200-year-old farm to be part of Center for Innovation

KENT — “The familiar is crumbling,” announced South Kent Head of School Andrew Vadnais at a talk Sept. 18 sponsored by the Kent Historical Society.The theme of his talk was not about the advantages and disadvantages of looking to the past (even though his presentation at Town Hall, attended by about 50 people, had been organized by the Historical Society). Vadnais was there to talk about the future — specifically, the future of the Arno Farm, which now belongs to South Kent School.The Arno Farm was the last working dairy farm in Kent. Trustees of the school contributed money to purchase the farm. Associate Head of School Richard Chavka explained the school itself is on 330 acres and the Arno Farm is on 130 acres that are nearby but not adjacent to the school. A donor contributed the money to purchase a 22-acre parcel that connects the two and turns them into one contiguous property.Vadnais explained that when he said the “familiar is crumbling,” he meant that the world that South Kent students will enter after graduation is vastly different from the world of the 20th century. The world will need new sources of energy and food, he said. There will be increasing levels of terrorism, both physical and cyber. Climate change will have a profound impact and there are likely to be extinctions of hundreds of plant and animal species. Rapid population growth is expected and there will be a rise of a middle class all over the world. Everyone will become increasingly dependent on technology.To prepare graduates for this new world, Vadnais said, “We need new high-concept and high-touch education.”By “high-concept” he said he means the ability to create artistic and emotional beauty; to detect patterns and opportunities; to craft satisfying narratives and to combine seemingly unrelated ideas into novel inventions. By “high-touch” he said he means the ability to empathize with others; the ability to understand human subtleties; finding joy in oneself and eliciting joy in others and stretching beyond the comfortable in pursuit of purpose and meaning.To meet these needs, the school is planning a two part co-curriculum. The first part is strong vigorous academics with 21st-century proficiencies. The second is The Center for Innovation, to be built on the Arno Farm. The center will teach students about stewardship of the relationship between humans, animals, technology and the land; about creativity and communication in global cultures; and about mathematics, physics, robotics and biology and how to use them to solve real-world problems.In addition to a community building, a technology building and an enviro-science building, there will eventually be shelters for animals and other farm outbuildings.A wind turbine, geothermal heating/cooling plant, solar panels and other technologies will provide the school with green energy and give students a chance to learn about these technologies.South Kent is waiting for approvals from the Kent Planning and Zoning Commission. If that happens, the school expects to have the first shovel in the ground by Oct. 30.The total project has an estimated cost of $13 million.As of now, the school is not sure what to do with the house that stands on the property. Marge Smith, executive director of the Kent Historical Society, explained, “We’re now pretty sure the house dates form 1741 or 1742.” A team of researchers recently found the foundation of a log cabin that once stood nearby.Chavka said the school will raise a limited amount of livestock on the property. One goal is to use the former farm as a resource for food to feed the school, thereby further reducing carbon footprints resulting from deliveries.