VINCIT QUI SE VINCIT

"ONE CONQUERS BY CONQUERING ONESELF"

Vincit qui se vincit“One conquers by conquering oneself.“

This motto, as old as Kingswood Oxford School itself,

anchors this community as we push each student – and

one another – toward excellence, to the edges of what we

know. Our close relationships create a safe harbor in which

young people can explore and test their emerging strengths,

passions and voices, and in so doing, begin to discover their

true selves, knowing that here they will always be accepted

for who they are.

Teaching intentionally – that is, taking care to draw

connections, to connect the dots between disciplines, to

encourage students to contemplate ideas, and not just facts –

is a hallmark of KO’s program. We are fortunate to have an

enormously talented cadre of faculty, advisors, coaches and

staff who live up to this expectation and live it out each day

in the classroom, on the field and in all of their interactions,

large and small, with our students each day.

I am proud to lead Kingswood Oxford. My colleagues and I

welcome high-caliber, motivated students who will embrace

all that we offer and who will, in turn, make our community

better for having been here. And, because we know that the

best education happens not only at school but also at home,

please know that we see parents as our partners, and that

we welcome and truly appreciate their involvement during

their children’s time with us.

I look forward to welcoming you to our special community

and to helping you discover whether it is the right

educational home for your family.

Core Values

Demonstrate honesty, integrity and respect

Care beyond self

Learn with passion and perseverance

Embrace intellectual curiosity

Work hard, take risks, become involved

Take personal responsibility

Dennis BisgaardHead of School

welcome

To learn more, please visit www.kingswoodoxford.org

Welcome to Kingswood Oxford School, where excellence, involvement

and integrity define us as a community. The goal of our Admissions Team

is to make you feel as though you belong to this community from your

very first inquiry. We promise to listen closely as you tell us about yourself;

we, in turn, will share with you all KO has to offer, so you have a clear

sense of whether your identity dovetails with ours.

You are always welcome here. Join us for an athletic event or musical

recital; visit a class; speak with our faculty, current students and alumni.

While our campus is beautiful, it is the people at KO – who commit to

knowing and understanding your talents and capabilities – who make the

community truly special.

Please feel free to reach out to us with any questions or to schedule a visit.

We look forward to meeting you soon.

Kingswood Oxford School, located just steps from West Hartford Center, is a coeducational, college preparatory day school serving students in grades 6-12. It was formed by the merger in 1969 of two long-standing day schools: Oxford School for

girls (1909) and Kingswood School for boys (1916). Founders Mary Martin and George Nicholson sought to provide their students with the advantages of a rigorous independent school education while allowing them the benefits of family life.

Our Historical Identity

Jim O’DonnellDirector of Enrollment Management

odonnell.j@k-o.org

EXPECT EXCELLENCEStudents tell us they choose KO because they want an environment where academic excellence is universally respected. The relationships here among students, teachers and advisors constitute our identity. Your peers will be curious, engaged and committed to a life of learning, service and achievement. You will quickly learn how to stretch, realizing that you cannot know what you can do until you try. When you stumble, you will see that these moments are the best teachers of all – and, it will feel that much better when you get it right!

Discover Your IdentityWe pride ourselves on offering the best of both worlds: a century-long tradition of excellence coupled with constant

improvements to our programs and facilities. As the demands of society and the world change, so does our curriculum. When you

graduate from KO, you will be ready for your future, knowing you have acquired all the tools that will help you navigate it –

as well as a strong sense of your own identity.

PURSUE INVOLVEMENTBy owning your experience, your sense of self will emerge. You will be empowered to engage in class discussions, challenge assumptions, approach teachers for extra help or enrichment and participate in cocurricular activities that pique your interest.

STRENGTHEN INTEGRITYOur program is designed to help you to understand the truth within yourself. Character development is essential not only to your educational journey but also to your personal and professional success. Our future relies on leaders who know how to make difficult and positive decisions every day, especially when work is demanding and time is short.

BROADEN PERSPECTIVEOur curriculum and our cocurricular activities serve as a bridge, bringing the world to you and you to the world. Programs like June Term, a two-week international learning experience, and the Middle School Venezuelan Visitors Program, through which South American students become Wyverns for a few weeks, offer you a global perspective within the day school experience.

