Kent Place School
The Kent Place School is a girls independent college-preparatory day school (with a coeducational nursery and pre-kindergarten) serving students in preschool through twelfth grade in Summit, Union County, New Jersey, United States.
Kent Place School | |
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Address | |
42 Norwood Avenue , 07901 United States | |
Coordinates | 40.720496°N 74.363743°W |
Information | |
Type | Private school |
Motto | With wisdom she lights the way |
Established | 1894 |
NCES School ID | 00869149[1] |
Head of school | Jennifer Galambos |
Faculty | 78.8 FTEs[1] |
Grades | Nursery - 12 |
Gender | Girls |
Enrollment | 602 (as of 2017–18, plus 19 in PreK)[1] |
Student to teacher ratio | 7.6:1[1] |
Color(s) | Green and Gold[2] |
Athletics conference | Union County Interscholastic Athletic Conference |
Mascot | Chumley the Dragon |
Team name | Dragons[2] |
Rival | Oak Knoll School |
Affiliations | |
Website | www |
Kent Place School is a member of the New Jersey Association of Independent Schools.[3] In 2007, The Wall Street Journal listed Kent Place School as one of the world's top 50 schools for its success in preparing students to enter top American universities.[4]
As of the 2017-18 school year, the school had an enrollment of 602 students (plus 19 in PreK) and 78.8 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 7.6:1. The school's student body was 66.0% White, 18.4% Asian, 12.0% Black and 3.7% Hispanic.[1]
Academics
The Primary, Middle, and Upper Schools each include science labs, art studios, and a computer lab. The Arts Center features a 260-seat theater, an art gallery, a dance studio, and practice rooms. Athletic facilities include a field house (gymnasium and weight room), three playing fields, and five tennis courts.
Advanced Placement Program (AP) courses offered at the school include AP Art History, AP Biology, AP Calculus AB, AP Calculus BC, AP Chemistry, AP Computer Science, AP English Language and Composition, AP English Literature and Composition, AP Environmental Science, AP European History, AP French Language, AP Latin Literature, AP Macroeconomics, AP Music Theory, AP Physics 1, AP Spanish Language, AP Spanish Literature, AP Statistics, AP Studio Art, AP United States History, AP United States Government and Politics, and AP World History. The school also offers additional advanced mathematics courses in multivariable calculus and linear algebra.
Athletics
The Kent Place School Dragons[2] compete in the Union County Interscholastic Athletic Conference, which consists of public and private high schools in union County and operates under the supervision of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA).[5] Before the 2010 realignment, the school had participated in the Mountain Valley Conference, which consisted of public and parochial high schools in Essex County and Union County.[6]
The Upper School offers varsity level teams in cross country, soccer, tennis, field hockey, volleyball, basketball, swimming, squash, ice hockey, fencing, indoor track, lacrosse, softball, and outdoor track. Middle School teams are available in basketball, field hockey, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track and field, and volleyball. Physical Education classes are also offered in Middle and Upper School in place of a sport. Physical Education is required in the Primary School and grade six.
Train
Many students take the train to Summit, and a Kent Place van will pick them up at the Summit station, located about five minutes from the school.
Construction
Kent Place has undergone a major project to expand their learning space. Kent Place has added on a new wing to their middle and upper school buildings. This new wing has all new classrooms, lockers, science and math labs, and lounges for students. Following the completion of the new wing, Kent Place plans on renovating its main building. This project is a multimillion-dollar project that Kent Place has funded through generous donations from parents, alumni and other generous people in the community. Kent Place had its ground breaking ceremony on April 9, 2007, which all of the students attended. Many other members of the community attended as well. Head of School Sue Bosland welcomed the crowd and introduced Honorary Chair of the Campaign, Emily Meschter '60 who briefly spoke, as did President of the Board of Trustees, Neale Trangucci. Chair of the Campaign Michael Bird as well as the Mayor of Summit, New Jersey, Jordan Glatt, past Head of School Dori Dillon and numerous alumnae and parents were also in attendance. The Upper School flute ensemble and Chamber Singers entertained the crowd.
The master plan includes a new 45,000-square-foot (4,200 m2) state-of-the-art facility which will house a new library, technologically equipped classrooms, computer labs, a long-distance learning hall, science and math labs, music facilities and more. The New Academic Center is designed with the intention of becoming a LEED certified building. The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green Building Rating System is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings. An integrated sustainable educational program and the utilization of the building as a learning tool will be explored. The building is planned to be completed for the fall of 2008.
In addition to the bricks and mortar piece of the Campaign for Kent Place, there is an endowment portion for financial aid and faculty/staff compensation, as well as for sustaining additional facilities.[7]
"This is an historic day at Kent Place. We are about to embark on a spectacular building project - a state-of-the-art facility - that will look one hundred years old! We are all working together to continue the legacy that was started in 1894; to sustain a top educational community for girls and young women," remarked Head of School Sue Bosland at the ceremony.
