This year, the Kent School Community welcomes Mr. Hirschfeld as our new Head of School.  Mr. Hirschfeld’s Kent roots run deep, as he taught history and coached sports here for four years.  Mr. Hirschfeld explains that when he and his wife heard about the opportunity to come back to Kent, they knew they wanted to apply. He says, “It’s a great school and I wanted to be a part of it.”

Mr. Hirschfeld’s love for Kent is very apparent.  When asked what his favorite part of Kent is, he responded quickly “the students.”  He talked about how much he loved the sense of community that Kent has to offer. Through COVID-19, our community has continued to prove its strength.  Mr. Hirschfeld says, “Through difficult moments you see the nature of people and communities in a real and authentic way.” 

Mr. Hirschfeld came into this position in a difficult time but has done a great job so far.  He says the hardest part of being a Head of School in a pandemic is wanting the students to have the best experience possible.  Mr. Hirschfeld notes “Kent is a pretty special place… people have been great during [these hard times when it hasn’t been easy]. I’m tremendously grateful for how [the students] handled this.”  

Concerned about the student body, Mr. Hirschfeld is learning about all the quintessential Kent experiences, and finding ways to have them for the students.  He says, “Let’s have prom, let’s figure it out.”  As a senior who missed rock day, I am grateful that we were able to have one this year.  This past weekend was very exciting, with fall sport teams having games.  He notes how far we have come since school opened in September, which leaves him hopeful about the reopening in February.  

Coronavirus aside, Mr. Hirschfeld is excited to get students more involved in the governance of the school and to give students more opportunities to have a voice. Mr. Hirschfeld’s main goal is to let “Kent be the best version of itself.”

When asked if there was anything else he would like to add, Mr. Hirschfeld talked about how excited he was for when Mrs. Hirschfeld can get to know the students better. Mrs. Hirschfeld’s Kent roots run even deeper than Mr. Hirschfeld’s, since she taught here for three more years than he did.

Mr. Hirschfeld is hopeful and eager to make Kent the best place it can be.  He has a great love for the school, and cares about the students’ wellbeing.  We are all super excited to see where Mr. Hirschfeld takes Kent in the future, and are excited to have him join our Kent family.