Kent School

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Kent School
Temperantia, Fiducia, Constantia
"'Simplicity of Life, Directness of Purpose, Self-Reliance'"
Location
Kent, Connecticut, USA
Information
Religion Episcopalian
Headmaster Richardson W. Schell
Enrollment

565 total
88% boarding /<12% day
Faculty 89
Average class size 11 students
Student:teacher ratio 7:1
Type Private, Boarding
Campus Township
Athletics 21 Interscholastic Sports
62 Interscholastic Teams
Mascot Lion
Color(s) Blue & Gray
Established 1906
Homepage www.kent-school.edu

Kent School is an independent (private) co-ed prep school in Kent, Connecticut, USA. Currently situated between the Appalachian Trail and the Housatonic River, it was established in 1906 by The Reverend Frederick Herbert Sill.

Contents

[edit] History

Born in 1874 in New York City, The Reverend Frederick Herbert Sill graduated from Columbia University and the General Theological Seminary and served as a member of the monastic Order of the Holy Cross. He opened the doors of Kent School in 1906, at the age of 32. Fr. Sill retired as active Headmaster 35 years later in 1941 but remained Headmaster emeritus until his death on July 17, 1952.

In the ensuing years, Kent has been led by three headmasters: William S. Chalmers (O.H.C.), Fr. John O. Patterson, and Sidney N. Towle '31. The fourth and current Headmaster and Rector is Richardson W. Schell. A 1969 graduate himself of Kent, Fr. Schell went on to study at Harvard (A.B. '73) and Yale (M.Div. '76) before returning to Kent as Chaplain. He was appointed Headmaster in 1981.

Fr. Sill was also committed to educating students from "all walks of life." This original mission resulted in his "sliding scale tuition," in which families paid a tuition which Fr. Sill felt they could afford. Kent continues this mission today with the Parents Fund and the Financial Aid Program. Awarding more than five million dollars in the 2007 academic year, Kent's commitment to financial aid, relative to its endowment, ranks first among its peer schools.[citation needed]

Originally an all-boys school, the campus for girls was constructed in 1960. The girls' and boys' campuses were consolidated in 1992, resulting in the current, fully integrated co-educational campus of 560 students. Currently 46% of students are female and 54% male. Students come from 35 states and 26 countries.

Founded in the Episcopal tradition, as were many New England boarding schools, Kent has retained its spiritual affiliation in an era when many other institutions have relinquished theirs. Kent's diverse student body comes from a variety of religious backgrounds and secular traditions. Supported by two School Chaplains, students at Kent find an atmosphere which supports the beliefs and practices of all faiths by actively encouraging moral and spiritual understanding and growth. The whole school gathers at St. Joseph's Chapel for three weekly services, which often include a student, faculty, or guest speaker or performance.

[edit] Facilities

In 1995 Kent partnered with Microsoft, Toshiba and 29 other pioneer schools creating the Anytime Anywhere Learning program.[citation needed] This program equips Kent students with laptop computers for use in every classroom on campus. Since 2002 these have been Tablet PCs, continuing the spirit of innovation. In addition, all of the classrooms and dorm rooms, as well as the library and administrative offices, have access to the Internet and the School network. All dorm rooms are equipped with individual data and voice connections which provide phone, Internet, and intranet access for each student. All of the academic areas, dorm common rooms and many public areas provide secure wireless as well.

[edit] Athletics

Kent School is a member of the athletics Founders League of New England prep schools.[citation needed] Its mascot is the lion, and formerly, the fighting Episcopalians. Loomis Chaffee and Kent School have a long-running rivalry. The two schools take this historic enmity quite seriously, and have annual Kent vs. Loomis days in which both schools play a number of sports to compete for a spoon and a bowl.

[edit] Headmasters

  • Fr. Frederick Herbert Sill (1906-1941)
  • Fr. William Scott Chalmers (1941-1949)
  • Fr. John Oliver Patterson (1949-1962)
  • Sidney N. Towle (1962-1981)
  • Fr. Richardson W. Schell '69 (1981-Present)

[edit] Kent School in media

The book (and 1999 film adaptation), Outside Providence is a fictionalized account of Peter Farrelly's experiences at the school.[citation needed]

In 1999, the school's headmaster, Rev. Richardson W. Schell, wrote to a number of companies urging them to advertise with the animated TV show Family Guy, written by a former pupil of the school, Seth MacFarlane. MacFarlane's parents, who worked at the school at the time, resigned in protest.[1]

[edit] Notable alumni

Notable alumni of Kent School include:

[edit] Footnotes

  1. ^ Peter B. Carlisle, National District Attorneys Association. Accessed December 3, 2007.
  2. ^ http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-30923014_ITM "Ted Danson"], Saturday Evening Post, May 1, 2007. Accessed March 12, 2008. "Actor and environmentalist Ted Danson's first starring role was on the basketball team at Connecticut's Kent School in 1961, before his interest in acting emerged while attending Stanford University."
  3. ^ New MI6 spymaster named, BBC News, February 25, 1999. Accessed February 13, 2008.
  4. ^ Witchel, Alex. "Size 14, 190 Pounds: A Model Figure", The New York Times, March 12, 1997. Accessed December 3, 2007. "When she was high-school age, her family moved back to the States, settling in Houston, and Emme attended the Kent School in Connecticut, where she joined the rowing team, sealing a life's passion for strenuous exercise."
  5. ^ Navy UDT-SEAL Museum. "Navy SEAL History", Navy UDT-SEAL Museum webpage, 2004. Accessed October 25, 2007.
  6. ^ via Associated Press. "One-man campaign out for `Family Guy'", Fort Worth Star-Telegram, July 2, 1999. Accessed February 13, 2008. "Seth MacFarlane has been out of prep school for eight years, but the headmaster is still on his case. The top administrator of the Kent School is leading a one-man campaign to get advertisers to drop The Family Guy, an animated TV comedy created by MacFarlane, a 1991 Kent alumnus."
  7. ^ Thomason, Carmel. "KT's got one eye on the future", Manchester Evening News, March 10, 2005. Accessed February 24, 2008. "After school, having learned to play the piano, flute and guitar, she left her native St Andrews to take up a scholarship at Kent School in Connecticut, New England, where she formed her first band, The Happy Campers."

[edit] External links