Head of School

Greetings from the Hillside!

Hard as it is to believe, we are in the home stretch, with only three weeks left in the academic year. The leaves are all starting to pop, the grass is almost ready to be cut for the first time, and the boys’ dress is becoming decidedly more casual, despite our best efforts. Spring is here, and we are almost done. Prize Day is May 13, and Alumni Weekend is June 9-11.

We just celebrated Earth Day in the same fashion we have done for the last few decades, collecting litter and cleaning up the roads within a five-mile radius of School on a beautiful day in April. We had lots of support for the job well done by local organizations and the townspeople of South Kent and surrounding areas, including the following social media comment from our partner in the cleanup, Kent Conservation Commission:“Thank you, South Kent School for picking up 10+ miles of roads in Kent on Friday! Our roads are looking much cleaner because of your hard work.”

All of our boys and community participants did a fantastic job doing their part, but some select students were deemed “All Stars” of the day, including Austin Michaud, Connor Broderick, Mikey Azinge, Colin McCarthy, Jason Schofield, Bodhi Walsh, Chris Reiniger, Braden O'Neill, Connor Hoy, Dylan Margel, and Owen Bresson.

Father Klots continues spearheading our service and outreach program, leading the students in their efforts to make a difference in the wider world and answer their call to serve. The program has our students making monthly trips to the Church Street Eats feeding and clothing distribution program at the Episcopal Christ Church Cathedral in Hartford, where they arrive early to help prepare the meals before the doors open at noon. Our volunteers also frequent Trinity Episcopal Church on the Green’s worship service and feeding program Chapel on the Green, where students prepare bagged lunches that feed the underserved of New Haven. On a weekly basis, students have been helping in several community projects in and around Kent, volunteering their time with projects at the Kent Memorial Library, Kent Mining Museum, and the Morning Star Retirement Home.

Also last week, for the 2nd year in a row, South Kent School students and community members joined together to address the challenges of food insecurity and hunger in Connecticut through an initiative called South Kent School Feeds the Need. Prefect Junkun Zhang and Fourth Form VP Perscis Sackey led the efforts to collect nonperishable food, personal care items, and monetary donations to help the Kent Food Bank feed 100 residents in need in our small town of Kent. The student volunteers collected food and cash donations on campus and spent their Saturday outside Davis IGA, the local grocery store in town, distributing lists of sought-after items by the Kent Food Bank to shoppers entering the store. Thank you to all the students and community participants who gave their time, efforts, and donations to help those less fortunate than us.

The second annual South Kent School Intramural Basketball League (SKSIBL) is underway, with nine teams battling in the regular season to play in the championship round in two weeks. The coaches and general managers (members of the basketball program) held a draft with an intricate set of team requirements designed by Commissioner Griffin Davis '24, who developed the league last year. These draft requirements ensure that every team comprises a mix of different forms, faculty/staff members, and students from different athletic teams. As it was last year, the SKSIBL is a wonderful community-building event that generates lots of enthusiasm from players and fans alike. There are four games on Tuesday and Thursday nights, and while the quality of play is not entirely up to the level of play in the winter, the gym is generally packed with spectators enjoying the friendly competition and showing their support.

On Saturday, April 1, St. Michael’s Chapel was packed for A Celebration of Life for Noble Foster Richards '49, Fifth Headmaster of South Kent School. Alumni and friends of Nobby's from all over the country attended and made it an exceptional day. Please click on the highlighted text if you would like to see a copy of the service bulletin, the homily offered by Rev. Michael Corrigan, or read the remarks from Nobby’s granddaughter Sarah Richards, Sam Simmons '68, Lawrence A. Smith '73, or Nobby’s eldest son Tim Richards '75.

After the service, we had a reception in the Old Building, though the weather was so beautiful many people never left the Courtyard. Among the many different friends of Nobby to attend were former “Faculty Brats.” We took the opportunity to get a picture, overseen by senior “Faculty Brat” Maggie Bartlett, of assembled Richards, Bartletts, Browns, Dingmans, Wallers, Farrs, Smiths, Aikens, and many more, including some of Nobby’s grandchildren and Little Billy.

In other alumni news, I am pleased to announce that Peter Thomspon '67 has joined our Alumni and Development team. He will reach out and collaborate with Class Agents to coordinate and enhance their efforts in the upcoming months. Read more about Peter here.

Our plans for Alumni Weekend and the launch of the Centennial celebrations are well underway! I hope to see you on campus for this special event and/or at one of the Centennial events we will hold around the country in the coming year. If you have not done so already, please mark your calendars for our big Centennial events and register now for Alumni Weekend 2023.

• Alumni Weekend 2023 on June 9–11, 2023 (Golf Tournament on June 8): Click here for more details.
• Founder’s Day on September 30, 2023
• Alumni Weekend 2024 on June 7-9, 2024 (Golf Tournament on June 6)

As always, please let me know if you have any questions. 

My very best regards,

Lawrence A. Smith 
Head of School