Kent School

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Kent School
Temperantia, Fiducia, Constantia
"'Simplicity of Life, Directness of Purpose, Self-Reliance'"
Established 1906
School type Private, Boarding
Religious affiliation Episcopalian
Headmaster Rev. Richardson Schell
Location Kent, CT, USA
Campus Township
Enrollment 565 total
88% boarding /<12% day
Faculty 89
Average class size 11 students
Student:teacher
ratio		 7:1
Athletics 21 Interscholastic Sports
62 Interscholastic Teams
Color(s) Blue and Gray
Mascot Lion
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. This mission is continued today with the Kent Parents Fund and Kent's Financial Aid Program. Awarding four million dollars annually, 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.

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.[citation needed] This program equips Kent students with laptop computers that can be used in every classroom on campus. 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.

Kent School is a member of the athletics Founders League of New England prep schools.[citation needed] 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] Notable alumni

Notable alumni of Kent School include:

[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.

[edit] External links

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