Meanwhile, our signature speakers series – such as the Baird English Symposium and the Goodman Banks Visiting Artists Program – bring prominent experts to campus for an extraordinary experience of readings, master classes and Q&A sessions, providing you ample opportunities to listen, learn and grow.

RESPECT DIFFERENCEOur students come from a variety of cultural, religious and socioeconomic backgrounds; from public and private schools; and from more than 50 towns. The diverse experiences of these classmates will help you to understand different viewpoints and develop confidence expressing your opinion. This daily experience will prepare you well for communicating one day with colleagues who will likely come from all over the world.

Care Beyond SelfYour journey does not end with knowledge of self; indeed, it is just the beginning. Your generation is bursting with optimism

and a sincere desire to make a difference. At KO, “Care Beyond Self” is a core value. During your years here, you will be asked to take

what you learn about yourself and use it to make a difference in your family, your school and your local and global communities.

“The beauty of Kingswood Oxford is that you’re presented with so many great opportunities, but I think there’s no better contribution than encouraging others to also take advantage of them. Someone pushed me when I was first starting out, and I think it’s my duty to give back to the community that has done so much for me.”

– Mahathi Kumar ’14

The global landscape is changing rapidly. Your generation will be blessed with immense opportunities and challenged by

sophisticated issues. As technology makes the world smaller, you will be exposed to environments as minute as the human genome and

as vast as neighboring galaxies. Positioning yourself to receive the best education, equipping yourself with a degree of flexibility, creative

thinking, and an entrepreneurial spirit will help you succeed. We provide the opportunity and tools to find your strengths, develop your

identity and prepare you for your journey.

Meet the Challenge

Passport to our World is the culminating

interdisciplinary project of the Upper

Prep (sixth grade) year. Students

present families and friends with the

research they have done on a country

of their choosing, sharing information

about culture, environmental issues and

potential solutions, relevant statistics,

indigenous languages and art. In

addition, Upper Prep students participate

in a Model United Nations program.

“Middle school matters! At KO, we expect adolescents to participate actively in their education, and we find that the curiosity they have retained from childhood is complemented by their emerging abstract reasoning skills. This creates an excitement for learning that thrives in our student-centered classrooms, where the doors to big ideas are opened.”

– Jane Repp, Director of the Middle School

BECOME SELF-RELIANTOur curriculum begins with the fundamentals of reading, writing and computation. You will learn to analyze, discuss and collaborate effectively so you can navigate your academic journey with increasing independence. You will become proficient in developing strategies to capitalize on your individual strengths and learning style.

MAKE CONNECTIONSWe will ground you in core content but ask you to apply essential skills, such as oral and written communication, technological literacy, creativity and self-advocacy, to increasingly sophisticated intellectual challenges.

Harkness discussions encourage active, student-

driven learning by casting the teacher in the

role of the observer while the class selects key

topics to examine. Students prepare by mining

the text for insights and evidence, and then

they collaboratively managing the flow of the

conversation so that everyone participates.

Through this method, students learn how to

listen effectively and how to build on the new

ideas that arise from the intellectual synergy

of the class.

PRESENT IDEASYou will become an astute reader and accomplished writer. Reading widely and writing regularly refines your ability in expressing yourself in clear and convincing terms, whether on paper or in group discussions. Your intellectual curiosity will flourish as you evaluate and organize your ideas, which so often results in a new set of questions. We will motivate you to find your “voice” and nurture your appreciation of the power of words.

CONSTRUCT SOLUTIONSMany of life’s problems lack scripted solutions, and questions are often shaped with only a glimpse of the possible outcome. In preparation for this reality, we expect you to think beyond a collection of rules, facts and formulas to determine viable approaches. Developing solutions to complex problems is an act of imagination and perseverance. The ability to apply new knowledge to a range of settings and situations is an integral part of your education. Problem solving requires analytical ability and the willingness to see beyond the literal.

“A singular strength of a KO education is our students honing effective thinking, speaking and writing skills across the curriculum through repeated practice, developing not only their own set of particular skills but also their own particular voice.”

