The Mount Celebrates Generous Legacies With Moving Tree-Planting Ceremony
Invited guests, staff and pupils gathered at The Mount and then Bootham schools to plant trees to mark the generous, lifechanging bursaries kindly provided by the late Christine and Michael Johnson and, before them, The Stacey Sisters’ legacy created by T. Stacey Wilson in honour of his Quaker mother and aunts.
These lifechanging amounts were gifted to both schools by the late Christine Johnson (a Mount old scholar 1949-1954) and her twin brother Michael Johnson (A Bootham old scholar 1949-1954), through their charitable Trust The Stacey Sisters’ Bursary.
The twins had benefitted from the original Stacey Sisters’ Bursary themselves as children. T. Stacey Wilson created The Stacey Sisters’ bursary in the name of his female relatives in 1949 to fund places for a boy and a girl at York Quaker Schools. The Johnson siblings were so grateful for the opportunities presented to them as children that they wanted to pay it forward for future generations of pupils. The bursary was reinstated in January 2025 at both schools. At The Mount, The Mount School York Foundation administers the fund.
The moving remembrance day started with Morning Meeting at The Mount where The Stacey Sisters’ legacy and the Johnson’s bursary were outlined before a respectful silence. At break time (known as Choc Lunch) a tree planting ceremony took place with one of our youngest and oldest students at The Mount alongside Head, Anna Wilby.
The parties then travelled to Bootham School and, after lunch, a second tree planting ceremony took place with Bootham students, Old Scholars and Head, Deneal Smith.
Head of The Mount School, Anna Wilby, said: “This shared act of remembrance for Christine and Michael Johnson and their original benefactors, The Stacey Sisters’ Legacy, across both schools today has been very moving.
It has been wonderful to celebrate these lifechanging legacies and look forward towards all the amazing things future recipients can achieve as a result of this generosity. The trees at both schools will keep this bursary award in all our sights and minds, and each time they blossom in Spring will call to mind fresh opportunities ahead.”
NOTES:
- The Mount School York and Bootham School are deeply grateful to announce a remarkable donation from Mount Old Scholar Christine Johnson, Bootham Old Scholar the late Michael Johnson, and their charitable trust, The Stacey Sisters’ Bursary.
- This generous gift has established a Stacey Sisters’ Bursary Fund at both schools, providing support for pupils who would otherwise be unable to benefit from a Quaker education.
- The Stacey Sisters’ Charitable Trust was established by twins Christine and Michael Johnson to honour the Stacey Sisters, who in 1949 had created a bursary to fund places for a boy and a girl from the Warwickshire Quaker Monthly Meeting at the York Quaker Schools. Christine and Michael themselves were among the first recipients of the original bursary.
- Through The Stacey Sisters’ Bursary Fund, Christine and Michael revived this original bursary, honouring the Stacey Sisters’ legacy and furthering their mission of broadening access to a Quaker education for boys and girls.
- The entire communities of both schools, deeply appreciate the spirit of this donation, which stands as a testament to the transformative power of a Quaker education. Bootham School and The Mount School are steadfast in their commitment to providing bursaries that make a Quaker education accessible to pupils regardless of their circumstances. We extend our heartfelt thanks to The Stacey Sisters’ Trust and to Christine and Michael Johnson for supporting this vital mission.
- We look forward to working together to enhance further opportunities for pupils and to fulfil the inspiring legacy of The Stacey Sisters.