Kent School
Community Life
Community Life
Academic growth and personal development are purposefully intertwined at Kent. We believe the best and deepest learning occurs within the context of a community in which we give and we receive in equal measure.
Community Life is the most visible illustration of the Kent Competencies—Active Empathy, Engaged Citizenship, Effective Communication, Critical and Creative Thinking, and Servant Leadership—and the most powerful expression of how we prepare students to not just succeed, but to thrive.
Community Life Curriculum
The Community Life curriculum challenges students to identify, understand, and develop the values, traits, and competencies needed for lifelong growth and citizenship as a member of a community. Each trimester of the course is centered around one of the ideals from the Kent School Motto: Simplicity of Life, Directness of Purpose, and Self-Reliance. All students are engaged with the curriculum throughout their Kent careers, and while the form of their experience changes as they grow, the core tenets of the curriculum remain the same.
Discussion-Based
Activities and discussions are designed to encourage students to share with, learn from, and depend upon one another.
Student-Centered
Students help to plan CommLife sessions, and our veteran students lead weekly sessions for students in the third and fourth form.
Process-Oriented
The curriculum is designed to help students recognize growth as the result of a consistent, reflective, and energetic approach to life.
Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity
Kent School is committed to creating an environment that embraces equity, inclusion, and diversity in all realms of our shared life.
Learn more about equity, inclusion, and diversity at Kent School on the Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity page of our website.
Wellness
The Kent experience is only possible when we prioritize the health, safety, and positive growth of students. Kent students regularly engage in activities and dialogue to promote healthy relationships based on mutual respect and prosperous daily lifestyles.
Learn more about wellness at Kent School on the Health & Wellness page of our website.
Leadership
Student leadership is actively developed at Kent School, guided by a deep belief in the limitless potential of young people. Leadership can reveal itself in a wide variety of forms—therefore, every student at Kent has the potential to provide leadership in a community.
Learn more about student leadership at Kent School on the Student Leadership page of our website.
Service
Every genuine act of giving benefits both the giver and receiver.
Kent students learn that the lives of greatest substance are ones that make a positive impact on their communities. Many of our students engage in community- and world-changing initiatives; however, Community Life encourages us all to consider smaller acts of kindness as no less meaningful.