– Ron Monroe, Upper School English Teacher

LEAD CONFIDENTLYAs an upperclassman, you will likely mentor a younger student, set a positive example for your peers and/or lead a program for which you have a particular passion. Most important, you will have the opportunity to share your talents for the benefit of others.

THINK GLOBALLYIt is important that you experience the world beyond Greater Hartford as you prepare to participate in a global community. Team Tobatí, June Term and the Global Online Academy partnership are just a few of the international opportunities.

EXPRESS CLEARLYBy the time you graduate, you will read, research and write in clear and convincing terms from your own understanding and experience. The Senior Thesis project represents the culmination of our writing curriculum and incorporates college-level ideas and expression. After choosing a literary topic of interest, you will develop, research and defend your capstone thesis paper, which you then present to your peers.

TAKE CUMULATING CURRICULUMAdvanced Placement (AP) Exams measure what students have learned after participating in rigorous college-level courses. Research shows students who score a three or higher typically experience greater academic success in college and are more likely to graduate in four years than those who do not participate. Since 2001, 96% of KO graduates have taken at least one AP and almost half have earned the College Board distinction of “AP Scholar” for outstanding performance on three or more exams.

Classroom discussions and everyday assignments

become increasingly sophisticated during your junior and

senior years. The culmination of your college preparation rests

with your awareness of how acquired knowledge, skills and

actions can be applied to complex problems. You are expected

to self-advocate, leverage an abundance of available resources

and synthesize ideas.

Synthesize Your Experience

As part of our commitment to preparing our students to be citizens

of the world, June Term is a series of courses open to Upper School

students where classroom study is merged with real-world experience.

Designed and led by our teachers, June Term offerings immerse students

in two-week multidisciplinary travel-study experiences in a variety of

settings.To learn more, visit www.kingswoodoxford.org/juneterm

Local School; Global Opportunity

KO is one of only 32 independent schools in the world that belong to the Global Online Academy, an elite consortium that

provides rigorous online courses taught by specially trained teachers from

member schools. Its mission is to foster new and effective ways for

students to learn and to promote global awareness via diverse, online

schoolroom communities. To learn more, visit www.kingswoodoxford.org/goa

Team Tobatí is dedicated to improving the lives of disadvantaged

youth in Tobatí, Paraguay while at the same time offering KO students

the powerful experience of working directly for a greater good in the

developing world. With the active support of Tobatí community leaders

and organizations, the Team constructs classrooms and schools, funds

important social programs and supports medical services and initiatives.

To learn more, visit www.teamtobati.org

Each winter, the Venezuelan Visitors Program hosts two different

groups of students from Caracas, Venezuela who each join our Middle

School for a month. The lives of our students and our guests are enriched

both academically and personally. The visiting seventh-grade students

attend classes, join advisee groups, participate in athletics and enjoy social

events. In turn, our students practice their Spanish, learn deeply about

another culture and expand their world view.

BUILD YOUR FOUNDATIONIn grades 6-8, your coursework will include media arts, music, theater and visual arts with an emphasis on participation, process and problem solving. The combination of required courses and electives will help you discover your own identity as an artist and develop creative thinking skills.

CHOOSE YOUR PATHIn grades 9-12, you will have access to vast Creative Arts programming. As a visual artist, you will work in a variety of media and learn how to question the problem set before you. You will critique your own work to identify what is working and what is not. As a performing artist, you will act; learn about stagecraft, lighting and sound; hone public speaking skills or participate in a range of general and select choral or instrumental groups.

COMPOSE IN A DIGITAL ERAKO’s sophisticated technology offers you exposure to the new age of the arts, including video and audio design, digital photography and music technology. In our music technology lab, you will enjoy a range of digital music composition courses designed to meet you where you are.

Immerse yourself in the world of Creative Arts. Display artwork in the gallery, direct a stage production or sing with an

a cappella group. Explore the timeless study of human culture and enjoy the opportunity for contemporary self-expression.

“Our facilities – a first-rate theater setup, creative arts studios, two fully equipped Mac computer labs – give us the physical capabilities to think big. Technology allows us to explore avenues for creative collaborative endeavor and to visibly investigate ideas.”

