<p>Does anyone know anything about Kent School? Positives and negatives. Thanks!</p>
<p>More nurturing and less hard core sink-or-swim than its more intense brethren, great athletics, best crew program in the secondary school world, spectacular campus, affluent home to celebrities and political high-rollers (Kent, Ct), stunning location (Litchfield Hills, known as the “Connecticut Hamptons.”) Very high financial aid relative to its endowment. Episcopal origin and connection, so some regular services and chapel.</p>
<p>Concur with Pan1956. One of our children liked it a great deal, choosing another school only at the last minute. However, her younger sister can’t wait to apply, she thought so highly of it when she traveled there with her sister for revisit. I would also add that Kent keeps alive its chapel program – which we view as a positive – albeit with the modern day concessions to students likely to be ignorant of or put off by religious life (i.e., most any teenager).</p>
<p>Founded in 1904 or 1905, has had only five headmaster/rectors, and they have all been clergy. The current one (Schell) seems like a very old school, traditional figure, which I see as a positive. He does not seem to have the pr/develpment type of approach that many other headmasters have (as they must, in the interest of fundraising.) My sense is that there are a lot of well-to-do kids from Manhattan, Fairfield and Westchester Counties. I have seen many other communities that are homes to prep schools (Andover, Exeter, Lakeville, Wallingford, Blairstown, Windsor, Concord) and I like Kent, Ct more than any of them. I am comfortable that my son will be very safe taking the five minute walk into town.</p>
<p>IMHO: Founded 1906, underendowed, lousy rink, beautiful setting on the Housatonic, town of Kent is kind of a shabby, surrounding area lovely, Father Schell has been Head too long, kids have a rep of being a little spoiled, great crew program, decent matriculation.</p>
<p>My son is very interested in Kent for next year. We toured last fall, but did not apply. He really liked the campus and how close everything was. He said that he felt a strong sense of community. He is a good athlete - good hockey and lax programs are important to him. Kent has these. We all liked the setting along the river (it’s beautiful!) and the town of Kent which is walking distance from campus (just across the bridge). The academics are very strong, and I liked the sense of tradition - coat and tie, chapel services, sit down meals.</p>
<p>A few questions about Kent:
Can someone tell me more about the Headmaster? He has been there since 1982. I agree that he does not come across as a “PR” type of guy, but is he a good leader? Do the students relate to him? Does he know everyone’s name? Is he approachable? Do parents like him? </p>
<p>Wondering why some of Kent’s facilities are “old”. Other schools with similar endowments seem to have building projects going on. Kent’s hockey rink is really dated and the athletic facilities are just ok. The dining hall seemed alright, but I was not impressed by the student lounge (quite small). I heard they might be building a new student center. Anyone know if this is true and when it might be built? Kent is beautiful, but it seemed a little run down. </p>
<p>Anyone know the admissions stats? How many applications, acceptances, etc…? And how many students do they generally take for 10th grade? </p>
<p>Does Kent still have a “zero tolerance” policy? If so, was there a problem at one time that led to this policy?</p>
<p>We requested materials from Kent, but didn’t visit, as it was farther away from us than other interesting schools. A cousin’s child attended Kent years ago. The cousin speaks well of Kent.</p>
<p>I was intrigued by their emphasis on technology in their materials. How does the use of educational technologies change the academic experience at Kent?</p>
<p>With respect to the headmaster/rector, yes he has been there a long time. However, in and of itself, that fact is not necessarily a negative. And to be frank, what does it matter if a headmaster knows every students name? Is that positive? Does it mean the students get more attention? Maybe it just means that the headmaster has a good memory. Yes, the facilities at Kent are older. However, the campus is beautifully laid out, everything including the boathouse is accessible, and everything is in good repair. In fact, we thought that the school was in much better repair than Loomis was.</p>
<p>I am not aware that a new student center is planned. With respect to “zero tolerance,” I understood that such a policy was the rule, and not the exception, among prep schools.</p>
<p>With respect to technology, they provide the same Toshiba notepad to all incoming students, at a cost of about $1,900. My understanding is that the campus is very well networked and that a lot of the work is submitted wirelessly to teachers.</p>
