Traditions

The candle is a symbol of knowledge and enlightenment. At Opening Convocation each year, the KPS community holds a candle-lighting ceremony, and together we reflect on our hopes for the year. At Closing Convocation, the candles are snuffed out to mark the end of the academic year.

Our school flower remains a powerful symbol of growth and plays an important role in many of our ceremonies and special events. At Opening Convocation every student is handed a daisy.

At graduation, the junior class holds a chain of daisies to guide their older classmates on their way to the future.

Celebrated in the Primary, Middle, and Upper Schools, students spend a good-spirited day of competition representing green and gold teams.

Fourth-grade students are paired with Kent Place alumnae returning for their 50th Reunion. The pen pals meet at a special luncheon during Reunion Weekend in the spring.

Hosted by the Parents’ Association, the school welcomes grandparents and special friends to campus for class visits and an arts performance.

Kent Place School’s long-standing Honor Code is more than a set of rules; it inspires in students the highest integrity, respect and good judgment.

Lifers are students who have attended Kent Place since Preschool, Kindergarten, or Grade 1. At Opening Convocation, lifers hand out the daisies to the community and take a photo at the Primary School playground on their last first day of school.

All three divisions begin most of their weeks with Morning Meeting. Middle and Upper School girls lead their own meetings and set the agenda as well. Students gather in their common areas to start their day.

Senior Sisters is a tradition in the Upper School, which matches a ninth grader to a senior to foster mentoring of the student new to the Upper School.

Sophomores attend a special luncheon to celebrate the receiving of their class rings.

With a week’s worth of costumes and outrageous contests, Spirit Week, held in the Middle and Upper Schools, allows students to balance their academic seriousness with a bit of fun.

Step Sing is an annual event in which the Upper School faculty and students pay musical tribute to the graduating seniors, with both humorous and sentimental results.

For more than 25 years, we celebrate the success and hard work of the senior class by taking a photo of them pictured in their college sweatshirts.

The winter music concert brings together the voice of every Upper School student in a moving performance. Alumnae return to campus to participate. This year will mark STAR's 101th performance!

Published writing by Primary students is displayed outside each classroom, allowing students to read the writing of their schoolmates.