50th Anniversary Campaign

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.
 
Joan wrote:
Perhaps the most rewarding part of my job is watching the intellectual, moral, and personal growth of every Kent School student. I am always proud of their academic success, but seeing what fine young people they become pleases me even more. Learning to define one’s standards and values is an integral part of the curriculum, and it will continue to be.
 
This statement greatly inspires me and I will work tirelessly to ensure its continuation well into our next 50 years. I believe in the transformative power of a Kent School education and I believe that together we can accomplish anything we set our minds to do!”
 
Kent School is not the same school it was 50 years ago, or even 10 years ago. Schools need to grow and develop just as our students must.  We know more today about how students learn and think, and our knowledge in mind, brain and education science informs pedagogy and our understanding of best practices in education.

Kent School maintains deeply ingrained traditions that bridge generations, forever joining our students and alumni together, and preserving the very best parts of our extraordinary Kent School spirit. The best schools - Kent School included - balance achievements and progress in ways that fully embrace their history, while also embracing the opportunities that exist in
our diverse world. The power of our spirit, our community connections, and the balance of tradition and leading-edge programming, will propel us steadfastly into our next half century.
 
Kent School, located on the bank of the Chester River in historic Chestertown, is an independent school serving boys and girls in Preschool through Grade Eight. Kent School is celebrating fifty years of excellence in education in an unparalleled learning environment. The  School's mission is to guide our students in realizing their potential for academic, artistic, athletic, and moral excellence. Our School’s family-oriented, supportive, student-centered environment fosters the growth of honorable, responsible citizens for our country and our diverse world. For more information on Kent School’s Fiftieth Anniversary Campaign, Together We Soar visit www.kentschool.org.
 
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