Kents Hill School - History

History

Kents Hill is one of the oldest coeducational schools in the United States, and may be the oldest continuously operating co-ed prep school in the nation.

Kents Hill was founded as the Maine Wesleyan Seminary by Luther Sampson, a Revolutionary War veteran, in 1824. A carpenter who had not had a formal education, Sampson wanted to use the wealth he had earned to benefit society and glorify God. Together with Elihu Robinson and his wife, they opened the Seminary in order to better society through education. Girls appeared on the school's roster from the day the school opened.

Later headmaster, Dr. Henry O Torsey, oversaw the construction of Sampson Hall which was opened in 1860 and is still serving students today. Dr. Torsey also opened a female collegiate institute, one of the first to offer degrees to women at the time. Dr. Torsey is credited with introducing baseball to the school in 1861.

Bearce Hall was completed in 1873. James G. Blaine, who later served as Secretary of State under President Benjamin Harrison, donated a bell for the bell tower, both of which become important school symbols. To this day, the bell is rung to celebrate school victories and important occasions. During the next fifty years, the school added a conservatory of music as well as a farm.

During the Second World War, Headmaster Bill Dunn decided to build a ski program next to Torsey Lake. The students cleared the land, and Kents Hill established an alpine racing program that endures to this day. Today the O'Conner Alpine Center boasts alpine racing and snowboarding facilities, complete with digital timing, night lights, snowmaking and a ski lodge.

Since 1990, Headmaster Rist Bonnefond has overseen further expansion of the school, its programs, and its facilities. In addition to expanding the academic program to include 12 Advance Placement programs, the school has added an Environmental Study program and graduation requirements. Since 1998 the school has added several new buildings and outdoor areas, including the Liz Cross Mellen Lodge, the Alfond Athletics Center, the Hanson Quadrangle, the Colhoun Plaza, the Williams Woodworking Studio, Reed Hall, and several new faculty residences. Davis Hall, the Alpine Center, and Bearce Hall have all been updated and renovated. In the fall of 2008 the school opened the Harold Alfond Turf Fields, one of the largest turf field complexes in New England. In 2009 a new Performing Arts Center opened in the renovated Newton Gym.