Head of School

Greetings from the Hillside

Year 98 is officially in the books, and all things considered, it was an exceptional year. We graduated 68 boys, one of the largest classes in South Kent School history. We sent them off to a wide array of colleges, including American University, Amherst College, The Citadel, Colby College, Cornell University, Hampton University, Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Morehouse College, Princeton University, Randolph-Macon College, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Salve Regina University, The Savannah College of Art and Design, and the United States Military Academy West Point.

Prize Day 2022

Click Here for Prize Day 2022 Photos

Unsurprisingly for 2022, we had an outbreak of positive cases of COVID in the 48 hours before Prize Day and had to change all of our plans. We condensed three disparate ceremonies into one, under a tent leased 48 hours before the ceremony and in 48-degree weather and 30 mph winds. Despite it all, we pulled it off with only a few minor hiccups and many bright moments.

To start the ceremony, I recognized the SKS faculty and staff for their outstanding commitment to their students and the school. There was no hurdle too high or curveball too sharp for them to address and overcome this year, often on a moment’s notice. The final thank you went to the parents for entrusting their sons to our care. In what has become a wonderful Mother’s Day weekend tradition, the boys found their families and presented their moms (or other important figures) with a carnation as a token of their gratitude for the support and sacrifices that were made in sending them to South Kent School. 

Another highlight of the proceedings was awarding the first Douglas McCrory Denham ‘65 Award for Excellence in Modern Languages to our inaugural winner: Paolo Enrico Mangiafico. Doug’s family established this new award in his memory, and many of the family members were on hand to witness its first presentation, including wife Dede, brother Jim, children Bill and Dina, and many others. The citation reads: 

“Douglas McCrory Denham ‘65 Award for Excellence in Modern Languages was established in 2021 in memory of Doug Denham for his commitment to bringing the joy of learning modern languages to generations of South Kent School students. He came to South Kent in 1959 as a second form student from Lima, Peru. Fluent in Spanish but not in English, he overcame his difficulties in language and went on to have a distinguished academic and athletic career at South Kent as a six-year boy, being named Head Prefect in his senior year. After attending Hobart College, Doug joined the South Kent faculty in 1969 and founded the Modern Languages Department, teaching countless students both Spanish and French. During his 25-year career at South Kent, he not only formed the pillar of modern language instruction but was also a distinguished coach in wrestling, hockey, soccer, lacrosse, and tennis. This cup is awarded to the South Kent School student who shows the highest level of excellence in Modern Languages.”  

Before diplomas are presented, it is an annual privilege of the Head of School to give the Prize Day address. I chose to talk about a non-traditional graduation topic: the inevitability and necessity of adolescent failure.  

"I started thinking about failure after making two recent observations. 

First, I was returning from LaGuardia airport a few weeks ago and was stuck in traffic behind a young man driving a dinged-up car that sported a bumper sticker that read: “I have obviously made some bad decisions.” I am not sure if the bumper sticker was addressing the young man’s driving skills or his cognitive development. Either way, it seemed to me to be a proudly definitive statement of adolescent decision-making.

Second, at lunch a few weeks ago, I was having a conversation with Simone, JunWei, and Danny about phone use and screen time. We looked around the room and noticed that at least half the boys at most of the tables were immersed in their phones, with their attention focused far outside the dining hall and the communal meal, despite it being a “No Tech Zone.” Among other issues with this scenario, we have largely failed to wean our students from their device dependence.  

These two incidents inspired me to talk today about failure, contradiction, and our Trinity of Values: Simplicity of Life, Self Reliance, and Directness of Purpose."

Should you be interested in reading the entire address, you can do so HERE.

Prize Day Challenge 2022



 

Besides Prize Day and other end-of-year celebrations, there were two other notable spring events that had the campus abuzz: Prize Day Challenge 2022 and the South Kent School Intramural Basketball League.

On April 12 and 13, we hosted our annual Prize Day Challenge, a wonderful community event that offers South Kent School alumni, parents, and friends an opportunity to support our students, faculty, staff, and programs through gifts to The South Kent Fund. This year's event was a tremendous success, thanks to more than 350 donors and the matches that were made possible by a small group of very generous alumni. Thank you to all who participated, with a special shoutout to Mr. Cardinal himself, whose dance moves around campus surely boosted support and enthusiasm to make this year’s Challenge one of our best yet!

South Kent School Intramural Basketball League

We talk a lot about the Trinity of Values here at South Kent, and there is nothing more special than seeing those values come to life among our student body. Upon returning from Spring Break, Griffin Davis ’24 saw the need for an on-campus initiative that could boost school spirit and keep the boys active through the end of the year. Thus, the South Kent School Intramural Basketball League was born, with Griffin overseeing all league activities as the commissioner. Eight evenly-matched teams were created, with players from every cohort, including faculty members, and Prep Basketball players acting as coaches and referees. Games were played twice weekly in the early evening hours. The whole school was invited to the final game, which was live-streamed before a packed house with Mr. Chillious and Mr. Garcia as the commentators. The games sparked so much enthusiasm and joy among the boys that they are already dreaming about similar projects to undertake next year. For his work as the driving force behind the SKSIBL, Commissioner Davis was awarded the “School Spirit Award” during the Underformer Awards Ceremony by Fr. Klots, who, despite many raucous chants of “PUT - FATHER - IN!” did not register any playing minutes during the final game.

As you can tell, it has been a busy couple of weeks here on the Hillside. I hope to see many of you back on campus for Alumni Weekend, May 20-22. In the meantime, please let me know if you have any questions, observations, or concerns.

My very best regards,

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