Reflections on an unexpected year Former staff and OE Liaison, Michael Pell reflects on his first year of retirement.
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n July 2020 I retired from my role as Head of Art and Photography at KES after 25 years in post. We had just confronted the first period of lockdown and had experienced teaching remotely, gradually coming to terms with endless hours of online contact. I cannot deny that I was desperately missing the buzz and vitality of face-to-face teaching in the art studios. Retirement had of course been carefully planned and thought through, but circumstances had changed dramatically. I was facing a retirement with no travel, no hospitality options, close family isolating, shops shut, galleries and museums closed and my wife working from home! The goalposts had most definitely shifted and everyday life was going to be very different for us all. The Headmaster often says that “nobody ever really leaves KES” and I’m delighted that I have maintained my links by being on the OE Committee and working closely with Claire Davies to help organise OE activities and encourage OEs to stay in touch with the School. It is interesting to look back and think about the last major OE event we held – the London Dinner at the Houses of Parliament in February 2020. Nearly 150 OEs from across a wide generational
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OElink magazine 2021
