Inside King's-Edgehill School
Dear KES Family:
This has not been an easy week. Like the rest of the world, we are dealing with the challenges caused by the Omicron variant. No matter how difficult things may seem however, life has a way of sending messages that all our efforts are worthwhile.
I received an email this week from Taewoo Kim ‘20. After a successful first year at the University of Waterloo, he has taken leave from his studies to perform his 18-month compulsory military service in South Korea. No longer a trainee, he has advanced to the rank of Private. He is such a happy and exuberant young man that I cannot for a second imagine him as a fighter. It was both a relief and a surprise to learn that he has a supportive role as a cook. To quote Michael Jackson, I always saw him as a “lover not a fighter”. I guess armies really do “march on their stomach”. Without doubt, his kitchen would be a happy kitchen.
He told me that when he first received his 2020 yearbook, he skimmed through it. In the barracks, it is now his bedtime reading. It is filling him with memories and wistful emotions about his time at our School. He writes:
…I am sending this e-mail to say "Thank You" to be such a nice headmaster. I know it is a tough work serving for our country and I miss my friends and family. However, I will never forget our school motto that says "To be more." I will return to Waterloo as a second-year student after this service. Hope I can visit KES one day and give you a big hug. Take care!
I miss him too. In truth, I miss him and his twin brother Parker ‘20. Together and separately, there were times when they had the entire School in stitches with their humour on stage, or in awe of their martial arts skills, or cheering as their K-Pop dance club put a smile on all our faces.
The thing is, every student leaves their mark on our hearts. Saying thank-you warms that mark and makes every effort, then and now, worthwhile. Taewoo’s email also reminds me that some of the lessons we learn at KES are enduring and often gather strength later in life when we are alone and forging our own path.
Photo below: Taewoo and his twin brother Parker at the 2020 KES Dance Recital.
Sincerely,
Joe Seagram