– Patricia Rosoff, Academic Dean of Humanities

Nurture Your Creative Identity

Endowed Visiting Artist Series

Our generous benefactors understand the importance of bringing renowned

artists onto our campus. Through the Goodman Banks Visiting Artists

program, endowed by Trustee Emerita Sherry Banks-Cohn ’54 in honor of

her father, students learn from well-known visual and performing artists;

through the Composer Colloquy, choral students benefit from workshops with

acclaimed composers. In 2012-13, students worked in small and large groups

with the jazz trombonist John Fedchock and his New York Sextet; visual artist

Ted Efremoff, who uses graphic storytelling to illuminate global issues; and

Francisco Nuñez, an internationally known choral composer, who ushered

students through rehearsals of a piece of music he had written just for them!

“Our Work, Our Choice”

We say that creativity is not just nice; it is necessary – and nurturing creativity has

been a cornerstone of a KO education for more than 100 years. The “Our Work,

Our Choice” exhibit offers a forum for our Middle School artists to have their

work shown in a larger exhibit involving three private middle schools. The students

themselves vote on which pieces to include, and English and art students from the

respective schools write the descriptive captions.

Musicians Receive State and National Recognition

Grace Gentile ’15, Molly Sullivan, ’15 and Samuel Wiseman ’14 were

recognized this year as talented musicians. Samuel, a violinist, was accepted into

the All-State Orchestra, while Grace, a soprano, was accepted into the All-State

Choir. They performed at the All-State Music Festival at the CT Convention

Center in the spring. Molly was selected to be a part of the Women’s Choir that

performed at a national four-day conference. Along with students from 31 other

states, Molly performed at the First Cathedral in Bloomfield.

AIM FOR SUCCESSAs we enjoy a tradition of excellence in competitive athletics, Wyverns have garnered numerous individual and team honors and championships. Each season, you will participate in interscholastic athletics or choose from a rich array of intramural and non-competitive options. Develop your skills in a sport you already know, or try something new; you will learn the importance of fitness and the benefits of a healthy, active lifestyle.

BOND WITH YOUR TEACHER-COACHOur “teacher as coach” philosophy connects your learning on the field with that which occurs in the classroom. Our teachers also serve as our coaches. They strive to know you, understand your capabilities and encourage you to bring the best out of yourself. Our teacher-coaches are role models, demonstrating commitment that is rooted in their love and knowledge of the game and their desire to share it with you.

You will develop skill, stamina and confidence. Participation in the Wyvern athletic program will help you develop

a sense of identity as an individual athlete as well as a member of a team. This personal development will have lifelong benefits

as you collaborate with talented peers in pursuit of a common purpose now, in college and in the workplace.

Win the Wyvern Way

“What I love about athletics is that it gives students a way to learn lifelong lessons about service: to a team, to their schooland to the community at large.”

– Susan Cabot, Director of Athletics

Dayna Lord ’13 to Play Tennis at Brown

Dayna Lord ’13, our #1 singles player since 8th grade, will continue her

academic and athletic career at Brown University. During her years at KO,

Lord won 64 matches and lost only one. She is one of the highest-ranked tennis

players in New England, and KO Tennis Coach Ron Garcia called her “the best

player in the Founders League in the past 25 years.” In true Wyvern fashion,

Dayna was also an honor roll student, an active volunteer, and a Senior Prefect

– one of the most prestigious leadership positions in her class. “Dayna represents

all the ideals that we value at KO,” said Coach Garcia.

Wyverns Star in College Sports

Many of our graduates go on to compete at all levels of intercollegiate sports.

In 2012-13, 38 alumni were on the rosters of 18 different sports at 23 different

colleges or universities. Five were team captains. In addition, in the last decade

several of our alumni have gone on to compete professionally in basketball

and lacrosse.

Boys Lax Team and Kent Byrd ’13 Win Top Honors

The Boys Varsity lacrosse team received a prestigious honor: the Prep School

Sportsmanship Award for 2013 from the CT Lacrosse Officials Association. “This

is a tremendous honor and a tribute to our coaches, our athletes and our school’s

commitment to the highest ideals of character, citizenship and sportsmanship,”

said Athletic Director Susan Cabot.

In June 2013, U.S. Lacrosse named Kent Byrd ’13 an Academic All-American,

based on his exemplary lacrosse skills, good sportsmanship, high standards of academic

achievement and significant contributions of service to the school and/or community.

