Monday, September 21, 2020 marks the start of Week Three of in-person, on-campus instruction at Kent School. The academic year began on September 8, 2020 with significant mitigation strategies in place due to COVID-19. With student and employee safety at the forefront of all planning, students are at school with face coverings, their desks are six feet apart, we have created individual kits of materials, and we are outdoors as much as possible. Families are adjusting to staggered arrival and dismissal times as well as the temporary suspension of school sponsored transportation services, extended day hours, and interscholastic athletics.
Nancy Mugele, Head of Kent School said, “These changes coupled with our intentionally small class size, spacious classrooms, extensive outdoor space, and deep employee commitment have allowed us to open for on campus instruction for all students from Preschool through Eighth Grade.” Mugele continued, “Some of these necessary strategies go against our traditional community building habits. For example, we are discouraging sharing of any kind and we are not having students from different grade levels interact to keep our cohorts safe. I know our Third Grade students miss their weekly reading partners in LIttle School. However, the irony is that these strategies are in place expressly to keep our community robust and healthy during this unprecedented time.” For families interested in pursuing on-campus, in-person instruction, Kent School offers rolling admission and can accept qualified new students in several grade levels. Contact the Admission Office for more information at admissions@kentschool.org.
Administrators at Kent School have been committed to returning to campus since the late spring. Even with an effective distance learning plan in place from March through June, the School’s administrative team agreed that there is no substitute for in-person instruction for students of any age, but especially for our youngest learners. In order to ensure the safest possible return-to-campus, a committee including administrators, teachers and health-care professionals was formed. The Return-to-Campus Committee worked tirelessly over the summer to prepare classrooms, purchase dozens of hand sanitizing stations, refit bathrooms with touchless faucets, soap and towel dispensers, clean and upgrade filters in the air handlers. Melissa Haber, Assistant Head of School for Finance and Operations said, “Our team has worked beyond expectations to ensure a safe return to school. We rented tents so we can maximize outdoor instruction for all students. We even went as far as purchasing folding camp chairs and lap desks for each student to make outdoor instruction more comfortable.” The Return to Campus Committee also worked with guidance from the Kent County Health Department. Health Department representatives toured the campus and supported the school’s decision to return to campus. The Kent County Health Department continues to advise administrators, and visited the school on opening day to ensure the safety of all students and all employees on campus.
Remaining on campus requires everyone’s commitment. Head of School, Mugele, continued “We all have to remain diligent and disciplined. We are here not only to educate our students but to support one another in all of our efforts. We also realize that events beyond our control could force us to return to distance learning, which we call Connected Learning. We are prepared for successful Connected Learning with all teachers having completed Google Educator professional development. We also purchased Chromebooks so that each student has an individual device at school which can also be used at home. We believe that if we must resume Connected Learning, our students will be better served because they have connected in person with their teachers, which will make virtual connections much easier.”
Kent School, located on the bank of the Chester River in historic Chestertown, MD, is an independent day school serving children from Preschool through Grade Eight. Kent School’s mission is to guide students in realizing their potential for academic, artistic, athletic, and moral excellence. The School’s family-oriented, supportive, student-centered environment fosters the growth of honorable, responsible citizens for our country and our diverse world. Kent School admits students of any race, color, national or ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school.
For more information visit www.kentschool.org, call 410-778- 4100 ext. 110 or email admissions@kentschool.org