A special summer concert was held on Saturday to honour the life of a much-loved and fondly remembered teacher – Dr Michael McKinlay.
Dr McKinlay, former teacher of media studies and head of performance technology at Hautlieu School, died last September, leading to hundreds of tributes and fond memories from former pupils.
He was also posthumously named Teacher of the Year at the 2025 Pride of Jersey awards.
Former students were invited to reminisce and reflect on the legacy that Dr McKinlay left in the 25-year period he taught at the school. All funds went towards Jersey Hospice Care.
As well as the concert, there was a buffet and time to catch up with old friends before performance which showed off an array of talent from students and the community.
Emma King, a former student of Dr McKinlay’s who later became a colleague at Hautlieu, reflected on what he was like as a teacher.
She told Express: “I didn’t actually study media, but we had enrichment back then as well, so I chose media as my enrichment, and he led that enrichment session. Despite him not actually being a subject teacher, he did leave an impression and I think it was the way that he spoke to students and and dealt with students and built his relationships with students.
“He immediately put you at ease. I was a very very shy student at school. I found it very hard to talk to students, to some staff and adults as well. But he had this kind of nature where he would sit down and talk to you, and you would feel at ease.
“But then, coming to know him as a colleague and a friend, in the end, you see all those same sides. He always had time to sit down and talk to anyone about anything. I also appreciated his humour when I came back as an adult as well”.
