Kent School

Kent School
File:KentSchoolLogo.jpg
Location
Kent , CT USA
Information
Type	Private, Boarding
Motto	Temperantia, Fiducia, Constantia "'Simplicity of Life, Directness of Purpose, Self-Reliance'"
Religious affiliation(s)	Episcopalian
Established	1906
Headmaster	Rev. Richardson Schell
Faculty	89
Enrollment	565 total 88% boarding /<12% day
Average class size	11 students
Student to teacher ratio	7:1
Campus	Township
Color(s)	Blue and Gray
Athletics	21 Interscholastic Sports 62 Interscholastic Teams
Mascot	Lion
Website	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.

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. This mission is continued today with the Kent Parents Fund and Kent's 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.

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.

In 1995 Kent School partnered with Microsoft, Toshiba and 29 other pioneer schools creating the Anytime Anywhere Learning program. This program equips Kent students with laptop computers that can be used 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.

Kent School is a member of the athletics Founders League of New England prep schools. 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.

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)

Kent School in Media

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

Notable alumni

Notable alumni of Kent School include:

• His Royal Highness Prince Carl Philip Edmund Bertil, Duke of Värmland, Second in line to the Swedish Throne (Left after two years to finish at Lundsbergs upper secondary school)
• Lord Rothmere, 4th Viscount Rothmere, Chairman of Daily Mail and General Trust (post-graduate year after Gordonstoun School, Scotland)
• Paul Bremer, U.S. Presidential Envoy and "Administrator of Iraq" after the 2003 Invasion of Iraq (Left sometime in the late 1950s to finish high-school at Phillips Academy)
• Christopher Bancroft Burnham, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Management
• Peter Carlisle (1952-), Prosecuting Attorney of Honolulu
• Ted Danson, Actor, notably in Cheers
• Emme (model), plus-size supermodel.
• Peter Farrelly, Writer, producer, director (Outside Providence, Dumb and Dumber, etc.)
• Draper L. Kauffman, Class of 1929, Navy Rear Admiral - considered father of Navy Frogmen & grandfather of Navy SEALs.
• Sidney D. Kirkpatrick, Author
• Seth MacFarlane, Creator of Family Guy and American Dad animated series
• John Rawls, Philosopher
• K.T. Tunstall, Musician
• Cyrus Vance, Former United States Secretary of State
• Treat Williams, Actor
• Theodore F. Brophy, Former Chairman and CEO, Verizon Communications Inc., (formerly GTE)
• Sir Richard B. Dearlove KCMG, OBE , Former Chief of MI6, British Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) (1999-2004)

External links

• Kent School website
• Kent School review by boardingschoolreview.com.