Kingsley’s Head of School, Steve Farley, reflects on his own student experience & looks ahead to an exciting spring at Kingsley.

Valentine’s Day was last week! What are three things you LOVE about Kingsley?

I love our Elementary Community Meetings. They provide our students with important opportunities to learn how to stand on their own and deliver a message that resonates with their peers and teachers.

I adore our Kindergarten Marathon, as it demonstrates the power of community. There is nothing quite like the roar of the crowd from our student body and Kingsley families who turn out en masse to cheer our marathoners!

I treasure the enthusiastic and genuine welcome I receive from our students whenever I pass them in the hallways or pop into classrooms to oversee a lunch or read a story. The grace, courtesy, and kindness of these receptions are heartwarming.

Do you have a favorite Kingsley spring tradition?

The spring is one of my favorite seasons at Kingsley, as we see so much of the year’s efforts come to fruition. I have already mentioned the Kingsley Kindergarten Marathon, to which I will add our Upper Elementary Design Fair, our experiential learning trips to the New Hampshire Seacoast Science Center, and the overnight field trips we call “Farm School” and “Ocean School.” 

I also treasure Senior Project Night in May, when the community gathers on campus to witness the prowess and passion of our Sixth Grade students. For some friends, this is the culmination of a decade of hard work in our Kingsley classrooms.

Finally, I eagerly anticipate the opportunities where our community comes together to support our students and affirm their academic accomplishments—Grandfriends Day, the spring Art Show, instrumental recitals, and our Spring Concerts at John Hancock Hall. 

Growing up, did you participate in any Design Fairs or Science Fairs? What did you build?

When I was in elementary school I benefited from a robust science program that allowed me to explore animal biology through shark and fetal pig dissections, physics through these incredible Capsela science sets, and very early computer simulations for tracking presidential campaigns. Alas, most of these experiences were individual exercises. In addition to Kingsley’s uniquely ambitious, collaborative animal dissections, our annual Design Fair is an opportunity for students to innovate and solve hands-on problems in a team environment. It’s inspiring to see them work through disagreements with “colleagues” of different ages, approaches, and skill sets—a practice that, once honed, they will employ throughout their educational and professional careers. 

Kingsley’s Sixth Grade students are currently in New York City for Montessori Model United Nations. Do you have a favorite NYC delicacy? 

Just about anything from Zabar’s—especially the smoked fish and bagels! 

If you could organize a community field trip anywhere in the world, where would we go?

I have been fortunate in that I have twice been a part of international student travel programs, once just after I graduated from high school (1987) and several years later when I led a student exchange trip (1994). In both instances, I had the opportunity to travel throughout Russia and several of the former Soviet Socialist Republics on peace-oriented trips intended to build bridges between cultures and ease misperceptions. In each instance, I was deeply moved by the curiosity and generosity of my hosts, their cultural pride, and their genuine desire to overcome the barriers that had impeded our respective countries’ relationships for decades prior. While the optimism of those visits may not have materialized as much as I had hoped, I do know that these experiences shaped my willingness—and those of my fellow travelers—to see beyond stereotypes and fear-mongering.

It delights me that our Sixth Grade class is currently engaged in similar peace-building and solution-seeking work of their own—engaging with students from across the country to solve challenging global issues at Montessori Model United Nations. Following their graduation from Kingsley, I know each of them will bring their curiosity, empathy, and determined optimism out into the wider world.

An education capable of saving humanity is no small undertaking; it involves the spiritual development of man, the enhancement of his value as an individual, and the preparation of young people to understand the times in which they live.
–Maria Montessori

Were I to have the opportunity to pull a Ms. Frizzle and take our school anywhere in the world on a magic school bus, I think I would like to head to the continent of Australia. It is home to incredible biodiversity (did you know that male platypuses have venom spikes on their hind legs?) and the Aboriginal Australians, the oldest known culture on earth, whose history stretches back roughly 75,000 years. 

What’s a fun fact about Kingsley that most people don’t know? 

One of the fascinating facts about Kingsley is that our Exeter Building was built in 1885 as the first Spiritualist Temple. Spiritualism is a religious movement that believed that a person’s “awareness” persisted after the body’s death and could be communed with by the living. When you have a moment, look up at 26 Exeter Street to see if you can find the ghostly faces carved into its facade.

Do you have a favorite visual artist? 

Winslow Homer, especially his seascapes. There are usually a few of his pieces on display at Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts. When our Summer in the City friends adventure to the MFA this summer, I might just have to tag along! 

If you had to choose one, which emoji best represents you?

🤹 . No explanation needed!

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