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From the Hilltop October 2024

Falling into Routine

Hello from The Hilltop where campus life is bustling. This month, the entire school headed to nearby Whaleback Mountain for our annual Mountain Day, enjoyed visits from families far and wide for Family Weekend, immersed ourselves in academic life and activities, and enjoyed a truly spectacular fall foliage that only New Hampshire can offer. Last week we officially opened our two new residence halls. Stay tuned for more on the Howe Dewdney and the Welch Residence Halls next month!

Scenes From: Family Weekend

We're so grateful to all our KUA families who entrust their students with us here on The Hilltop. This month we welcomed 450 people during Family Weekend from across the U.S. and around the globe - Japan, Singapore, Zambia, Spain, South Korea, China, Sweden, Mexico, Dubai, and Canada - to peek inside their student's experience. From attending classes to joining All-School Meeting to meeting with advisors to cheering on the sidelines, families saw the rich lives our students and faculty lead in Meriden.

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Three Steps to a Happier College Admission Process

Jacques Steinberg, New York Times best-selling author of The College Conversation: A Practical Companion for Parents to Guide Their Children Along the Path to Higher Education, joined the Office of College Advising for a candid discussion at Family Weekend on how to support children in mapping a path through the college-application process.

Here are three key steps for families to find a smooth start on the road to college.

Wildcat Action

The sidelines are always full on game days at KUA. While the Fall Athletic Season is heading toward postseason play, there's still time to catch the Wildcats in action. Can't make it to a game? You can watch live from wherever you are in the world. Don't worry, we can hear your cheers!

Live Games

Fall Athletic Highlights

Defending Class B Champions, Boys Varsity Soccer, is 10-2-1 in NEPSAC play with strong performances including a recent 1-0 win versus Worcester Academy, a perennial Class A contender. The team is undefeated in Lakes Region play with just two games remaining against New Hampton, and will take on NEPSAC Class A schools Andover and Exeter.

KUA’s Cross Country Team has been enjoying a great season with steady improvements with the girls’ logging some impressive wins throughout the Lakes Region. Isabelle ’27 has taken home numerous victories and set a record on KUA’s new home course. In their most recent meet at Cardigan Mountain School, the girls’ team won their meet with four runners in the top 10 and Isabelle ’27 clinching first. Meanwhile, the boys' team had a solid performance, finishing third overall.

Sink Your Teeth Into the Fall Play

Dracula: October 31-November 1

The KUA Theater Department invites you to join us for a thrilling ride through Bram Stoker’s classic tale of seduction, terror, and the eternal struggle between light and darkness. Set in the eerie backdrops of Victorian England and the wilds of Transylvania, the production dives into the psychological and supernatural elements of the story, exploring themes of obsession, love, and faith in what cannot be proven.

Tickets can be reserved by students during lunch in Doe Dining Hall and in the lobby prior to each performance.

Off Campus Explorations at Dartmouth College

Faculty and students have enjoyed access to nearby Dartmouth College this month. Anthropology students met with paleoanthropologist Jeremy DeSilva, the ninth grade class used Rauner Library to learn primary research, and students in the STEM Scholar Program and computer science classes met with professors in Dartmouth's Computer Science class to learn about neural networks and machine learning. Dartmouth's Hopkins Center for the Arts also treated our Arts Scholars to a visit from jazz vocalist, composer, and writer Somi.

From the Magazine

50 Years of the Return to Coeducation

Although many private schools excluded female students, Kimball Union welcomed female students from its earliest days. These young women went on to become social reformers and suffragettes, pioneers, teachers, and missionaries.

But in 1937, citing a decline in enrollment of female students, the Academy closed its doors to girls for nearly four decades. In February 1974, the Board of Trustees voted to re-admit young women.

Here, a few of the pioneering women in the earliest days of the return to co-education reflected on their experience 50 years ago.

Celebrate One Day. One KUA.

KUA's Day of Giving is November 14!

KUA's Day of Giving is coming up on November 14, and the early-bird giving period is already underway! Make your gift today to help us reach our goal of 900 donors. If we reach 250 early-bird donors, it will unlock an additional $25,000 gift, so give early and increase your impact on The Hilltop.

Ways to Give

Gifts can be made online at KUADayofGiving.org or by mail at Kimball Union Academy, Advancement Office, PO Box 188 Meriden, NH 03770. Contact Billy Rivellini, Director of Annual Giving, at brivellini@kua.org for more information.

Make a Gift