Hilltop

BRICKS AND MORTAR Steeped in History

The oldest standing structure in town just became the newest feature of the Kimball Union campus. The Kimball Barn officially opened this May near the athletic field complex on Route 120. The structure— once a sheep barn owned by Daniel Kimball, a snack bar for hungry students, a ski room, and later a storage facility—will now serve the community as a welcoming event space and provide a landing spot for visiting athletic teams.

The barn, which sat between Rowe and Miller Bicentennial Halls was dismantled and the beautiful timber-frame wood from the 1700s was salvaged and moved down Main Street to the site of the former Penniman House.

“Somebody had the vision here to say, ‘No, don’t crush the building and discard it—save the best parts and make something new that will have value and usefulness for a long time to come,’ ” says Trustee Steve Taylor, who worked with the Academy and the Town of Plainfield on preservation efforts. “These beams and posts represent craftsmanship from long ago, and they’re just steeped in the history of Kimball Union Academy.”

The building officially opened this spring in time for graduation. The Class of 2023 Gift Committee worked with seniors and parents to secure funding for the event space as the Senior Class Gift. The class hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony in the lead-up to Commencement, marking its place in the Academy’s long story.

“This will be a great resource that will always speak our history,” says Head of School Tyler Lewis. “I think it’s going to be the postcard of KUA.” K

Faculty book selections available for students to choose from as their summer reading assignment through All-School Reads

Alumni of the KUA Fire Brigade have returned to the area and volunteer with the Plainfield Fire Department

Rings from the Baxter Bell Tower signaled the official end to the academic year on May 26

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT First Responders

At 3:44 a.m. on a Saturday in April, a pager woke Ben Lawton ’24 from sleep. The message: “barn on fire.” He peeked out the door of his dorm, Chellis Hall, to find an orange glow in the sky north of campus. His instinct was to run like hell to the nearby fire station, but members of the KUA Fire Brigade must wait for a partner before joining the Plainfield Fire Department on an evening call. Moments later, two classmates and fellow firefighters—Ava Mae Yates ’24 and Carys O’Connor ’24—streaked across campus from their shared dorm room in Mikula Hall. Lawton took off and joined them at the station, where they rode to the fire with Fire Chief Bill Taylor, Deputy Chief Matt Tucker P’20 ’27, Lt. Tom Robb, and Ryan McGraw ’98. Together, they were the first responders on the scene.

“Whenever there’s a fire, there’s something that lights inside you that brings excitement and nervousness,” says Lawton. “Even though we got there fast, it felt like it took forever to get there. A million different things run through your head.”

For the next six hours, the three student members of the KUA Fire Brigade helped knock down the fire that claimed the historic 1811 barn and moved on to the neighboring home. They returned to campus covered in soot and exhausted, as campus life hummed along as normal.

This is the life of the KUA Fire Brigade, a student organization that began 46 years ago and gives students the chance to train and serve alongside the town’s first responders. While many Brigade members have helped with traffic or alarms, a large structural fire is always a possibility when a call comes in.

“You know you have serious work to do,” says Darrell Beaupre ’86, P’16 ’20, faculty member and Brigade advisor. “You must put the fire out, but you have to keep the kids safe. There are certain rules that they must follow at the fire scene and what jobs they can do depending on their age and their training. Often, we’re outside the hot zone but there are also dangers.”

Lawton, who serves as volunteer firefighter in Shelburne, Vermont, is familiar with the challenges of fire service in rural communities. The Brigade was assigned to water supply, ensuring that water could reach the trucks in lieu of hydrants.

“The initial attack saved the house without a doubt,” says Deputy Chief Tucker. “They hopped off the engine and got the water going and turned to the house with the barn burning behind them. The heat was intense. There was a propane tank between the house and the barn that was venting when we arrived, shooting flames 10 feet in the air.”

For Yates, her desire to help her community outweighs the risks of intense situations. Her mother grew up on a dairy farm, where in 1998 the barn burned in a fire claiming her uncle’s life as he was trying to rescue the family’s cows.

“I was thinking this felt full circle,” said Yates, whose family prioritizes community service because of that tragic event. “It’s always been on my mind, and it changed my family a lot. My parents knew I could be hurt but they were proud of me.”

Lawton and O’Connor agree that being involved in the community is what drives their participation in Fire Brigade. Both come from families of first responders, and O’Connor joined this year when she turned 16.

“I’m really interested in firefighting as a career, and I enjoy being able to help people,” says Lawton. “This is about my education, but it’s also furthering how I can be of service and help other people.”

Today, whenever Lawton, O’Connor, or Yates heads down Route 120 on a trip to town or to a game, they note the progress on the home’s restoration, knowing that they had a hand in saving it.

“I want to continue firefighting and be an EMT,” says Yates. “Carys and I were the only female firefighters there that night and it had an impact on me. I’ve always been taught that I can do anything. I know I belong at the fire scene just as much as anybody—that’s what the Fire Brigade has done for me.” K