From Mabie House

Brave and Brilliant 2.0

Years ago, when we presented “Brave and Brilliant Girls” for our admission materials, the Kent Place community embraced the concept, and it’s been part of our vernacular ever since. The magic of Brave and Brilliant is that students can define the words for themselves: There are myriad ways to bravely show up and brilliantly shine.

It’s been nine months since we unveiled our updated mission statement, “Kent Place School empowers girls to be confident, intellectual, and ethical leaders who advance the world.” Those 16 words have given rise to an equally powerful concept that in a short time has been proudly displayed on car magnets, flown on light-pole banners across campus, and woven into speeches by students, by alumnae, and by faculty and staff.

Empower Girls. Advance the World.

This concept is a bold declaration of what we stand for and where we’re going. In this issue, you’ll read about how it’s been brought to life. We celebrate our recent graduates, who weathered the pandemic with resiliency to achieve this wonderful milestone. We explore what it means to create a community where every student feels a strong sense of belonging. We take a look at classroom projects that spark students’ imagination and expand their sense of possibilities. And we make a case that the community created in schools for girls is transformative.

I recently hosted The Co-Co’s “Women and Work Post-COVID” webinar. The Co-Co, cofounded by alumna Christine Gilfillan ’84, is a women-led local business that supports women at all stages of life and career. One of the panelists was Michaela Markels ’19, who’s already making waves to advance the world. Read her story on page 51.

I’m proud of all we’ve accomplished during such a challenging time. As we approach Kent Place’s 127th year, our mission endures, the empowerment of women matters, and I’m overjoyed to lead our remarkable school.

Yours for Kent Place,

Jennifer C. Galambos Head of School

Kent Place

EDITOR Rachel Naggar P ’25 Director of Communications

ADVANCEMENT EDITOR Coral Butler Brooks Director of Advancement

ALUMNAE EDITOR Aimee Bousquet Singer ’88 P ’25 Advancement Communications Manager

CONTRIBUTORS Lori L. Ferguson Julie Gentile Grace Kennedy Bobbi Moran Alison Odze Erin Peterson Lainey Segear P ’34 Edel Thomas Doris Troy, Copy Editor Julia Wall

CREATIVE DIRECTION & DESIGN 2COMMUNIQUÉ

COVER ARTIST John Jay

PHOTOGRAPHERS Will Hauser John O’Boyle Michael Rubenstein Mark Wyville

PRINTING J.S. McCarthy Printers

Kent Place is the official magazine of Kent Place School and is published twice a year by the Communications Office, in partnership with the Advancement Office, for alumnae, parents, students, faculty, staff, and friends of the school.

Kent Place School 42 Norwood Avenue Summit, NJ 07901 (908) 273-0900 kentplace.org

We welcome your input: communications@kentplace.org