Carol Anne Konkin , one of the teachers at the school , decided to retire in 2011 , and the next year , co-worker Susan Blanchard followed suit . “ I decided I was ready to retire , and I made my announcement ,” Susan says . “ And another teacher , Joane Sather , said , ‘ If you ’ re going , I ’ m going too !’ It snowballed from there , as Nancy Allen , Penny Macinnis , and even our principal Nancy Iriye decided they were ready to retire too !”
These six women had been working together since 1994 , when they transferred to the newly opened Michael A . Kostek School . They quickly became a tight-knit staff and formed friendships that went beyond that of typical coworkers . So , when they all said goodbye to teaching , they knew they didn ’ t want to lose touch .
“ We wanted to stay connected ,” says Susan . “ When you separate yourself from a place where you are used to meeting every day , it can be hard to find time and reasons to get together . We decided that the very least we could do would be to get together once a year .”
And so that ’ s what they did . That year , on the first day of school , the women met for brunch at Susan ’ s house . “ When we retired , we each got an old-fashioned school bell as a gift . Right when the bell was ringing at Kostek , we rang our bells too , and toasted all our old colleagues , the students , and the parents and wished them a good year .”
Nine years later , the tradition they call “ To Hell with the Bell ” is still going strong . Even in 2020 , during the COVID-19 lockdown , they met in the park for a socially distanced brunch of muffins and coffee to celebrate the day . “ When you first retire , it ’ s quite a different feeling ,” says Susan . “ One moment you ’ re at the top of your game , and then suddenly , you ’ re wondering what you ’ re going to do that will make you feel like you ’ re a part of something .”
The women meet throughout the year too , in smaller groups , for barbecues , game nights , camping trips , and more . Anyone who is interested is always invited , but it ’ s always anticipated as an opportunity to catch up and reminisce .
“ Our retirements took each of us down a different path ,” says Susan . “ Some of us became grandmothers , some of us started travelling , Penny even opened her own businesses . As we were getting used to this new part of our lives , it was nice to be able to lean on each other for support . Retirement can be a tough adjustment for some people , but because we had each other , we faced it with smiles on our faces .”
news & views WINTER 2021 | 29