Notable alumnae
- Saleemah Abdul-Ghafur (born 1971), author and activist who works with Malaria No More.[8]
- Erika Amato (born 1969), actress, singer and founder of Velvet Chain.[9][10]
- Peggy Bacon (1895–1987), painter, illustrator and writer.[11][12]
- Emily Barton (born 1969), novelist.[13]
- Maria Dizzia (born 1974, class of 1993), actress, 2010 Tony nominee for Best Performance by an Actress in a Play.[14]
- Gina Genovese (born 1959), businesswoman and politician who has served as mayor of Long Hill Township.[15]
- Chisa Hutchinson (born 1980), playwright.[16]
- Natalie Enright Jerger, computer scientist.[17]
- Judy Joo (born 1974), professional chef, author, and television personality.[18]
- Maureen Ogden (born 1928), politician who served seven terms in the New Jersey General Assembly, from 1982 to 1996.[19]
- Shirley Paget, Marchioness of Anglesey (1924-2017), British public servant and writer.[20]
- Gabrielle Stanton (born 1968), television writer and producer best known for her work on the series Grey's Anatomy and Ugly Betty.[21]
- Amanda Urban, literary agent.[19]
References
- "Search for Private Schools – School Detail for Kent Place School". National Center for Education Statistics. Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
- Kent Place School, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed May 4, 2017.
- List of Member Schools, New Jersey Association of Independent Schools. Accessed May 4, 2017.
- Staff writer (December 28, 2007). "How the Schools Stack Up". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved July 25, 2008.
- League & Conference Officers/Affiliated Schools 2019-2020, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed April 29, 2020.
- Home Page, Mountain Valley Conference, backed up by the Internet Archive as of February 2, 2011. Accessed December 15, 2014.
- Inspiring Tomorrow's Leaders Archived 2008-05-11 at the Wayback Machine, Campaign Overview : The Campaign for Kent Place School. Accessed April 20, 2008.
- Weekend Wisdom: Saleemah Abdul-Ghafur '92, Kent Place School. Accessed October 25, 2019.
- Erika Amato - Biography, Velvet Chain. Accessed September 12, 2013. "After Erika graduated from Kent Place School in Summit, N.J, she attended Vassar College, in Poughkeepsie, New York."
- Haas, Pia. "Meet Erika Amato as Lela Rogers in Backwards In High Heels.", Westchester Broadway Theatre, August 18, 2015. Accessed September 21, 2015. "I grew up in Mountainside, NJ and went to the all-girls Kent Place School, in Summit."
- "Oral history interview with Peggy Bacon, 1973 May 8", Smithsonian Institution. Accessed October 25, 2017. "So they put me up, so to speak, to boarding school, Kent Place School in Summit, New Jersey. And I loved it. Everybody thought I'd have an awful time because I led such a queer life."
- McQuiston, John T. "Peggy Bacon, 91, Illustrator And Author Of Gentle Satires", The New York Times, January 7, 1987. Accessed September 12, 2013. "She graduated from the Kent Place School, in Summit, N.J., in 1913, and studied at the Art Students League of New York, where she was an instructor in painting, drawing and composition from 1935 to 1936 and 1948 to 1952."
- Staff. "Award-winning author Emily Barton visits her alma mater, Kent Place School", Courier-News, March 7, 2007. Accessed April 27, 2012. "Emily Barton, former resident of Westfield, and now an accomplished author of two award-winning novels, visited Kent Place School for a book signing event."
- Dizzia, Maria. "How Arts Education Changed My Life", Kent Place School, September 20, 2017. Accessed October 25, 2017. "Maria Dizzia graduated in 1993 from Kent Place School, an independent, nonsectarian, college preparatory school for girls in Summit, NJ."
- Magyar, Mark J. "Profile: The Woman Who Wants to End NJ's 'Multiple Municipal Madness'", NJ Spotlight, April 30, 2014. Accessed July 11, 2017. "After graduating from the Kent Place School in Summit, she played professional tennis for two years, playing on the Women's Tennis Association Circuit and attaining a world ranking of 115th in 1980."
- "Playwright Chisa Hutchinson on Newark and Giving Voice to the Working Class", Audible (store), May 7, 2019. Accessed October 25, 2019. "Her first taste of life outside Newark, and of the theater, was through a scholarship to the Kent Place School in Summit, New Jersey."
- Weekend Wisdom; Natalie Enright Jerger '98, Kent Place School. Accessed October 25, 2019.
- Levin, Eric. "A Cuisine in Ferment; Judy Joo, the studious, Jersey-raised daughter of Korean refugees, left Wall Street to bring the bracing food of Korea to TV and now a cookbook.", New Jersey Monthly, July 14, 2016. Accessed July 11, 2017. "At the exclusive Kent Place School in Summit, Joo and her older sister, Sonya, were the only Asians."
- Horner, Shirley. "About Books", The New York Times, September 4, 1994. Accessed October 25, 2019. "Its noted graduates include Assemblywoman Maureen Ogden, Republican of Millburn; Deborah Wiley, vice chairwoman of John Wiley & Sons, and Amanda Urban, a powerful literary agent."
- "The Dowager Marchioness of Anglesey Formidable head of the Women’s Institute who would later chair the Broadcasting Complaints Commission", 'The Times, January 31, 2017. Accessed October 25, 2019.
- Staff. "Gabrielle G. Stanton Is Married in England", The New York Times, July 14, 1991. Accessed September 12, 2013. "The bride, 24 years old, was until recently the national publicity coordinator in New York for the Public Broadcasting Service. She is a graduate of the Kent Place School and Barnard College."