When you come to Kents Hill School there's a variety of different activities you can participate in—clubs, classes, sports, arts, and so much more. However, some activities are an absolute MUST! Here, in no particular order, are the 101 things you have to do at Kents Hill before you graduate gathered from Kents Hill students.
As the first semester of the 2020-2021 school year comes to an end, there's a lot of reflection to be done. It seems like only a few days ago I was arriving on campus, enjoying the sun, the autumn air, the rain, and the constant laughter and chatter from students. It's spectacular to have the chance to experience my last fall on the Hill as a senior and it feels strange to know this is my last one.
Today, Monday, January 18, is Martin Luther King Jr. Day (MLK Day) and as such, our students are shifting from their normal academic programming to a special group of programs steeped in the ideas of civil rights, protesting, culture, bias, racism, and overall history. MLK Day does not exist in a vacuum, though we understand it may seem that way if one is receiving their information via social media alone.
Earlier this week, I opened Kents Hill School’s second semester by talking to our students, faculty, and staff about three words that would guide me as we turn the corner from 2020 to 2021. Gratitude. Hope. Inspiration. I must say that only a few hours later, my guiding words were challenged and tested by the disturbing events that unfolded in our nation’s capital. The peaceful transfer of power in our country - one of our hallmarks - was being disrupted by violence, anger, and division.
Thanks to the incredible work of our campus leaders, our wonderful staff/faculty, the Student Council, and individual students like TJ F. (who organized the NFL pick game that was wildly popular) we have ended the Food & Fuel fundraising campaign stronger than ever before.
Many students choose independent boarding and day schools for the stability they may not have otherwise been offered; Mr. Jeff Munson, our STEAM Division Head and Director of Community Engagement is no exception. It’s hard to believe that Munson has been at Kents Hill School for 20 years and all at once, it is undeniable as everyone knows him. Anyone who meets him knows that his high energy and passion for the community, on and off-campus, is infectious. Today, we sat down with him to talk about his Kents Hill career and his hopes for the future.
Too frequently in life leaders are loud. That is not to say that there have not been successful leaders with loud voices. After all, speeches that boomed through audiences during different eras of history quite literally shaped some of the policies we still live by today. However, there is a distinct power in those who may appear quiet. Our Head of School, Christopher S. Cheney is just such a leader (at least in his role at Kents Hill School).
In recent years the word “community” has become a bit of a buzzword for high schools, boarding schools, independent schools, and colleges. We understand why. Everyone wants to be a part of something and it is clearly relatable. However, the rise in popularity of the word has not always coincided with the changes those schools would need to make to really understand and be a community. At Kents Hill School (KHS), we know that community is about connection and we want to explain why we are protective of a word that has always been synonymous with our culture.