A National Merit Commended student, Byrd graduated with honors and now

attends Bates College.

Your fellow Wyverns will embrace, support and encourage your involvement in any program that sparks your

interests – feel free to dive in! Our culture of involvement makes KO the ideal place to nurture established interests and

explore hidden talents. Participation beyond the classroom allows you to develop life-long passions central to your identity.

Nurture Your Passion

Rudy DeBerry ’13, now a freshman at Northwestern University, and Sophie Kruger

’14, were outstanding members of Forensic Union, our award-winning debate and public

speaking team. They were such poised and confident speakers during the regular debate

season that they earned spots on the U.S. team that traveled to South Africa for the

World Schools Debating Championship in March 2013.

The clear and compelling presentation of ideas is a hallmark of a KO education – and

Forensic Union members are among its best practitioners. KO’s team meets weekly

to refine public speaking skills, learn the finer points of debate technique, prepare for

competition and support one another throughout the process.

For more information about debate and public speaking, visit

www.kingswoodoxford.org/forensicunion

For a complete list of clubs and activities, visit: www.kingswoodoxford.org/clubs

After he finishes his freshman year at George Washington University, Joe Rogus ’13 will

continue his studies in a most unusual place – aboard a ship, traveling to 11 cities in 10

countries over 66 days. And he’ll do it for free!

Rogus, former captain of KO’s robotics team, is one of only two students in the country

who won a $15,000 “Semester at Sea” scholarship, sponsored by the University of

Virginia, to use in the Summer of 2014. Rogus was chosen from among the thousands

of students who were eligible based on their participation in the national FIRST® (“For

Inspiration and Recognition of Technology”) robotics program.

For more information about robotics, visit www.kingswoodoxford.org/robotics

Long known as a leader in high school Model UN programs,

we have expanded our expertise to the middle school level. In

March 2013, we hosted KOMUN, the first-ever Model UN

for middle schools in the Greater Hartford area. More than

125 students from public, private, charter and magnet schools

participated as delegates to an assigned country and on various

mock UN committees – such as the Security Council, the

UN Commission on Human Rights or the UN Environment

Programme. As they discussed current issues and proposed

solutions, KO middle schoolers and their middle school

guests gained first hand experience at grappling with complex

global issues.

For more information about Middle School enrichment

programs, including KOMUN, visit

www.kingswoodoxford.org/msenrichment.

At the 22nd annual Gala benefiting the Ronald McDonald

House® of Springfield, MA, Samantha Udolf ’12, a sophomore

at Harvard University, Claudia Udolf ’14 and their non-profit

initiative (Sam’s Race for a Place®) were honored for raising

more than $54,000 for the house over the past five years. In

addition to their fundraising, the girls spend many weekends

visiting and doing arts and crafts with the children who are

staying there.

“In the time that they have worked with the Ronald McDonald

House®, Sam and Claudia have established themselves as

spokespersons, hands-on volunteers, fundraisers and friends,”

said Jennifer Putnam, Executive Director of the Ronald

McDonald House® of Springfield. “They are a shining example

of the difference two people can make when they set their minds

to a goal and pursue it with all their heart and soul.”

For more information about the extraordinary efforts

of the Udolf sisters, visit www.samsraceforaplace.com

LEVERAGE THE KO DIFFERENCEColleges seek students who are intellectually curious and eager to contribute to the life of the school. Representatives from 100 colleges and universities visit our campus annually and cite academic readiness, self-awareness, leadership and broad extracurricular involvement as very appealing core attributes of our students.

CONTRIBUTE IMMEDIATELYOur graduates report a smooth transition to college and confirm they are well prepared to meet challenges and seize opportunities. Examples of early undergraduate involvement include writing for an arts magazine, performing undergraduate research, and securing coveted internships. BE PARTNERS WITH YOUR COLLEGE ADVISORThe college advising process indirectly begins when you enroll at KO. Together with your faculty advisor, you will build an academic and cocurricular program that reflects the breadth of your interests and depth of your commitment. In your sophomore year, a series of informative in-house programs and presentations from invited experts will help you and your family become familiar with and prepared for the college search process. During junior and senior year, you, your parents and your college advisor will manage your college search process comprehensively and effectively with tools like Naviance.

