It is not a common occurrence that the Advanced Placement Program (AP) refers to a student’s score on an AP exam as “so superior that it falls into a rather select category.” That is exactly the well-deserved praise that Clare Liao ’23 received from the AP organization after earning the top score in her Computer Science A Exam in May 2021. Clare not only received the top score of 5 but was also one of only 356 students in the world to earn every point possible on the AP Computer Science A Exam, receiving the maximum score on each portion of the exam. 

To kick off the new year, upper school French teacher Denise Mihailoff and lower school teacher Helen Santoro teamed up for an opportunity to collaborate on curriculum across divisions. While upper school french students are researching the legacy of cultural heritage, Grade 5 students are learning about ancient civilizations, providing the students with a unique opportunity to make connections in one another’s learning. 

King School’s STEM Club had the opportunity to visit IBM’s research headquarters where they learned how the tech giant brings ideas from imagination to innovation. The students were greeted by IBM Think Lab Director Dr. George Tulevski, who led the tour of the Thomas J. Watson Research Lab in Yorktown Heights, NY, on December 14. The lab is regarded as one of the world’s premier centers for innovation in computer science. 

The College Counseling Department at King School has announced that 34 seniors have been accepted to their first-choice college or university and have already committed to attend. "This tremendous achievement represents years of dedication and hard work by the students, their teachers, and families, as well as the tireless commitment of our college counselors. I could not be prouder of everyone involved!" said Head of School Carol Maoz. To date, King’s matriculation reflects an impressive and diverse list of colleges and universities that best fit the unique interests and goals of its students. 

Upper School students built a three-dimensional model city made of buildings and vehicles designed to address real-world issues. “To begin the project, students were prompted to empathize with a cause or community and ask themselves, ‘who do I want to help and what do they need?’ Once they have defined a problem they would like to solve, they began formulating ideas for how the design of their prototype might provide a solution to that problem,” said art and design teacher Naomi Clark. This process is known as design thinking.  

The works of William Shakespeare can be complex, but King’s performing arts teachers employ the full potential of the stage in helping students understand the text and develop a love for it. The middle and upper school productions of Triple Trouble and Macbeth, respectively, demonstrate the power of the stage as a learning tool.

In alignment with King School’s commitment to community, King is collaborating with Darien-based nonprofit Person to Person this holiday season. The relationship is not new, but with each year, it grows more plentiful. King recently hosted the most successful food drive to date, donating 5,814 pounds of food to the Person to Person pantry.

Social sciences teacher Frank Roche makes a point of spotting trends; it is central to economics, the subject that he teaches at King. So when podcasts emerged as the hottest way to connect with a community, he responded with “King Cast,” a podcast for the King community. 

In honor of Veterans Day, we sat down with Associate Head of Middle School and Dean of Student Life Ben Magidson, a veteran of the United States Army. At age 20 and just one day after the September 11 terrorist attacks against the United States in 2001, Magidson consulted with his father, also a veteran, and enlisted.