Kingsley’s Head of School, Steve Farley, answers eight questions from the Kingsley Community. 

Why does Kingsley ask families to re-enroll so early in the year? How does it benefit the student experience?

Kingsley, like most independent schools, asks its families to commit to enrolling their children mid-winter in order to allow the necessary time to plan for the next school year. In a competitive employment market, ascertaining the majority of our enrollment allows us to offer our teachers the most competitive compensation, which increases our ability to retain excellent staff. It also allows us to be similarly competitive in recruiting new teachers to Kingsley for any openings. Finally, by knowing the students who will be returning, we can ensure that our staffing decisions will align with the students we anticipate supporting next year. We are truly grateful to our families for their partnership in this area.

Do you have any reading recommendations for us?

The 2023–24 Impact Report! I am so pleased to have this piece back in hard copy for leisurely reading. I hope you enjoy looking back on the highlights of one of the most memorable years in our school’s history. 

Over Kingsley’s recent Winter Break, I finished reading two epic novels. The first was Richard Powers' Overstory. The NY Times wrote about it: “We may never see a poem as lovely as a tree, but a novel about trees—they are both the stealth protagonists and the beating, fine-grained heart of this strange, marvelous book—becomes its own kind of poetry, biology lesson, and impassioned environmental polemic in Powers’s hands.” I also read Stephen King’s 11.23.63, a “what if” novel that postulated what might have happened if the protagonist travelled back in time and prevented President JFK’s assassination.  

Next up for me are Undivided by Hahrie Hahn and Mr. Churchill in the White House: The Untold Story of a Prime Minister and Two Presidents by Robert Schmuhl.

What is your favorite type of Girl Scout Cookie?

Frozen Thin Mints.

Who is a historical figure you admire, and why?

Paul Farmer, the late co-founder and chief strategist of Partners in Health. Farmer dedicated his life to this organization, to serve and advocate for the healthcare rates of the world’s poorest people. He led with compassion, dedication, and a selflessness that seems difficult to imagine, yet the immediate results and his legacy offer ample evidence of his impact and leadership. Author Tracy Kidder chronicled his career, especially his work in Haiti, in his excellent book Mountains Beyond Mountains.

What was your first job? 

My first job was a neighborhood paper route when I was eleven or twelve years old. I still remember the thick, cold, and scary darkness of those winter mornings, when I headed out at 5:15 a.m. on my route. Thanks to this job, though, I was able to earn enough money to buy a cerulean blue, ten-speed racing bike and my first pair of downhill skis.

What is your favorite dish to cook for your family?

I make a mean osso buco when I have all day Sunday to prepare. When time is short, I poach scallops in an oven-roasted tomato sauce.

We know you are patiently waiting for baseball season to begin. What do you do in the off-season? 

I am a bit unusual in that I tend to enjoy the off-seasons of sports almost as much as the in-season games! I am a dedicated follower of the “Sons of Sam Horn,” the original Red Sox message board founded in 1998, which keeps me up to date on all sorts of rumors about player trades and signings. Sadly, for the second season, I have also found myself immersed in following how the Patriots are plotting their way back to the top of the league. Finally, I inherited from my late mom a passion for UConn women’s basketball, and I am being encouraged by my daughter Elise to give the new PWHL (Professional Women’s Hockey League) a look.  

What are you looking forward to in the coming year?

In the next few months, I look forward to completing and sharing the results of our campus master planning process. Now that we own both of our “campuses” at Fairfield and Exeter, I am excited to share how ownership will allow us to deliver our program more effectively and to take advantage of new opportunities and new spaces.

Of course, I would be remiss if I did not also share my excitement for the upcoming Kingsley Shindig on February 12! This is year two of an exciting evening that allows us to celebrate our community, the glue that holds us together, with joy and great music. I hope to see many of you there!

Thanks for reading! Check back soon for another installment of "Qs with the HoS!"