completed a Bachelor of Education at Edith Cowan University, Western Australia, in 2005. She attended short courses in Educational Leadership and Management in Malaysia in 2016, and Capacity Building for School Managers in China in 2017. Last year she enrolled on a Master in Educational Leadership Course with the University of Seychelles, which she had to defer earlier this year due to her medical condition.
During her career in education, Miss Cecile has held different managerial positions, such as head of department for social sciences at Pointe Larue secondary in 2009 and Anse Royale secondary in 2010; deputy head teacher for cycle 5 and acting head teacher in 2013 and 2015 respectively at Anse Royale secondary school. She was promoted head teacher of Anse Royale secondary school in January 2016.
Miss Cecile was receptive to advice and demonstrated excellent leadership qualities, which is why she was approached to take headship of the newly built Perseverance secondary school in January 2018. She willingly accepted to take up the challenge. She had a vision for Perseverance secondary school and she had planned a number of strategies to strive towards this vision. Miss Cecile also served on the national theme committee, where her contribution has been highly valued. She also worked well with her partners, seizing every opportunity to seek support for the benefit of her school.
Miss Cecile was always of a friendly and motherly disposition, and she got along well with others. She was an industrious, diligent worker, consistent in her effort to guide and support those under her responsibility to improve their practice and performance. To her students and their parents she was firm but compassionate. Miss Cecile earned all the respect that she deserved as a teacher and school leader.
The Ministry of Education and Human Resource Development would like to convey its sincere condolences to Miss Cecile’s family. Our ministry and our country honour Miss Cecile’s contribution in the quest to improve the quality of education.
Adieu, Miss Cecile. You will be sadly missed but not forgotten.
Contributed by the Ministry of Education and Human Resource Development