According to the 2024 State of the Academy (SOTA), 17.8 percent of student respondents believed that Head of School Raynard Kington connects with the student body. When asked if they approved of the work he does for the students, 44.8 percent said yes. In the 2023 SOTA, these numbers were similar: 15.4 percent and 41 percent respectively. The majority of the student body feels that Dr. Kington is largely absent from their lives. At The Phillipian, we believe the Head of School should connect with students more.
The Phillipian invited Dr. Kington to reflect on his leadership style and his meaningful experiences at Andover five years into his tenure. This article intended to better understand and communicate Dr. Kington as a person within his role as Head of School. We specified that we were not looking to report on the progress of his administration’s strategic plans. From late October to mid-November, we engaged in back-and-forth communication with Dr. Kington about conducting an interview. We were ultimately told to bring the idea up again at a later date.
Last week, we reached out again and received the following response from Dr. Kington through Chief Communications Officer Tracy Sweet: “I assumed my first leadership position, directing a research center, about 30 years ago. At many points since that time, including while leading a large national epidemiological study, one of the largest public scientific agencies in the world, and a great liberal arts college, I have been asked to reflect, usually for publication, on my leadership at various milestones, and I believe that in every case I decided to decline those invitations. It is a purely personal decision to focus on doing the job that I am called to do. I believe that the right time for public reflection on a specific job is usually when that job is done (and maybe – for many reasons – not even then!). Reasonable people certainly may disagree with my choice. I stand by my decision.”
We are saddened that our attempt to connect the community with Dr. Kington as a person rather than a voice of the institution was declined. While we respect his decision to focus on the job he is called to do, we believe the job of being Head of School includes engaging substantially with students. It need not be a reflection in The Phillipian, but it needs to be something.
Our time at Andover is built upon personal connections. School leaders across all levels have a responsibility to cultivate authentic relationships, from student leaders to Dr. Kington himself. Coming to Andover, a boarding school, means participating in a uniquely interconnected community. At the same time, we understand that the functioning of Andover as an institution comes with a host of responsibilities that are not visible in our day-to-day lives. The administrators, including Dr. Kington, dedicate themselves to work that students do not directly see. Yet the two — personal connection and institutional leadership — are strengthened when entwined.
We invite Dr. Kington to connect with the student community more: to talk more with students on the paths; to host cluster munches at Phelps House; and to regularly attend our performances and games. It is undeniable that his leadership has successfully traversed multiple institutions, and benefitted Andover. Still, we are a residential high school with students as young as 14 who are away from home for the first time. Connecting with students should be a central part of the work of the Head of School.
