CAMPUS NEWS
HEROES ABOUND ON OPENING DAY If there’s one common aspect to truly great school traditions, it’s that no one is quite sure how they begin. They seem to develop organically—novel ideas tried once, then repeated; new elements added here; different approaches tried there—allowing the activities to become better and more beloved each year. The tradition of Kent Denver seniors dressing in costume has that characteristic. Upper School Director Eric Chandler isn’t sure when the practice began, though it’s been a hallmark of his 11 years at the school. As for how the seniors select their annual costume theme, Dr.
Chandler says, “There is a senior dessert, usually on a Thursday before the start of classes the following week. Seniors and their families meet in Anschutz to hear from the Head of School. He then excuses the students, who meet in the Black Box with their class dean to decide on the theme. The deliberation includes generating ideas, debating them and then voting for one.” Seniors had just four days to create their costumes in the early years of the tradition. Recent classes have five. Opening Day festivities allow school leaders to welcome younger students to campus and set the tone for the coming year. But how does this tradition impact students—and parents—new to Kent Denver? Dave Finch, father of Emily ’24, shares his perspective.
Dear Senior Class and KDS Family, with a sense of immense year of Middle School, I began the day As a parent of a child entering her first parents, you too might as , arms awaiting her at KDS (someday gratitude for the opportunities and open , my daughter was unusually ). As we drove to school this morning experience this gratitude...it's glorious . I knew she was excited, accompanies deep and focused reflection quiet, a silence that, for her, normally xious speech about her ed, but nervous. My grandiose and obno but nervous. And she knew she was excit during a red light, only ing institutions in the country, offered participating in one of the greatest learn . “Ohhh! Speech denied,” she said. “Enough, Dave,” said my wife wound her up further (“Enough, Dad,” the Kent Denver driveway. offered my son). And then we pulled into a new place, without miliar group of peers—a new tribe—in Imagine yourself joining an entirely unfa How small and unknown, yet le. intimidated you might feel, how vulnerab , any sense for the larger context. How proportions. Imagine that feeling. Now e will be magnified to socially crippling mak t migh you tep miss y and ever joy that with e s racked with the sens for the occasion), waving their arm elders of your new tribe (dressed perfectly d, how safe and legitimate and imagine rounding the corner to find the g. Imagine how relieved, how welcome alon all p grou the of part a been d you' cheering you on as though loved you would feel. in her journey. I cannot rounded the corner to this next phase she as ning mor this hter daug my in This is the feeling that you inspired new incoming students. ngness to show up in this way for the offer enough sincere thanks for your willi rience this gratitude. It’s glorious. Someday, as parents, you too might expe Sincerely, Dave Finch
Tom Gallagher ’19 and George Kandel ’18 shared their plans to launch Sports Wagon, which will provide mobile skate sharpening services to hockey players using a repurposed food truck. “As a school, Kent Denver is in the business of figuring out what fuels our kids and what motivates them to learn,” Rand Harrington, Head of School, says. “In this case, each of these students pursued interests that went beyond the core subjects required for graduation and expanded into an interdisciplinary area that, I’m delighted to say, we support as well.” Kent Denver is in the
process of bolstering the assistance we provide to students who want to turn their ideas into action. “We’re bringing energy, focus and resources together into what we call Institutes,” Dr. Harrington says. “The Hunt Family Institute for Entrepreneurial Education and The Rollins Institute for Technology and Design are examples of efforts underway to support our students.”
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