Head of School

We are coming to the end of a fairly typical February in New England where temperatures vary by 50 degrees from one day to the next and there is lots of ice, snow and rain.  Our snowboarders have had a good winter, our hockey and basketball teams are winding down their seasons with very strong results, college acceptances are coming in and we are just about done with Quarter 3.  On Thursday, Feb. 24, we had a Head of School Holiday and the entire school went bowling in New Milford, an event that looks as if it will need to be repeated annually.  Our weeklong spring break starts after our last commitments on March 4.

South Kent Feeds the Need

Fifth Former Junkun Zhang, a day student and resident of Kent, recognized that there are a number of people in this town who need the help provided through the Kent Food Bank, and suggested that we do something to help those less fortunate than ourselves. For the third week of February the South Kent School community–students, faculty, staff, and families–rallied together in an anti-hunger campaign called “South Kent Feeds the Need,” and collected food and cash donations for this purpose.

As part of South Kent Feeds the Need, on Sunday ten students and the Garcia family traveled with Father Klots to New Haven to take part in Chapel on the Green, a service and feeding program sponsored by Trinity Church on the Green for those in need in that city.


 

We would like to thank all who took part in this event–students, faculty, staff, our school families, and those donated at the IGA–for making a difference in the lives of others.

One of the highlights of February for me has been holding Zoom calls with various alumni classes.  These calls have been an absolutely wonderful way to connect and engage with our graduates, and keep everyone informed about what is happening on campus as we prepare for our Centennial celebration in 2023-2024. I encourage those of you whose classes are scheduled to meet in the coming weeks to join the calls!  They have been informative, entertaining, often hilarious and irreverent, and at times quite emotional.  And for those who have missed the call, do not worry - we will do it again.

There have been several recurring questions or themes on these calls.  One line of questions that has repeatedly surfaced is about the Centennial, and you will be hearing a great deal about this in the coming weeks and months.  The other most common line of questions is about current student life:  “Do you still pick potatoes?”  “Do you still have jobs?” “Do the boys still run to the tracks?” “Do the Sixth Formers still run the dorms?” “Do you still have hours, or points?”  Answering all of these questions in a newsletter would probably put a majority of you to sleep, but I would like to address a recurring and underlying line of questioning about our discipline system. 

Our Discipline System

Our discipline system has evolved from one (back in the day) that I think could accurately be described as “punitive,” to one based on the principles of “restorative justice.”  We do not have a system of points or hours, wherein Action A would automatically lead to Response B. Rather, through a series of conversations with a testing student, other members of the community will encourage, support, reinforce, and coach the student to meet or surpass all community standards of behavior with the underlying goal being education and restoring the student to good standing rather than punishment. 

At the lowest level, if a student skipped his job (for example), then the faculty member overseeing the job would speak with the student and then “write him up” which records the student’s infraction in our system.  Should there be more infractions, the student’s advisor  would meet with him  to discuss his behavior, with this conversation also being recorded.  Following the meeting, the advisor would notify the family to make them aware of the behavior and the meeting.  Should the advisor become concerned about the lack of change in an advisee’s behavior, the advisor would contact Jesse Brennan, the Director of Community Life.

Mr. Brennan’s first step, in such a case, would be to arrange a Meeting of Concern with the advisor and other members of the community teachers, coaches, dorm parent) significant in the student’s life.  During this Meeting of Concern, the adult members of the community express their observations of and concerns for the student and suggestions of how to support the student moving ahead.  Following the Meeting of Concern, Mr. Brendan and the student would construct a Plan of Success contract for the student to follow in order to achieve success and restore his good standing in the community. 

Should a student not meet the goals outlined in their Plan of Success contract, he would be called before a Judicial Board, comprised of both faculty members and students (usually prefects).  The Judicial Board reviews the Plan of Success contract, and discusses with the student the importance of remediating their status in the community, including conversations with or letters to anyone who the student realizes may have been harmed or impacted by his actions.  The Judicial Board might well amend the Plan of Success contract, which at this point would usually include a clause explaining that failure to meet the expectations in the contract will result in the student being dismissed from the School.  At this point, Mr. Brennan would then pass the situation over to me as Head of School in the form of a recommendation. There are very few situations in which I would consider altering the recommendation of the Judicial Board; they always do a thorough and thoughtful job.

For a major offense - still loosely defined as lying, cheating, stealing, bullying, or the willful destruction of property - the student would probably go straight to the Judicial Board and have a conversation with me.  If it were the second time that I had such a discussion with the student, it would probably result in the student being dismissed from school.

By getting away from absolutes in trying to define or somehow quantify every offense, we have also moved away from absolute and inflexible responses, resulting in a system that is remarkably consistent, but also personal, educative and restorative, and far more true our mission than is a system of automatic responses.

South Kent School prepares young men to succeed in college and thrive as thoughtful and engaged citizens in a rapidly changing and intensely competitive world.

Please let me know if you have questions about any of the above information.  I hope to see you at Alumni Weekend this spring, and please consider returning to campus for any or all of the Centennial celebrations which will begin in earnest in May 2023. 

My very best regards,