Text story and Video by Haofeng Li

Call to Adventure is the Affinity Group that was created by Mr. Pat Bonis. Not only can students get out and do some physical activity but also they can learn something from that experience.

Mr. Bonis is the coordinator of Call to Adventure. He wants students take risks and be successful. And he wants to them challenge themselves. The most important thing he hopes his students can learn is how to be safe and at the same time enjoy the experience.

“I want to cultivate that (young men are risk takers by nature), but also encourage a love for  the outdoors and how they can experience it and in a really adventurous fun way, to learn a lot of lessons about struggle and perseverance, and really overcoming some of those struggles,” he said.

He leads them to do hiking, rock climbing and slack line. He shows the students movies about people hiking or rock climbing, so that they can learn how to face problems and overcome them.

Kyle Wehmhoff, a Post-Grad, really loved Call to Adventure when he did it in the Winter Term. He said they did a lot of hiking, they watched movies and they learned how to slack line. The most impressive activity for him was the hiking. He remembers that they tried to hike 10 miles and he saw some pretty cool animals.

It was great “to get out, not sitting in the dorm all day and learn something new,” Kyle said. “I am sure some of us will survive in the woods when we are older.”

Sotiri Athanasopoulos, a Post-Grad, also likes Call to Adventure, because he can see news things around the woods and he likes to see the environment outside. He learned that he needs to be 100 percent sure about where he is when he is hiking.

“Back at home, l live in Montreal in the city. There is not much forest, not many trails like that. So it is really cool it is really fun get up in the mountains,” he said.

Students can learn many things not available in the classroom from Call to Adventure.

 

 

Video and Text Article by Miguel Rojas

iTunes U is a platform launched by Apple Inc. in mid-2007 for schools and universities to upload their courses to be available for the masses.  This means that for example, anyone with an iTunes or an iDevice can access lectures, lessons, look over the homework and actually follow the courses universities offer, for pure pleasure and completely free of charge.

South Kent school is putting an effort into converting all courses into iTunes U format.

But one may ask what are the advantages of this transaction. To start with, students may access the content when they’re away from the campus and can’t attend lessons.  The transaction is led by Mr. Gonzalo Garcia, Chief of Information Officer, and Mr. Phillip Darrin, Dean of Academic Affairs, who are encouraging all teachers to put their course content into iTunes U.

Two of the teachers that are fairly active in this process are Mr. Stan Vylet and Ms. Lynn Mellis Worthington, who are going a step ahead from all other teachers by uploading content and experimenting with the platform so they can then teach other teachers on what works best.  Teachers at South Kent School are meeting weekly to help each other learn how the new platform works.

“Mostly I’ve been playing around with iTunes U, with plans of enforcing it full time next year,” said Mr. Vylet. “I’ve uploaded pictures, files, assignments, I even tried to upload an audio file, and this is all for experimental reasons. I’m trying to learn the way it works.”

This year so far none of the teachers have extensively used iTunes U with the students. It will be introduced full time on the upcoming Fall 2012 term.

“I think its going to be a hybrid,” said Ms. Worthington, when asked whether iTunes U would have more of a future than actual lessons. “It is not going to replace classroom teaching, but its an initiative and a different way for us teachers to provide content and reach the students that are not on campus and for us to provide learning.”

The philosophy of South Kent School when such radical changes are being done, such as with the SmartBoards, the iPads, and now iTunes U, is to meet students where they are as it seems that this world is becoming more and more a technological one.

“The famous quote from the ‘Matrix’ movie,” said Mr. Darrin, “‘You hear that sound Mr. Anderson? It is the sound of inevitability. This stuff is coming whether we like it or not. We have a population of kids coming up who are tech-centric. I’m hopeful that we become a school that meets students where they are.”

iTunes U looks to be a great tool for students and teachers.  South Kent School is trying to keep up with tech changes as the world around develops.  This doesn’t mean that South Kent School is going to become sort of “remote school,” said Mr. Darrin, but rather a school that is giving and teaching the kids the tools of the future.

Video and Text story by Chenshu Rong

It has been two years since an earthquake devastated Haiti and the country has still not rebounded from the event. Volunteers continue to travel to the country to aid its residents. One South Kent teacher hopes to bring a group of students there during Spring Break.

The effect of the earthquake on Haiti proved to be very drastic for the country as a whole. Families were ruined, many lost their lives and homes, and food became scarce to almost the entire population. Economic well-being and stability dropped to an all time low, violence and the spread of diseases also rose substantially placing the country in a precarious state.

Last summer, faculty member Ms. Alyson Dougherty together with a group of college students, took a trip to Haiti to complete mission to work on building a school for the underprivileged children. She described her time there as fun and an experience she would never forget. Ms. Dougherty is intent on taking South Kent School students to share in this wonderful opportunity.