By junior year, you will have crystallized your sense of self and purpose. This self-knowledge will help you identify the

direction you wish to pursue after KO and guide your college search. With support from your college advisor, you will build a

list of colleges and universities that are great matches for you. The KO experience fosters the very qualities that will enable you

to compete successfully for admission.

Bound for College

Varun joined us in ninth grade. He is now a sophomore at UConn as an Honors student in the highly selective Special Program in Medicine.

Forming an Identity by Varun Khattar ’12

“It is hard to believe over a year has passed since I proudly

accepted my diploma from Mr. Bisgaard. I have spent

the last year as a part of the University of Connecticut’s

Honors Program and Special Program in Medicine,

received my national EMT certification, volunteered

hundreds of hours, joined an a capella group and spent two

months consulting for a Guatemalan social business.

This involvement was instilled in me by my KO family

who gave me countless invaluable gifts − critical thinking

and writing skills, a global perspective and an excellent

grasp of the Spanish language.

I believe the greatest gift one can receive is the

opportunity to form an identity. In this society, high

school is often spent simply searching for the perfect

college. At KO, we spend the majority of our time

searching for our perfect self. In the process, we find the

place that’s right for us − at least I know I certainly did.”

American UniversityAmherst CollegeBabson CollegeBard CollegeBarnard CollegeBates CollegeBennington CollegeBentley UniversityBoston CollegeBoston UniversityBowdoin CollegeBrandeis UniversityBrown UniversityBryant UniversityBryn Mawr CollegeBucknell UniversityUC Santa BarbaraCarleton CollegeCarnegie Mellon UniversityCase Western Reserve Univ.University of ChicagoClark UniversityClemson UniversityColby CollegeColgate UniversityColorado CollegeConnecticut CollegeUniversity of ConnecticutCornell UniversityDartmouth College

Davidson CollegeDenison UniversityDickinson CollegeDuke UniversityElon UniversityEmerson CollegeEmory UniversityFordham UniversityFranklin and Marshall CollegeFurman UniversityGeorge Washington UniversityGeorgetown UniversityGettysburg CollegeGrinnell CollegeHamilton CollegeHampshire CollegeHarvard UniversityCollege of the Holy CrossUniversity of IllinoisIndiana UniversityJohns Hopkins UniversityJuniata CollegeKenyon CollegeKettering UniversityLafayette CollegeLawrence UniversityLehigh UniversityLoyola University New OrleansMacalester CollegeMarquette University

University of MarylandUniversity of MiamiUniversity of MichiganMiddlebury CollegeMount Holyoke CollegeMuhlenberg CollegeThe College of New JerseyThe New SchoolNew York UniversityNorth Carolina State UniversityNortheastern UniversityNorthwestern UniversityUniversity of Notre DameOberlin CollegeOccidental CollegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of PittsburghPitzer CollegePrinceton UniversityProvidence CollegeUniversity of Puget SoundReed CollegeRensselaer Polytechnic InstituteUniversity of RichmondUniversity of RochesterRollins CollegeUniversity of San DiegoSarah Lawrence CollegeSewaneeSkidmore College

Smith CollegeSt. Lawrence UniversityStonehill CollegeStony Brook UniversityBinghamton UniversitySwarthmore CollegeSyracuse UniversityTrinity CollegeTufts UniversityTulane UniversityUnion CollegeU.S. Merchant Marine AcademyUnited States Military AcademyVanderbilt UniversityVassar CollegeVillanova UniversityUniversity of VirginiaWake Forest UniversityWashington and Lee UniversityWashington University - St. LouisWellesley CollegeWesleyan UniversityWheaton CollegeWhitman CollegeCollege of William and MaryWilliams CollegeUniversity of WisconsinWorcester Polytechnic InstituteYale University

For more information, visit www.kingswoodoxford.org/collegeadvising.

KO graduates, more than 80% of whom have been accepted to Barron’s “Most Competitive” and “Highly Competitive”

schools in the past five years, report a high level of academic readiness and personal satisfaction with the schools they have chosen.

