For More Information

Please call Ellen Mischke at 410-778-4100 ext. 35.

Horizons

If you are a public school child whose parents or guardians have limited financial resources, the summer months might loom long and tedious. However, if you happen to live in Kent County, you might be fortunate to be one of the 60–70 children enrolled in Horizons Student Enrichment Program at Kent School and be able to look forward to six weeks of learning, playing, swimming and nurturing.

In 2005, Horizons celebrated its 10th anniversary. The founding Head of School, Joan Merriken, and faculty member, Susan Comfort, brought this outreach program to Kent School in 1995. Modeled after the highly successful program at Country Day School in New Canaan, Connecticut, Horizons at Kent has grown significantly in its ten years.

This summer, we have enrolled children from kindergarten through eighth grade in classes no larger than 14 students. Each class is directed by a head teacher and two assistants with additional help from volunteers. This ratio of adults to children provides each child individual attention during all aspects of their six-hour day, which begins with academics and ends with swimming, field trips or some other form of recreation.

Through generous in-kind support, Kent School makes its campus facilities available to Horizons during the summer program, and Kent County Public Schools provide breakfast and lunch for these children. The requisite funds necessary to run the program are raised completely independently from Kent School although many donors support the mission of both organizations.

That said, however, each year students at Kent School undertake at least one project to show their support of Horizons. We have had successful bathing suit, holiday toy and new book drives over the years, and Kent School students send birthday cards and other greetings to Horizons students. Additionally, several former Kent School graduates have returned to their campus as paid summer assistants or volunteers, maintaining ties to Kent School and the community at large.

If you have questions about Horizons Student Enrichment Program at Kent School, please don't hesitate to call Ellen Mischke, at 410-778-4100 ext. 35 or e-mail horizons@friend.ly.net.