News
A HOCKEY SEASON FOR THE RECORD BOOKS
Both boys and girls hockey at Kent School have pursued New England championships in the past, but despite fielding some great teams with outstanding records, neither had been able to achieve that elusive title. That all changed this season, as the Girls won the 2018-19 Division 1 tournament, and the boys won the Large School tournament.
The girls have emerged as a New England power in the last few years, winning the Founders League Championship in ’14, ’15, ’16 and ’18, and earning a spot in post-season play for several years. This winter they finished the regular season with a record of 16-4. Two of those losses came early in January to Nobles and Loomis, but those games would be avenged nicely in the post-season tournament. Kent earned the #5 seed in the Division 1 tournament and opened the quarterfinals with a 5-0 victory over #4 seed St. Paul’s. In the semi-finals, they faced #8 seed Loomis, but this game was quite different from the January meeting, as Kent won decisively by a score of 6-1. That set the stage for the finals against #2 seed Nobles, a team that has numerous New England Championships to its credit. But the Lions were not intimidated by their opponents. Trailing 1-0 at the start of the third period, they tied the game with a power play goal with 10:51 remaining, and then less than 3 minutes later scored the go-ahead goal. A third goal late in the period along with an empty net goal with under a minute left brought the final score to 4-1, and Kent began their well-earned celebration of their first New England Championship.
For the boys, an invitation to post-season play seemed only remotely possible at the end of January, as they found themselves with a .500 record of 7-7-2. From that point on, however, they would not lose another game the rest of the season. In their last 7 games of the regular season they went 6-0-1 and earned the #4 seed in the New England Large School Tournament. Their quarter-final opponent was #5 seed Andover, and the Lions proved they were ready with a 4-2 win. The semi-finals offered an enormous challenge as they traveled to Deerfield to take on the #1 seeded team. Kent showed no fear of Deerfield, climbing to a 4-1 lead by the end of the second period. But the third period would be one of the most exciting played all year. Deerfield was by no means conceding the game as they scored four straight goals to take the lead. Kent recovered from Deerfield’s outburst with two goals late in the period, and added an empty-net goal to seal the 7-5 victory. In the finals, they faced #7 seed Cushing. Neither team scored in the first two periods, but in the third period Kent drew first blood with a power-play goal at 10:23, and then scored an even-strength goal just 9 seconds later to take a 2-0 lead. Cushing pulled within one with a 4 on 4 goal with 7 minutes left, but Kent’s defense stood strong for the rest of the game, bringing the Lions a 2-1 triumph, and their first New England title.
Congratulations are in order for both teams, as they represented Kent throughout the season with class and dignity and did what no other hockey teams in Kent’s past have done before – finish as New England Champions. Their first titles, but, we expect, by no means their last!
AN EVENING WITH TOM JONES
January 11th was a special night for music lovers at Kent as they were treated to a fascinating and entertaining presentation by Tom Jones, who is best known for having written The Fantasticks, the world’s longest-running musical. The evening began with a couple of short performances of Mr. Jones’s most famous work by Zoe B ’20 and Kent Theater Director Geoff Stewart. The energetic and insightful Mr. Jones then captivated his audience with stories from his life and career. An enthusiastic and at times hilarious question and answer session concluded the program. This was a wonderful opportunity to learn from a legend of Broadway, an experience that will not soon be forgotten by all those in attendance.
AWARD WINNING ARTISTS
Artists, photographers, and sculptors from Kent School have enjoyed a great deal of success in competitions this year. Results from the Scholastic Art Awards for the State of Connecticut were recently announced, and numerous Kent artists were recognized. Three students won a total of six gold medals in photography and drawing categories. Five silvers were awarded for sculpture, photography, architecture, painting and drawing, and two Honorable Mentions were achieved in drawing and photography. In an international competition one photographer in particular, Pamela J ’19, has been named as one of the 10 finalists (out of 11,786 submissions) in Hope 2019, the theme of this year’s Habban International Photography Award competition. Pamela has previously won gold and silver medals in international competitions for her photographs of indigenous societies, landscapes and sea life, but reaching the finals in the HIPA competition is her most distinctive achievement thus far.
The 2019 Vance Lecture
The Vance Lecture Series, which honors the legacy of our distinguished alumnus and former U.S Secretary of State Cyrus Vance '35, wel
comes speakers to campus to address the prevention and resolution of violent conflict in our world today. The Kent community had the privilege of attending a lecture given by Jeh Johnson, former Secretary of Homeland Security for three years in the Obama administration. Mr. Johnson, who in December of 2018 received the Ronald Reagan Peace Through Strength Award, presented an engaging program to a standing-room crowd in Mattison Auditorium. He offered details about the work of Homeland Security and the functions of the various departments that keep our country safe.
Occasionally, Mr. Johnson would break from the gravity of his subject with quizzes for the audience, awarding various prizes for correct answers. He also offered some background about the current government shutdown as well as the issue of illegal immigration on our southern border, topics that were of great interest to the audience. Sebastian K ’20 commented that he “was glad to see some political balance from someone who was clearly a Democrat, about a difficult issue like immigration. He didn’t politicize the issue.” It was clear by the conclusion of the presentation that students, faculty, and other guests were grateful to have had the opportunity to hear the opinions of an accomplished and respected leader.
