Admission in the Time of COVID
Tricia Cammerzell, Assistant Head of School for Advancement In early April 2020, as the Kent School community was coming to terms with teaching, learning and working remotely, I spent time worrying about our ability to open for the 2020-2021 academic year. Our re-enrollment season had passed and with only eighty contracts returned, I had my doubts. I am pleased to say we not only weathered the storm, we turned the storm into productive winds. We opened our doors on September 8, 2020, with 143 students, which included 58 new students across all grade levels. Enrollment continues to grow. As of March 1, 2021 there are 152 students learning and growing at Kent School. How did we get to 152? After participating in dozens of webinars hosted by industry experts with far more experience than I have, I learned no one had the silver bullet I was seeking. There were always a few valuable nuggets to take away. But by early May, I realized grinding through was the only path. Fortunately, I was supported by an incredible group of administrators and teachers and their stellar willingness to support the process. The first part of the process was falling into place. Enrollment numbers were climbing. Current families were re-enrolling. Their confidence that we would offer a superior academic program, virtually or inperson, was buoyed by the experience they and their children were having throughout the Spring of 2020. Our teachers were offering meaningful academic lessons for students in all grades, which regularly included one-to-one or small group instruction via Zoom, Google, or Facetime. Our students were moving forward with their learning. Our teachers’ efforts were coupled with the work of our Return to Campus Committee made up of key administrators, teachers from each division, and healthcare professionals who met regularly throughout the summer to plan for a safe reopening for as many students as we could safely accommodate. Some days it felt like we had thought of everything. Other days, we had to adjust our plans and re-tool our approach based on new data. As a direct result of this careful, all-consuming planning, I was confident in assuring prospective families and returning families that we would be safely open for in-person instruction for all students at the start of the 2020-2021 academic year. Word of our excellent program and our thorough planning was starting to spread, and the second phase of the process started to build. Inquiries from new families weren’t trickling in, they were pouring in. Then the applications came in. Over the summer, we met with dozens of prospective families and conducted even more virtual student evaluations. I am ever grateful to our teachers who willingly took time from their well-deserved summer breaks to meet with students outside or online. In September, we welcomed students from Washington, D.C, Centreville, Belgium, London, Galena, New York, Rock Hall, Spain and Sudlersville. We welcomed students who speak Polish, German, Spanish, Russian and French. Three sets of twins joined us! Our community of parents includes small business owners, surgeons and other health care professionals, bankers, farmers, diplomats and more. They represent diverse ethnic and racial backgrounds, as well as an array of socio-economic backgrounds. There are so many rich stories to savor.
Osprey Outlook 5
