Kingsley’s Head of School, Steve Farley, reflects on the 10 year journey, Alumni Panel, campus space planning & more
Why do you hope Kingsley families will stay for the full 10 years? What benefits do you see for our students as they enter Lower and Upper Elementary?
The magic of Kingsley, an intentionally designed ten year program with inflection points during the Kindergarten, Third, and Sixth Grade years, is that each cycle in a classroom builds upon the other, deepening each child’s academic skills, their knowledge of themselves, and their ability to lead their peers with empathy and kindness. Having spent my education with students across a wide spectrum of ages (I have taught and led at schools with students as young as toddlers and as old as high school seniors), I am well aware of how precious and rare it is for elementary students to be able to maintain the polarity of both the joy of learning and the pride of academic accomplishment.
At Kingsley, our Sixth Grade students in particular have the opportunity to lead in many concrete and substantial ways that simply are not available in larger schools. As I know well from my time with our Kingsley seniors, our students are remarkably poised, self-aware, and confident of the impact they will have when they move on to a new school after graduation. And, I will argue confidently, they have valuable insights to offer during the Next School process that they simply cannot make earlier in their education. They are impressively equipped with the resilience and confidence necessary to embark on their middle school education, a time of rapid intellectual, emotional, and physical transformation.
The Alumni Panel is on November 25. Why do you think families should attend?
Our annual Alumni Panel is a must-attend event for current Kingsley families eager to see and hear proof of our mission fulfillment and interested in imagining the fine young adults who their children might become. When a family joins Kingsley, they avail themselves of one of the finest elementary programs available in the city of Boston, a program intentionally built upon our preschool’s Montessori foundation of intrinsic motivation, independence, and self-advocacy.
Aside from catching up with our young alumni, I enjoy hearing in our graduates’ own words how they have taken the skills and knowledge that they developed at Kingsley and applied them in new ways to pursue their passions—be that joining a debate team, studying the ancient languages of Latin and Greek, captaining a sports team, or pursuing community service and issue advocacy. I also appreciate our panelists’ candor when asked to reflect on how Kingsley prepared them to respond to the unexpected challenges and opportunities that are inherent in a meaningful education. What we hear most often are an appreciation for the self-advocacy, collaboration, and academic skills they learned while at Kingsley. It is also rewarding to hear over and over again how our graduates lead with compassion and enthusiasm when given the opportunity to welcome a new round of Kingsley graduates to their next school. Thanks to their time in a three-year cycle and, often, shared time on Big M.A.C. teams, these graduates genuinely know and look forward to being a mentor to younger alumni.
I will close with a favorite alumni memory. A few years ago, when we returned to having in-person events, we reached out to a larger than typical group of recent alumni, inviting them to join our panel. Our expectation had been that by going big, we would recruit four to six alums who could serve on a panel. What happened, though, was over twenty alumni accepting our invitation. Not wanting to disappoint any of them–and confident in the insights they would each share–we reconfigured our event to have four groups of panelists! While this year’s event will be much smaller, I share this as a means of demonstrating both the durability of the Kingsley education as well as the fondness that our graduates have for this community and the transformative education they received.
Everyone is excited to hear about what will happen to the Sixth Floor, now that we own Exeter. When and how will we decide on that?
We have formed a Master Planning Task Force consisting of Kingsley administrators, staff, trustees, and parents who will work with architect Martin Dermady. Martin’s name might be familiar to veteran Kingsley families who recall his collaboration with the school when we were designing the dynamic learning spaces we currently enjoy in Exeter.
An experienced campus master planner for independent schools and colleges, Martin will help us assess how our current space configurations in Fairfield and Exeter serve our mission as well as identify ways to improve this alignment. We also have the wonderful opportunity to imagine new ways to fulfill our mission as we decide how to utilize the currently vacant Sixth Floor of Exeter. Our intention is to complete this planning process prior to March Break. I look forward to updating you along the way!
Do you have any reflections following the 2024 presidential elections?
During my thirty plus years in education, I have experienced eight presidential elections and have witnessed indelible moments of elation and profound moments of disappointment among students, staff, and families. In navigating these extremes, I have drawn strength and inspiration from teachers who remain focused on what is perhaps their most important job in a democracy: nurturing resilient, informed, and empathetic citizens.
This election cycle reinforced for me the tremendous work our teachers have done in fostering empathy and independent thinking among our students, as demonstrated during an Upper Elementary listening circle I had the privilege to attend yesterday. Sitting quietly together for half an hour, teachers and students reflected respectfully on the results of the election, listening closely to each other as we each shared our reactions and our hopes for our country.
While I was in no way surprised by these students’ grace and courtesy, I was deeply inspired by their thoughtfulness toward each other and their insightful ideas about how they can be engaged participants in the world around them. I walked away gratified by the role that Kingsley has played in their development, and energized to continue partnering with families and educators to foster in every child that kind curiosity, empowerment, and active citizenship.
We live in such a special city. What are some of your favorite Boston historic or cultural sites?
The BPL (Boston Public Library) for when I need a place to think and reflect. I’m also a huge user of their digital resources—Libby is just about the best thing ever! I’m grateful our students have opportunities to visit the historic BPL building in Copley and the excellent exhibits on display during the school year.
Though a bit outside of the city, I love the Quincy Quarries Reservation with its wild and beautiful graffiti and its amazing views of Boston. Neat fact: This quarry provided the granite for the Bunker Hill Monument and it’s where the dirt from the Big Dig went!
Castle Island and Deer Island for the sea breeze, views, and bird watching! As an ocean lover, some of my favorite Kingsley Practical Life field trips are the Fifth Grade Ocean School adventures tidepooling on the New Hampshire seacoast and exploring the Mystic Seaport in Connecticut.
Lightning round! Coke or pepsi?
- Neither—Spindrift all the way! (It’s all about the size of the bubbles!)
Swim or ski?
- Beach with my Kindle in hand!
Cats or dogs?
- I’ve been a dog person from my earliest days. Dogs offer loyalty and affirmation unconditionally; cats… not so much. Though, I definitely admire their intelligence!
Pancakes or waffles?
- Waffles, especially when made from tater tots!
Bedside table?
- The Overstory, by Richard Powers and a reread of the young adult novel Toby Alone by Timothee de Fombelle.
Check back soon for another installment of "Qs with the HoS!"