T16 Staff Member of Term

It’s hard to believe the first day of Term 17 is coming to a close. The amount of posting that has already taken place at the Opening Feast has been incredible, and the Author Café has been full of people dropping in and out since morning. The excitement for the start of term seems to be contagious. But before we get truly get lost in the plots, friendships, drama and pranks that are surely coming up, we on the Admin Team want to take a moment to congratulate our newest Staff Member of Term. Our staff members do an incredible amount for the site IC and OOC, from writing reviews to posting lessons, and this award is reserved for the author who went above and beyond in putting time and energy into RMI during Term 16.

And so, for all her wonderful work and cheerful enthusiasm, the Admin Team would like to recognize the author of Mary-Louise Clarke, our old librarian, as the new Staff Member of Term. This decision was quick and unanimous on our part, so clearly has she stood out when it comes to her staff responsibilities. She has been consistent in getting her lessons and other work done on time and will stepping up this term as our new Spellwork professor and Head of House for Lyra. She has also developed Mary-Louise into a hilarious, if somewhat terrifying, character who is fantastic to post with. As librarian, Mary-Louise seems to have had a slew of bad experiences but nevertheless has maintained her forthright verve and penchant for propriety:

She unknowingly inherited the two kneazles, Sir Balan and Sir Balin, who live in the Reference Center: “In the beginning she had thought Sir Balan was just putting on a bit of holiday weight, nothing to worry about. Except after some careful observation it became clear that SIr Balan wasn’t a Sir at all and the extra weight? Now that was something to be concerned about. Sir Balan had been expecting her own tiny brood of miscreants.”

Upon stumbling upon a “discarded crisp packet” in the Reference Center, “the image haunted her as she lay in bed at night until the Librarian could cope no more” and resulted in students finding themselves cleaning bookshelves without magic.

And finally, one day Mary-Louise walked in to find the Reference Center straight up filled with bubbles: “Bringing her hand to her hair she waded over to her desk and slumped down onto the chair. Shoes now kicked off and discarded she watched warily as children shoved limbs into the bubbles and tossed fistfuls at each other. There was no point expecting much studying to take place today.”

Mary-Louise’s author is in many ways the opposite of the often vexed and exasperated ex-librarian she writes. She can often be found in the Author Café cheerily supporting fellow authors in her characteristically lighthearted and authentic manner, and has been particularly helpful these past few weeks in helping new authors find their way around the site. It’s fantastic having you on staff, Mary-Louise, congratulations and thank you for all your hard work!