This year, Kent has done something it has never done before: hosting three bishops in one school year. Dean Kelderman didn’t plan it that way. But once two were on the calendar, she thought, “Can I get one each term?”

The first was Bishop Matthew Heyd, who came to our campus for Mr. Cheney’s ordination. For students who had never seen a priest ordained, Dr. Kelderman said that the service was “really memorable.” What made it even more special was that this was the first ordination Kent had had in a long time. It is not every day we get to watch someone step into a new chapter of their life right in our own chapel. That alone made Bishop Heyd’s visit stand out.

In December, Rev. Robert Hirschfeld came. He is our head of school’s brother and the Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire. Dr. Kelderman had been trying to get him for years, but things like COVID kept getting in the way. When he finally made it to campus, she remembers him as “personable and just enthusiastic.” He also preached while walking around the chapel aisle. “I think it makes it more interesting,” she said. Having a bishop wander past you instead of standing behind a podium kept everyone awake and paying attention. 

Most recently came Bishop Jeffrey Mello from the Diocese of Connecticut. Dr. Kelderman loved how he talked openly about coming out and how that shaped his life. That kind of honesty and vulnerability is not something you hear from every speaker, and it stuck with her. 

But the main theme she heard across all three bishops was this: God has dreams for you. And if you take a wrong turn? “You can’t make a wrong turn,” she said. “Everything we do prepares us for what is next.”

Three bishops. One school year. And according to Dr. Kelderman, the best part wasn’t even them. It was us. She tells every guest that Kent students are “really engaged.” For a room full of teenagers, that is rare. “You all are really good.”