“I took a team of eight students to Haiti last summer, and it was a life-changing experience. So I would love to have the opportunity to bring South Kent School students with me this time, to give them the opportunity to see a different country and experience a new culture that is extremely different from our own,” Ms. Dougherty said.

Ms. Dougherty was delighted and impressed with the welcoming environment she encountered in Haiti. The Haitians were very eager to share their culture with her group and were also very interested in learning about American heritage, she said. Although the Haitians seem to be in a current state of turmoil, they still find time to engage in fun activities and transform a bad situation into a good experience. One example, Ms. Dougherty described as one of the best parts of her trip was her experience playing soccer with the children.

“The biggest thing is soccer and when I went last summer that was probably my favorite part of the trip was playing soccer with the community right outside the compound that we stayed in,” Ms. Dougherty said. “You can see that they have a renewed sense of hope and joy to find out that people still care, people still love them and are interested in what they’re doing and in ways to help them, and really they are looking for the skills of how to help themselves.”

Some students from South Kent School were also concerned with the issues developing in Haiti and expressed their remorse. Some even declared that they will be more than happy to go on this trip and offer a helping hand to the residents because they know that it will make a difference.

Yun Suk Park, a Sixth Former from Korea is considering joining this trip to Haiti.

“I have always desired to help those who are less fortunate. I have been blessed with a rare opportunity at South Kent School and I strive to assist those who are not as lucky,” he said.

Jangu Chothia, a Sixth Former from Ghana said these types of trips are important.

“The trip to Haiti would be a great chance to give back to those who are in need and also prove to them that they are not alone in their struggles. With just a little effort we can make a huge difference in a person’s life,” he said.

Video and Text by Ben Welton
Mr. Gonzalo Garcia loves South Kent more than anything. Over the years he has done so much for the community of South Kent. When interviewed, Mr. Garcia shared his complete story on how and why he returned to South Kent after being a student here. Mr. Garcia is a legend here on the Hillside. One day, when students leave this beautiful place, they will look back on the iPads, the emails, the underarmor sweatshirts, as well as the glorified AMG bus, and certainly remember who made it all possible, The Man himself, Gonzo Garcia.

The Digital Communications I classes were given the assignment to create profiles on faculty and staff members. Many of the people featured are new to the South Kent Community, but some have new roles this year or in recent years. The assignment was to work as a team, with one student writing the story and one student creating the video (which had to be 2 minutes or less).

Check out their efforts and learn some new things about SKS teachers and staff members.
Mr. Pat Crowley
Mr. Mike Daniels
Ms. Alyson Dougherty
Mrs. Stacey Gardner
Mr. Tim Henderson
Mr. Tom Javery
Ms. Oona Mulligan
Mr. Devin Rask
Mr. Keenan Sheridan
Mrs. Kelli Darrin
Mr. Kevin Vining
Mrs. Jodi von Jess
Mr. Matt Winkler
Mrs. Cruz Zoeller
Ms. Debbie Booth
Ms. Anne Bisenius
Ms. Kathy McCann
Mr. Ray Pennucci
Mr. Dillon Duncan
Mr. Rich Brande

Video by Riley Kirsch
Text by Keegan McCarthy
Given the opportunity to show it or teach it, Mr. Tim Henderson will readily display his knowledge for the subject of history.

Mr. Henderson is a 2005 graduate from Kent School, from right down the road, and a graduate from Bates College in 2009. Mr. Henderson discovered his passion for history at Kent due to a strong history program there. After graduating from Kent School, Mr. Henderson took his newly-found passion to Bates College.

“In college, my best grades were in history, so I figured that is what my major should be in,” Mr. Henderson said. He decided to return to the same general area in 2011.

Mr. Henderson graduated from college and began teaching at public school.

“I had been applying at prep schools to try and get a teaching job. One of my buddies at Salisbury had told me about the recent opening,” Mr. Henderson said.

Working at SKS feels very comfortable to him because he already knew one faculty member, Mr. Michael Benjamin, who taught him while he was at Kent.

Mr. Henderson lives just a few minutes away, and is also the coach of the crew team. He brings his experience of rowing for Kent to his new coaching position.
“We have a few experienced kids, but we are getting there,” Mr. Henderson said of the crew.

“I enjoy watching all the kids play sports. I am excited to watch a lot of soccer, hockey and basketball.”

Mr. Henderson enjoys being a big part of the South Kent School boys’ lives.

“Interacting with the kids at formal and informal dinners is one of my favorite parts of Hillside life,” Mr. Henderson said. “It is where I really get to know what the boys do and what they enjoy.”

Mr. Henderson’s knowledge for history started 10 minutes away from where it continues today here at South Kent School. This year he is teaching US History, which is a subject that he always wanted to explore with students.

“I have never taught US History. I had only taught Ancient World History, so it is new.”

