In the spring of 1922, three teachers, Mary Kent Wallace, Mary Austin Bogue and Mary Louise Rathvon—known affectionately as the "Three Marys" (pictured at right, c. 1940)—went on a mountain retreat. When they returned to Denver, they had plans to open their own school.
By the fall, the Three Marys had secured thirteen faculty members, 82 students (including a few boys in the elementary grades!) and a mansion-turned-school-building at 933 Sherman Street in Denver's Capitol Hill neighborhood. On September 18, 1922, the newly christened Kent School for Girls—named for founding principal Mary Kent Wallace—held its first day of classes.
One hundred years later—after three campuses, a merger with the all-boys Denver Country Day School, and countless other evolutions—we will celebrate the school's Centennial anniversary with a year of programs for the entire Kent Denver community. We aim not only to highlight school history, but also to connect our past with the decisions we are making today and the plans we are laying for the next 100 years of Kent Denver!
2022: A Year of Celebration
Starting with events for our student and family communities in the spring, we will:
- Spotlight our winter and spring athletes
- Gather in April for the Kent Denver Parents' Association Kentennial Auction
- Host the Centennial edition of our signature Ethics Day program with an April series of events focused on the Ethics of Equity
- Celebrate Commencement in June with our Centennial Class, the class of 2022
For alumni, 2022 will also feature opportunities to honor our school's past, present and future. We hope you'll join us for all the celebrations we have in the works, including:
- Thursday, January 27: Regional alumni reunion in Austin, TX featuring Director of Equity & Community Engagement Jason Mundy
- Sunday, February 6: Alumni event at the Tattered Cover Stanley Marketplace celebrating books and reading (bring your kids!)
- Thursday, February 24: Regional alumni reunion in Los Angeles
- Wednesday, April 13 (daytime): Recognition of our Centennial Distinguished Alum during the Ethics Day assembly
- Wednesday, April 13 (evening): Alumni event at Meow Wolf celebrating art and innovation on campus and in the city
- And much more to come!
100th Birthday Bash
Looking ahead to fall 2022, we are currently planning a 100th birthday bash for Saturday, Oct. 8, 2022. Look for a save-the-date mailer and additional details in the coming months.
Centennial Publication
We will cap off the Centennial year with a special publication featuring historical materials from the school archives (check out highlights from the first school catalogue below!), plus stories and memorabilia from the entire Kent Denver community. If you would like to contribute to the content or share a memory or artifact from your personal archives, please contact Elyse Rudolph, Director of Alumni Relations & Special Events by email (erudolph@kentdenver.org) or phone (303-770-7660 ext. 228).
Make sure to check our monthly Alumni Connection e-newsletter for additional event details and regular updates on our Centennial plans!
Not getting the Alumni Connection? Share your updated contact information to be added to the mailing list.
A Peek Into the Archives
As part of our Centennial celebration, an archivist is bringing order to Kent Denver’s vast collection of historic materials. We’ll be highlighting images and stories from our collections throughout the year, starting with this peek at the Kent School's earliest promotional catalogue, where the Three Marys shared their philosophy of education, a philosophy that is still reflected in Kent Denver’s core values today.
"The Kent School is established to further the development of character, which it believes to be the ultimate purpose of a true education."
"It will stamp those who come under its influence with the generous qualities which admit them to a community with all who seek true cultivation and the fellowship of gentle service."
The founders promised to produce graduates capable of attending the best womens’ colleges in the East, but they also were committed to teaching subjects which “appeal more directly to the imagination and awaken an interest and a kinship with what is great and permanent and beautiful.”
We were thrilled to welcome hundreds of alumni to campus in October for Alumni Homecoming Weekend 2021, including double our usual number of reunion classes as we celebrated with the 0, 1, 5 and 6 graduates!
Thank you to everyone who helped make the festivities possible, from our alumni board members to the class chairs and hosts who led milestone reunion party planning efforts. Check out our highlight video below to relive some of the best moments.
We look forward to seeing everyone again at Alumni Homecoming Weekend 2022 when we will celebrate Kent Denver's 100th birthday!
"50 years beyond our graduation as the Class of 1971, the main thing that I want to say is Thank You. I did not appreciate how good you were to me back in the day, but I do now! Go DCD! Go Kent!" —Charlie Lee '71
Homecoming 2021 Highlight Video from Kent Denver School on Vimeo.
The weekend included a beautiful celebration for Scott Yates and his 40 years of service to Kent Denver. Watch our recap video from the night highlighting the amazing impact Coach Yates has had on student-athletes and the entire Kent Denver family.
Alumni Homecoming Weekend also included a celebration at the boys' soccer game in honor of Arty Smith, who stepped down as Boys' Soccer Head Coach after 20 successful years leading the program. Read more about both coaches' impact on the school community, plus a tribute to Head Field Hockey Coach Kathy James, who announced at the end of the fall season that she will be stepping down after 25 years. Thank you to each of these extraordinary coaches for their leadership.
Additional Highlights from Alumni Homecoming Weekend 2021
Thank You, Reunion Class Chairs!
"I am still smiling from all the fun and connections. Can't wait to do it again in 4 years!" —Jeanne Lee Sayers '95
Alumni Homecoming Weekend would not be possible without the dedicated efforts of our reunion class chairs. Thank you to the following alumni for sleuthing out their classmates' contact information, spreading the word about Homecoming events and building enthusiasm for milestone reunions.
50th reunion | 20th reunion |
Nina Churchman '70 (Kent) | Jaime Miller Altman '00 |
George Tyler '70 (DCD) | Marc Bathgate '01 |
Robin Warren Buckalew '71 (Kent) | Alan Frosh '01 |
Fred Norgaard '71 (DCD) | Sam Johnson '01 |
Chad Nichols '01 | |
45th reunion | Anna Hansen Sayre '01 |
John Trueblood '75 | |
Laurie Wert '75 | 15th reunion |
Lori Janzen '76 | Chelsea Lehman Taylor '06 |
40th reunion | 10th reunion |
Annie Cotton '80 | Abbey Slone Krause '10 |
Chris "Buck" Dominick '80 | Pete Dikeou '11 |
Hopie Connors '81 | Mandy Raeder '11 |
35th reunion | 5th reunion |
Jeanine Pimm Hutchison '85 | Daniel Hennes '15 |
Elizabeth "Buffy" Fisher '86 | Reilly Rastello '15 |
Holly Bolt '16 | |
30th reunion | Ben Melvin '16 |
Tina Breithaupt Skewes '90 | Molly Murphy '16 |
25th reunion | |
Katie Wolfe Agron '95 | |
Brett Goldberg '95 | |
Chip McKeever '95 | |
Jeanne Lee Sayers '95 | |
Stephanie Senter '95 | |
Katie Nicholson Millice '96 | |
Andrea Patt Moon '96 | |
Andy Smith '96 |
Feature Articles
Looking ahead to 2022: Kent Denver's Centennial year!
A message of gratitude from Head of School Rand Harrington.
Student leaders interview David Braemer, incoming Head of School.
Highlights from Alumni Homecoming Weekend 2021
2021 marked the final season for three legendary Kent Denver Coaches: Kathy James, Arty Smith and Scott Yates
Here's how Arian Agarwala ’22 is working to help prisoners prepare for life after the completion of their sentences.