Dr. Kent’s Sudden Departure
As students entered Seymour Hall, rather than being greeted by a smiling man in a fedora holding a cup of coffee while blaring a random pop song on the speaker, they found themselves face-to-face with an empty office.
On December 20th, an email from Mrs. Buck informed students that Dr. Kent would not be returning to Western Reserve Academy after winter break. No further information was disclosed prior to nor following this email.
So, when students returned to school in early January, many felt the loss of the eccentric Associate Head of School: some needed to find a new advisor, others lost a track coach, and for a few, his absence even impeded their Compass projects. Those in the WRA community received this news in various ways: through an email sent to Dr. Kent’s advisees, a separate email sent to faculty and staff, the general email sent to all students and parents, and even “a call from Mrs. Buck” says Landon Allis ’23.
Landon Allis described the news as “an oh-my-god moment.”
“It was definitely weird when I looked to my right and saw an empty office. It was also weird talking to someone else, to get my schedule changed and even choosing a new advisor.”
Other students felt the loss of a mentor, even if they weren’t Dr. Kent’s advisee.
“He definitely felt like a person I could talk to about feeling homesick and struggling with managing my time. He is—well, was—that person to go to” says Cece Chapman, ’24.
Mr. Ong also comments on some of the faculty’s perspectives.
“Anytime a personnel decision is made [by the administration] that is less than perfectly transparent (even if for a very legitimate reason), it can prove somewhat unsettling and impact one’s feelings of security within the community. However, while this most recent change likely caused some degree of unease, I am not sure just how widely or deeply such sentiments have spread in this instance.”
Mr. Ong, however, hasn’t witnessed a significant disruption to faculty life. “I can’t claim to have witnessed a discernible change in the faculty.”
But the change is still fairly new. During his almost 4-year tenure at WRA, Dr. Kent was the point-person for new school initiatives and held many responsibilities. Most notably, under his guidance, the school launched two new academic schedules, hired dozens of faculty, and added over 50 new courses to the catalog. In his absence, administration has begun internally distributing his responsibilities.
“We’ve found various people to carry on Dr. Kent’s work by finding who’s best suited for the key areas Dr. Kent was supporting. Change is hard but we’re well prepared.” says the Associate Head of School for Faculty Engagement, Ms. Petersen.
Despite Dr. Kent’s absence, students have experienced little trouble with schedules, as Mrs. Kosco recently joined the office.
However, there still remains much uncertainty as to who will officially fill the newly vacated Associate Head of School for Strategic Initiatives position.
“We need a little more time to see what makes the most sense. This was an unexpected departure, so we want to take the time to find the right structure,” says Ms. Petersen.
– Elba Heddesheimer ’23
The Reserve Record 