Congratulations to our honorable faculty members who have been appointed as chairs! All contribute to Kent in various aspects, from committing to their work as educators, guiding students both in and out of the class, to developing themselves continuously as teachers.

Ms. Cathe Mazza ’76 was appointed as Inaugural Holder of the Catherine M. Mazza ’76 Teaching Chair in Student Life, Mr. Andrew Abrams as The Elinore S. Wing History Teaching Fellowship, Mr. Andrew Baird as The Class of ’01 Teaching Chair, Mr. Juan Sanchez as The Harlan W. ’36 and Rhea Newell Teaching Chair in Modern Language, Dr. Michael Greene as The Norman H. Scott ’40 Teaching Chair in Science, Mrs. Jennifer Malone Hobbs as The Centennial Teaching Chair, Ms. Haley Prickett as The Class of 2016 Teaching Fellowship Chair, Ms. Ellie Morris as The Wing Teaching Fellowship in English, and Mr. Robert E. DesMarais, Jr. ’01, ’99 (Hon.) as The William H. Armstrong Teaching Chair.

To mention a few, Dr. Greene taught all three levels of our Physics 1 course: conceptual, regular and honors, and was the one who encouraged the department to add the AP Physics B course to first-year physics offerings. After several successful years, this challenging class was eliminated by the College Board, but rather than following their lead, he asked to continue teaching the class, with a revised title — Accelerated Physics.  This still popular class pushes our talented scholars and been a phenomenal complement to the Pre-E curriculum.

“It’s a tremendous honor… since receiving the award, I feel like I have to do more to justify the award itself,” Dr. Greene stated,“Little things can be very hard, and a part of your science education should be my job in training you to work in an environment where nature doesn’t give you an answer easily,” he added.

Mr. Robert DesMarais joined the Kent School faculty in 1989. He was a dormitory resident for eleven years in Middle Dorm South, serving eight of those years as the Dormitory Head. Since 2006, Robert has served as the Chair of the Classics Department. Over the years, he has successfully inspired students to take the Advanced Placement and Latin 5 courses. He has been the Secretary of the Faculty for the past ten years and has contributed regularly to the Kent Quarterly. Mr. DesMarias mentioned that receiving The William H. Armstrong Teaching Chair reminds him of Mr. Armstrong whom he had been working with during his early years at Kent. “Mr. Armstrong told me that service to the school is very important, so this is a great reminder to me to keep this service as a prime focus of everything I do around here, whether I do it for the school or for the students.”

For the English department, Ms. Morris possesses a powerful intellect and she is a professional in every aspect of her life as a boarding school teacher. She cements her mark here by reinvigorating the Dance Program. With thorough dedication, she has made dance a vital and relevant part of the school’s offerings. After receiving the award, Ms. Morris says she will continue to bring more creative assignments to the classroom, and she will encourage students to develop their own unique voices in class discussions. She is “particularly honored to be a part of the English department at Kent.”

There are more outstanding stories and talents from each and every of our faculty members; these are the people that propel Kent forwards.