To Kent Place Forever

To Brave and brilliant, the 76 graduating seniors sat together as a class for the final time on Saturday, June 5.

Kent Place Forever

Sophia Paris, Samara Grannum, Skylar Lienhardt, and Paulina Kachalova

“And now, Class of 2021, I want you to know one thing: You are already enough. If your whole contribution to humankind consisted of those things you’ve already done, that would be more than enough. You have made someone happier. You have made a place better. You are already so much more than enough. No diploma, no degree, no award or job title or honor will ever measure up to the purity of your hearts. Nothing remains to be done with your lives except to live them.”

—DR. AUBREY PORTERFIELD, ENGLISH TEACHER AND CLASS OF 2021 DEAN

Ellie Hegeman ’22 Dr. Aubrey Porterfield

Jenna Smith and Aya Mtume

THE CITIZENSHIP CUP Considered the school’s highest honor, the Citizenship Cup is awarded to that member of the senior class who, during her time at KPS, by vote of all the faculty and students in the Upper School, has shown herself to be an outstanding example of student citizenship. Over the years, it has come to mean that the recipient has evinced the traits of loyalty, pride in the school, courage in the face of unpopular decisions, and friendliness and helpfulness to classmates, to younger students, and to faculty. This year’s Citizenship Cup was presented to Jenna Smith.

Chair of the Board Alex Crispo, Head of School Dr. Jennifer Galambos, and Upper School Director Nicole Hager

Claire Bryant

“THE TRUE MEASURE OF OUR YEARS HAS BEEN THE SMALL MOMENTS — THE UNEXPECTED LOUNGE CONVERSATIONS, LIFE-CHANGING TEACHERS MET, AND FRIENDS MADE. THESE THINGS CANNOT BE TIED UP INTO A BOW OR SUMMED UP ON A PAGE. IT WAS OUR HIGHS AND LOWS THAT MADE US STUDENTS, AND, MORE IMPORTANT, THE PEOPLE WE’VE BECOME.”

—AYA MTUME ’21 AND JENNA SMITH ’21, SENIOR ADDRESS

“Lifers” on the Primary School playground

Natasha Wan and Dr. Galambos “You’ve had to work harder than most to summon courage, to stay connected, to face vulnerabilities, and to challenge the frames that threatened to confine you and to define your experience. You’ve blazed trails for others and — without a doubt — you are deeper, stronger people as a result of all you’ve faced. You are — individually and collectively — extraordinary.”

—NICOLE HAGER, DIRECTOR OF THE UPPER SCHOOL

“THE GLOBAL PANDEMIC AND THE CRY FOR RACIAL EQUALITY IN THE UNITED STATES AND ON OUR OWN CAMPUS HAVE MADE THIS AN INCREDIBLY COMPLICATED TIME. YOU, OUR 76 BRAVE AND BRILLIANT LEADERS, HAVE THE EDUCATION, THE SKILLS, AND THE FLEXIBILITY TO BE ON THE FOREFRONT OF GREAT CHANGE IN INDUSTRY AND IN SOCIETY. RESILIENCE AND FLEXIBILITY ARE SKILLS YOU WERE CALLED ON TO HONE OVER THE PAST 15 MONTHS, AND THEY WILL LEAD YOU WELL.”

—DR. JENNIFER GALAMBOS, HEAD OF SCHOOL

Eliza Lox with Nicole Hager, Director of the Upper School, and Alex Crispo, President of the Board of Trustees

THANK YOU, ALEX

In addition to wishing bon voyage to the Class of 2021, we recognized Kent Place Board of Trustees President Alex Crispo P ’14, who after 11 years of exemplary service to our community announced his retirement.

“For a head of school, there’s no relationship more important than the one with the chair of the board,” said Dr. Galambos. “With Alex, I’ve had the great good fortune to work with a fully engaged, committed, thoughtful, and supportive leader.”

During his tenure, Alex served on every committee, attended hundreds of meetings, cochaired the Head of School Search Committee in 2017, and worked tirelessly on the development of the updated mission statement and our new strategic plan, Empower Girls. Advance the World.

The values we at Kent Place uphold must be esteemed by all. The qualities of integrity, compassion, intellectual curiosity, and commitment to our students have always been evident in Alex’s leadership. He has also championed transparency and discussion. His ability to meet unprecedented challenges, especially within the last 15 months, with a clear head and an eye to both the present and the future, has been unsurpassed. He has been an advocate for all of us — the school, our students, our faculty and staff, and the other members of the Board.

We thank Alex for his extraordinary contributions.

At the invitation of Mr. Crispo and the Committee on Trustees, Anne Grissinger P ’25 will now serve as Kent Place’s Chair of the Board. Learn more about Anne and the new slate of trustees in our Report of Gifts, which will be mailed later this fall.