Jim O’Connor, a Sixth Form prefect, is currently in Mr. Henderson’s Geography class, and has nothing but good things to say about him.
“Mr. Henderson is great person that means well, and (is) also a great teacher,” Jim said. “I enjoy his class very much.”

Video by Kevin Golden
Text by Jesse Schwartz
One faculty member will willingly display her lifelong passion for cross country and it is an interest that she’s had for some time. Ms. Oona Mulligan was awarded a scholarship to Providence College for her outstanding ability in cross country.

Ms. Mulligan always loved to run as a young kid and dreamed about becoming a professional runner someday. She was injured and is unable to assist the cross country team this fall as she originally intended.

Ms. Mulligan enjoys talking about how much she loves to run but also the dedication that she has towards teaching.

“I had a lot of fun and loved traveling with the team,” Mrs. Mulligan said.

Mrs. Mulligan decided to come to South Kent School this fall after teaching at a Catholic school, and then at a middle school.

Chase Priskie from Fourth Form said he is enjoying her as a teacher.

“I like Mrs. Mulligan, she is a good teacher,” Chase said.

One of her sons, Fourth Former Keenan Bennett, recently went to Rumsey Hall and the other, Post Grad Brandon Bennett, went to Canterbury. After going to watch her sons play their sports and hear about their academics, she realized how much she liked boarding schools, specifically the teachers.

“It seemed like the teachers were more committed,” Mrs. Mulligan said. She is enjoying the sense of community at SKS.

At the beginning of August, Mrs. Mulligan was given the chance to teach here, after her interview with Head of School Mr. Andrew Vadnais and Mr. Phil Darrin, academic dean. She didn’t need to think twice about teaching at SKS and took the opportunity.

“I have a degree in European History,” she said. Ms. Mulligan is teaching world history to the Fourth Formers.

Overall, Mrs. Mulligan has a passion for running and has the dedication for teaching which are very solid qualities to have as a teacher.

Video by Alex Poulin
Text by Riley Kirsch

Mrs . Stacey Gardner made the decision to take her teaching talents to South Kent this year. The eight-year teaching veteran decided she wanted more than just 10-year-old Montessori School students to educate.

The mother of two students here (Cameron, a Third Former and Ben, a Fifth Former) at South Kent, cited the school’s great philosophy, as well as a terrific work environment as her reasoning to leave her old school behind and to come to the South Kent Community with her teaching abilities.

Although Cameron enjoys being taught by his mom, he describes the experience as “no different” than being taught by other teachers.

Mrs. Gardner has been assigned the duty of teaching Third Form students the subject of history. She stated that she has taught history before, as well as other subjects ranging from science to math, prior to switching to solely history.

Although Mrs. Gardner has been molding minds in the classroom for nearly a decade, she claims this job is a “totally different experience.” The boarding school style here at SKS is a curveball to the teacher’s normal habit of day school teaching. Instead of only being in the academic environment for several hours, the teacher now finds herself surrounded by her students 24/7. However, Mrs. Gardner is fond of the idea of boarding school and sees it as an opportunity to truly get to know the kids she is teaching.

Although South Kent only began classes a few months ago, Mrs. Gardner is up for the task of this “all in” job as she describes it, and is looking forward to spending the rest of the year with the South Kent Community.

Text by Kyle Wehmhoff
One faculty member joined the school this year to coach the U-16 Selects Hockey team.

As the head coach of the Selects Hockey program at South Kent, Mr. Devin Rask is trying to build something brand new for the school.

Bruce Marsha, who is a UConn alumnus, called Coach Rask about being the head coach of the Selects. Mr. Rask then called Mr. Rich Brande, who is the director of hockey operations for South Kent. Mr. Rask had an interview with Mr. Brande and eventually got the job.

Mr. Rask is thankful to be a part of the staff here at South Kent. He wants to develop players to bring them to the next level, but he says, “it’s more then just coaching hockey, it’s developing young men”.

Mr. Rask loves being the head coach of the team.

“It’s more than just friends here, it’s a family,” Mr. Rask said in a recent interview.

Mr. Rask has a wife, who he met at Providence College, his senior year in 2003. He does not have any children, but he does have a dog.
Prior to the Selects Hockey, Coach Rask was an assistant coach for Weslyeyan University, as well as Providence College and the University of Connecticut.

Coach Rask appreciates the opportunity to be a part of the South Kent family. Mr. Rask loves his job and would not trade it for anything else. It’s about being a family and everyone looking out after each other, he says.

He said that the season has been going well for Selects. He has a lot of talented players, which makes it easier for the team to win games.

Chase Priskie, a Fourth Former, who is on the Selects Hockey team, is enjoying working with his coach.

“Coach Rask is a very good coach, who knows what he is doing,” Chase said. “(We are) very lucky to have him as a coach.”