Progress and Growth, Even in Times of Crisis DEAR ALUMNI AND FRIENDS, in last year’s Bulletin, my letter focused on Kiski’s tuition reset plan. Launched in October 2019, this new initiative lowered our tuition to be 20% less than the average cost at peer boarding schools. The reset was an unqualified success, producing a dramatic increase in inquiries and applications. As of early January, projections based on historic yield rates indicated that we were on course for a record opening enrollment for the 2020-21 school year. And then, COVID-19 struck. We sent the boys home for spring break in early March. Just a few weeks later, we announced that classes would be delivered online starting in April, with students working from home for the rest of the year. Our remote-learning program earned strong reviews, thanks in large part to the impressive adaptability of our students, their families, and the extraordinary efforts of our teachers. As we began developing our reopening plan for September, we recognized that some of our students wouldn’t be able to return right away due to travel
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restrictions. We also knew that some parents wouldn’t want their sons to be away from home during the pandemic. Aiming to keep all of our students engaged and enrolled until they could all join us on campus, we developed a single integrated program called ONE Kiski to allow both in-person and online learning to happen simultaneously and seamlessly. The program was positively received by parents since it offered them maximum flexibility in deciding when and how their son would return to school, ensuring an uninterrupted educational experience in the meantime. In early September, we opened the new school year with an enrollment of 172 students with 80% on campus and the rest studying remotely. We had six months without boys here and their return brought unique joy and enthusiasm that had been absent for too long. Our comprehensive Health & Safety Plan, which goes above and beyond CDC guidelines, has kept everyone well in an environment that limits outside exposure. The rapid-testing program we developed has allowed for safe athletic competition
VP
LETTER FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL
this fall. Masks and social-distancing notwithstanding, the school year continues to unfold positively and productively. As much as daily operations have been running smoothly, COVID-19 has created some real financial challenges for Kiski this year. Summer programs, which are normally a major source of revenue, were canceled. Like all boarding schools and colleges, we’ve experienced a drop in enrollment and, at the same time, we’ve seen an increase in tuition aid as a result of financial stress on families. Taken together, these factors have created a significant financial gap, one that we are working to resolve with the help and support of those who have a special place in their heart for our school. Recognizing that planning for the future is always necessary, even during a pandemic, we distributed our latest Strategic Plan last month, A Boys’ School of High Order. The title is a tribute to Kiski’s founder, Andrew Wilson. In Kiski’s first catalog, printed in 1888, Dr. Wilson stated that his goal was to establish “a boys’ school of high order that would prepare graduates to enter any American
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