Below is a sampling of schools that have admitted our students during the past five years:

“The college search process is exciting but can sometimes seem convoluted. My goal is to demystify it for families and help students find the ‘right fit’ school that will allow them to achieve their goals.”

– Zaira Santiago, Director of College Advising

What’s a Wyvern?The Wyvern has been the School mascot since 1916, when Kingswood School opened; its name comes from the French word wyvere, which means both “viper” and “life.”

A Wyvern looks a bit like a two-legged, poison-breathing winged dragon. Common in heraldry, a Wynern is a sign of strength, leadership and nobility. At KO, it is a sign of community, camaraderie and family.

And now it is also known as the third most unique high school mascot in the country.

Tapped by USA Today as one of 255 high school mascots to compete in an online voting contest, the Wyvern took the KO community on a wild ride in the spring of 2013. Fueled by hundreds of thousands of clicks from the worldwide Kingswood Oxford family, KO KO the Wyvern came in first in the state. Then the region.

And then it was on to the national stage. The School was on spring break, but Wyvern Nation came alive, coast-to-coast, on every continent and from every age group. Votes poured in from Singapore, Italy, Dubai, Denmark, Korea and South Africa. People mobilized on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. The voting went on around the clock: West Coast alums held down the fort while the East Coast people got some sleep. Head of School Dennis Bisgaard and his wife, Monica, clicked and clicked and clicked. Stories appeared in local papers and on local TV channels; KO KO even appreared on “The Today Show.”

In the end, the Wyvern tallied 1,783,538 votes – good enough for the bronze.

The mascot contest proved both the power of social media and the powerlessness of technology without people. But most of all, the contest proved that good old-fashioned school spirit is alive and well in Wyvern Nation. We can’t wait for you to share it!

Wyverns Forever!“The contest was a physical, mental and psychological exercise that brought out creativity, ingenuity and collaboration using many types of technology. But it was the relationships among the participants that proved decisive and will be the thing I remember best and cherish.”

– Juan Martinez, Modern Languages Teacher

“The mascot contest was a beautifully uniting force that brought our entire school community together in a unique and remarkable way.”

– Dennis Bisgaard, Head of School

You will instantly join an extended family. From your first day on campus, you will be a member of the mighty Wyvern Nation.

Student Life

Our cocurricular clubs – ranging from the KO News to Global

Awareness, from Forensic Union to the Green Team, from the

Investment Club to Team Tobati, plus many more – give you the

chance to figure out who you are outside the classroom. What

interests you? What matters to you? What is your identity as a

member of a community – here at KO, and also in the larger

community outside our campus?

By becoming involved in cocurriculars, you will get to know kids

in other grades; you’ll learn how to cooperate and collaborate;

you’ll hone leadership skills and you’ll see how good it feels to help

others and be part of something bigger than yourself. You will soon

exemplify two of KO’s core values: Care Beyond Self and Become

Involved.

Natalie DemersAssistant Head of School for Academic Life

Carolyn McKeeAssistant Head of School for Student Life

Academic Life

Education at KO is an adventure, an opportunity to discover and explore your

passions and to delve further and deeper into your identity as a student and lifelong

learner. With a team of knowledgeable and supportive guides at your side, you will

learn, practice and hone the skills you will need in college and throughout your life.

In our ever-changing, shrinking and digitally connected world, it is vital to

develop and refine the tools to learn, to question and to uncover solutions in

a creative and authentic manner. As a KO alum, you will be a bridge builder

and innovator, well equipped to navigate the complex and awe-inspiring

global community by recognizing and understanding the intricacies – cultural

or political, economic or environmental – of the world in which you live, the

world you will one day shape.

170 Kingswood Road, West Hartford, CT 06119-1430

t 860.727.5000 | f 860.236.3651 | admissions@k-o.org | www.kingswoodoxford.org

KingswoodOxfordHonoring the past. Shaping the future.

/wyvernnation/kingswoodoxford /wyvernnation

“When you take the time to actually look inside of a teacher,

you realize how much they know, how much they love that knowledge

and how they yearn to educate students with that material.

This quality in Kingswood Oxford teachers drives me to pursue

my education relentlessly, in the hope that someday, I can view

this knowledge with the same reverence that they do.”

– Bill Pratt ’10