On Saturday, April 6, Kent School celebrated its 50th Anniversary with an incredible Gala at Brittland Estates in Chestertown. The event served to honor the legacy of Kent School, reflect on the present and imagine the future.
At the Gala, we announced the launch of Together We Soar: The 50th Anniversary Campaign for Kent School. This $2.3M effort will support the Endowment and a Middle School Renovation creating new spaces for Academics, Science and the Visual and Performing Arts. Kent School’s mission is to guide its students in realizing their potential for academic, artistic, athletic, and moral excellence. The campaign will enrich the educational experience offered at Kent School by providing an even stronger foundation for all of its students.
Together We Soar will add an additional $1M to our Endowment, which will allow us to continue to be the best that we can be for generations to come. Our Endowment supports student financial assistance, employee compensation, professional development, and the Kudner Leyon Visiting Writers’ Program. Our Endowment efforts have been strengthened by a generous donor’s challenge which commits to matching funds of $200,000. The School is pleased to report that it is halfway to its Endowment goal.
In addition, Together We Soar seeks to raise $1M to fund a re-imagining of the Deborah C. Williams Middle School and existing visual and performing arts spaces. A two story addition is planned to meet our program needs. We are working with Albert Rubeling of JMT Architecture on the design. Our goal is to complete a STEAM Innovation Center with a new Middle School Academic Wing, as well as a new Performing Arts Wing on the second floor of the M.V. “Mike” Williams Gymnasium.
Nancy Mugele, Head of Kent School said, “I am so grateful for the visionary men and women on Kent School’s Founding Board, especially Founding Board President Ben P. Gale and Founding Headmistress Joan C. Merriken for their tenacity, resilience and perseverance in leading this institution. It is only fitting that the first gift to this campaign was made by the estate of Joan C. Merriken.