<p>My overall take is that for a student who has not quite reached the academic horsepower level that is needed to flourish at an Andover or a Groton or an Exeter, it is a splendid choice.</p>
<p>Father Schell, who took the job at a young age, isn’t leaving unless he wants to. fif’s understanding is the Kent board is pretty packed with his buddies. Witness the scandal he survived pretty easily a few years ago. But a 30 year tenure, while common some time ago, is very unusual these days, and again this is hearsay, the word is that he is a little out of touch.</p>
<p>In comparison to Kent’s “peer” schools the endowment is dramatically low.</p>
<p>There is no excuse, really, for how awful that rink is.</p>
<p>“Zero tolerance” hasn’t been the rule among most prep schools for some time. fif understands Kent’s policy, but comes down on the side which says that kids make mistakes, and usually but not always deserve a second chance.</p>
<p>FIF, I do not dispute anything that you say. My sense is that Kent is fairly traditional, with heavy old New England connections. In an earlier post you allude to a perception that the kids are “spoiled.” Would you mind elaborating?</p>
<p>Just hearsay again from being around a lot of boarding school kids and from, frankly, knowing a few who went to Kent.</p>
<p>And again, I am not disputing anything, but I wish to explore it. Given that many prep school students are from very well-to-do homes, I imagine that all of the schools have plenty of spoiled students and that no school has a monopoly on such students. Elsewhere in this community I have heard that the kids at Deerfield feel very “entitled.”</p>
<p>“Very high financial aid relative to its endowment.”
“My sense is that there are a lot of well-to-do kids”
These 2 points have been made. So what you’re saying is that there’s great financial diversity at the school. The way I see it is that it’s a great place to prepare your child for the real world. </p>
<p>FIF, it’s quite apparent that you’re not a fan. Also, who cares about the rink or the buildings. It’s what’s inside that counts. What’s inside Kent are incredible people. The education, the athletics and the Heart of this school is amazing. No flash, you just have to live it to understand it.</p>
<p>I agree that Kent is a wonderful option for students who are not quite ready for the “academic horsepower” of some of the top schools which is why we are seriously considering it. I also agree that the campus is laid out nicely - having everything close together helps create the warm community you find at Kent. When we toured the students were very friendly, and I have not heard anything about an abundance of “spoiled” students. I have heard great things about Kent, and my son really liked it. It is definitely on our list to look at next fall. </p>
<p>Leadership is important to us. Different schools have different styles of leadership. I was just wondering what type of leader Father Schell is. FIF - what scandal are you referring to? The Vanity Fair article written several years ago or was there something else?</p>
<p>How did Kent fair this year with admissions? # of applications, etc…</p>
<p>Actually, and I’ve posted this before, fif is a fan of Kent.</p>
<p>how rigorous is kent? and how good is the horse program there?</p>
<p>Wait, what Vanity fair scandal? Elaborate please…</p>
<p>Just got our registration packet. Very organized, as all the schools must be. Laundry service options are $500 and $750 annual. The Vanity fair scandal refers to the Seth Macfarlane controversy of the nineties.</p>
<p>Can anyone tell me how rigorous Kent’s academic program is? Does anyone want to share their overall opinion of the school?</p>
<p>This is what happened to me… I opened up my Andover acceptance letter and was very happy. I opened up my Kent letter and saw a higher dollar amount and my heart froze. </p>
<p>I called an alumni from the book of possible contacts(Kent office was shut down for spring break)… 15 minutes she convinced me. I’ll be done with Calculus by December or Spring, and Dr. Nadire basically told me that I can study ANYTHING. He will have 5 kids in the “post calc” class, and I can learn econ math, business math or whatever I want. </p>
<p>Kent places on emphasis on getting you to the college that you want. That is why their matriculation is pretty good for their size/stature. SAT prep and College guidance was so much more intense at Kent than any other school. I want college guidance to make my decision, and Kent had a better office than Andover in my opinion. My dad talked with all of them and he said Kent had the best “Coaching”. </p>
<p>Why I picked Kent: Scholarship lifted the FA amount above Andover and Hotchkiss.
Nurturing, relaxed, innovative and academically open. By academically open- They are willing to let a kid take advanced topics that they want. At Exeter they might not let you/the workload of one class might be too high to allow a student to take French and German or maybe Physics and Biology. Kent will allow students to do that.</p>