Sarah Elizabeth Siddons Mair was one of the extraordinary women who changed the face of education in Edinburgh.

It's 1865, and a 19-year-old Sarah decides to set up "The Ladies' Edinburgh Debating Society" in her family's living room at 5 Chester Street (a stone’s throw from where the early St George’s School would find its own premises). This wasn’t just a space where women found themselves with the freedom to “discuss public affairs without subjection to male scorn and derision.”  This was the beginning of a revolution in women's education in Scotland!

Sarah wasn't an average teenager. Coming from a family of performers, she had a flair for the dramatic and a voice that commanded attention. People described her as "an accomplished and eloquent speaker" and "the movement's activist." When Sarah spoke, people listened.

Sarah wasn't content with debate, she wanted action! In 1867, she and her friends - Anne Dundas, Margaret Houldsworth, Jane Urquhart, and Louisa Stevenson - founded the Edinburgh Ladies' Educational Association. This was the spark that would eventually light up St George's Training College for Women and St George's High School for Girls.

Starting a school wasn't easy in those times. Nigel Shepley, in his book "Women of Independent Mind," puts it perfectly:

"The founders risked their reputations in this bold adventure. Their mood that first year alternated between anxiety at the likely prospect of humiliating failure and elation in the knowledge that success would further advance the cause of women's higher education."

The school's journey was a whirlwind! They started with classes in St George's Parish Church Halls (you know it now as the West Register House). But word spread quickly, and soon they needed more space. They purchased 3 Melville Street, then expanded to number 5.

Finally, in 1914, they made the big move to our beautiful Ravelston campus. Two hundred pupils moved in, ready to change the world. We have certainly grown since then!

Sarah's influence wasn't confined to the classroom. During World War I, she collaborated with another Edinburgh legend, Elsie Inglis. Together, they ran the Hospitals Committee of the Scottish Women's Hospitals for Foreign Service. Talk about women supporting women!

Sarah Elizabeth Siddons Mair left us a legacy of unwavering dedication to women's education and rights. She put Edinburgh on the map when it came to empowering women. And today, at St George's School, we're still living her dream. We're creating an environment where every girl can flourish and discover her strengths, just as Sarah and her friends dared to imagine over 156 years ago.

So, next time you walk through our school or see our students confidently taking on the world, remember Sarah. She started it all with a single idea and a spirit of change!