ARTHUR KENT REMEMBERS: PART ONE

Philip William Hickey
I never met Arthur Kent, the man who brought Latin to Graland School in 1950; I was fortunate enough to meet his son and daughter in 1998 when they came to the first Master Teachers’ reception in the old Graland cafeteria. In addition to teaching Latin, Mr. Kent was the Head of the Junior School from 1950-1965 and the Assistant Headmaster from 1965-1970. I begin with this excerpt, for it encapsulates so well the Georgia Nelson years.

This is just part of what Mr. Kent wrote:

"Reminisce about Graland? To express what’s in one’s heart and memories from the years of association, both as a teacher and parent, is dangerous. One doesn’t want to become maudlin, nor go too heavy on most striking reflections, not to go too heavy on most striking reflections, not to fail to mention what dimming eyes should still see. But anyone fortunate enough to have been with Georgia Nelson’s great school in the hallowed years of her directorship has personal feelings of happiness and purpose that only teachers, children, and parents of that era can really understand. . .

"My first visit to the school was in 1943. An acquaintance of Anne Matlack’s and a G.I. then stationed in Denver, I was invited to the school by Anne to see a play Anne was producing. . . The lively excellence with simplicity that Anne engendered with some very ingenious little children showed me I had walked into an unusually creative environment. That morning, I met Georgia Nelson, little realizing that six years later she would telephone me in Pennsylvania that the trustees were inviting me to head the proposed junior high.”
 
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Graland Country Day School

Graland Country Day School is a private school in Denver, Colorado, serving students in preschool, kindergarten, elementary, and middle school. Founded in Denver in 1927, Graland incorporates a rich, experiential learning approach in a traditional classroom setting, emphasizing the development of globally and socially conscious leaders who excel academically.