The Leader Board


Thoughts on teaching, learning & leadership from the formal and informal leaders of the Kenilworth Schools

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Spaces to Think

Kyle C. Arlington, Superintendent of Schools


Summer 2022

For most educators, the school year is a series of managing tasks and juggling priorities.


We yearn for more time to strategize and reflect on our goals without getting detoured by deadlines and minor crises. I'm starting to believe the divine purpose of summer break is to give us the thinking time and space we crave all year.

School buildings are quieter in summer, and so are our minds. We find ourselves returning to the ideas that we started pursuing months ago or coming up with new ones. I love thinking about my ideal visions of classroom teaching and learning and ruminating on how close or far we are from those visions.

The summer has given me the opportunity to develop goals I am excited about. Some personal goals I’m (re)committing to this year include:

  • spending more time in conversation with students.

  • reflecting on the shifts in teaching and learning we made as a result of COVID; keeping those that make sense and abandoning those that don’t.

  • not overlooking small wins. Even small advancements in teaching and learning are worthy of celebration.

There's no question that our headspace is linked to our physical space. We can focus better when we feel comfortable in our environment and have room for our needs.

This is certainly true for students and is a big part of what has motivated the Kenilworth Public Schools to pursue a bond referendum.

Our proposed improvements would give students more effective spaces to engage in academics, arts and athletics.

  • A two-story expansion of Brearley Middle-High School would allow us to give Middle School students a separate space in the building. Aside from creating a sense of belonging and eliminating hallway crowding, building upgrades would allow room for innovation, including science labs for both Middle and High School students.

  • Moving sixth-graders to Brearley would put them in an age-appropriate space for socializing and academics.

  • Freed-up space at Harding Elementary would give us the ability to serve more pre-K students.

  • Auditorium renovations at both schools would enhance experiences for young performers and their audiences.

  • New synthetic turf, plus replacement track and field upgrades, would provide reliable playing surfaces for students and the community.


While you have a little time and space to catch up this summer, be sure to learn more about our referendum - and of course, read a good book or two.