Ms. Bendall has been at Emma since 2006, teaching various world history and advanced psychology classes, sponsoring Model UN and Philosophy Club, and serving as a trusted advisor and dorm affiliate. She was honored as the editors presented her with a copy of the book and shared these words from their yearbook dedication:

Ms. Bendall in the eyes of the Class of 2023:

“Ms. Bendall is not only my Psychology teacher, but a guidance counselor, a mentor, and a warm ray of light for the entire Emma community. She brings out the peace, the strength, and joy of students of hers.”

“Ms. Bendall is not only the kindest teacher, but she is also a teacher who goes above and beyond to make sure that everyone is engaged and has fun in class.”

“When I casually complained about being stuck in writing the bibliography for my history essay in freshman year to Ms. Bendall, she listened carefully to my concerns and sat down to help me, sharing the time when she was first citing sources for her paper in college. I felt so lucky meeting a teacher like her.”

For most of the members of the class of 2023, the story between us and Ms. Bendall started way back in the fall of 2019. During the pre-COVID days, Ms. Bendall was a dorm affiliate in freshman hall. Although Ms. Bendall had caught the attention of our class during her walks with her adorable dogs, Gracie and George, it was actually the grace within her that stayed with us throughout our journey at Emma. This made us feel eternally grateful to have met someone like her. From the jokes she tells when speed-walking with students in after school PE to the warm emails she wrote to students during COVID, Ms. Bendall never fails to care, encourage, and nurture her students with genuine kindness and patience from the bottom of her heart.

In the dorms, Ms. Bendall is always there to share her stories; on the track field, she is a speed walker; during AS Psychology class, she reveals the most mind-blowing concepts with a calm manner; in club meetings she is observant and insightful about the members in Model UN. Ms. Bendall is the light that shines through everyone in the Class of 2023!

These words acted as an introduction to this year’s theme, “Time Machine,” centered around capturing the ever-evolving nature of the Emma community. Congratulations to Ms. Bendall on being honored in this way by the Class of 2023! 

To see more photos from Gargoyle Assembly, visit SmugMug.