Kent has had a strong relationship with both the United States Naval Academy and the United States Air Force Academy for many years, formed by the students who attend Kent prior to enrolling in the academies.

Kent School is one of nineteen schools that the Navy, and one of seven that the Air Force, use as a stepping-stone for their scholars. The key purpose of the postgraduate year at Kent is to prepare future Midshipmen and Cadets for the rigors they will face. Students from all over the country come in and complete a year in hopes of an appointment to their respective academies.

Naval Academy Foundation Scholar, John Lamb ’16, spoke on his experience at Kent, saying, “This program has not only helped me gain academic success, but I’ve also been able to use this year to improve on my rowing ability.” Lamb is a recruited rower for the Naval Academy’s heavyweight rowing team, and, having never rowed before, this year has given him a chance to develop his talent before stepping into a boat as a college athlete.

Neither academy uses this program only as an outlet for recruited athletes, however, and Liam Smith ’16, an Air Force Falcone Scholar, is a perfect example of this. Smith explained this year as a chance to “Get my SAT’s up, improve on my Physical Fitness test, and show my potential by keeping a high GPA.”

The academies’ PG programs aren’t just a great opportunity for  future academy students to develop a bit more; they also impact every other student at Kent.

“Having Navy and Air Force PGs at Kent exemplifies to younger students a sense of purpose,” Carl Worth ’17 says.  “We can tell the difference between other PGs and service academy PGs. Most PGs are at Kent to gain another year or find themselves, but the service academy PGs are here to reach the dream they already have.”