School News

A season of firsts and fierce finishes! King’s girls lacrosse team capped an undefeated run with a historic championship win, while the boys are set to defend their title in the New England McCoy Cup. With all ten spring teams heading to the postseason, the Vikings are charging into an action-packed week of championship competition!

The annual Grandparents and Special Friends Day filled the Lower School with joy and connection on Friday, May 9, as over 180 guests visited students for a morning of engaging activities and shared experiences. The day began with a heartfelt welcome from Head of School Carol Maoz and Head of Lower School Sandy Lizaire-Duff, who emphasized the essential role families and communities play in education. An interactive musical performance from lower school students concluded the morning reception before visitors departed for classrooms to experience hands-on learning, including science experiments, literary exercises, history explorations, engineering challenges, and more!

In a spirited and ambitious performance, middle school students brought the musical mystery “Curtains: Young@Part" to life with humor, heart, and teamwork. The production challenged the cast with its fast-paced plot, complex characters, and ensemble-driven energy, giving students a meaningful opportunity to grow as performers. With guidance from faculty and a supportive rehearsal process, students gained confidence as they took on the show’s emotional depth and theatrical challenges.

Jaipal Dohil ’25 has earned one of the nation’s most prestigious academic honors: a $2,500 National Merit Scholarship. From over 1.3 million applicants, Jaipal’s achievement highlights his academic excellence and the personal drive, integrity, and community spirit that have defined his 12-year journey at King.

It’s playoff time at King, and the Vikings are ready to dominate! Both Girls and Boys Lacrosse have earned top seeds and will kick off their postseason runs at home in an exciting double-header on Tuesday, May 13. Meanwhile, Blake Zarkowsky ’27 captured the FAA Girls Golf title, King Crew rowed to silver in Long Island, and Emma Drexel ’27 delivered a walk-off homer in a dramatic softball win. Plus, we celebrated our incredible spring sports seniors in style!

Katie Ruhe ’25 was recently honored as a Gen Z Future Leader by Jewish Family Services (JFS) of Greenwich for her outstanding dedication to supporting refugees and immigrants. What began as an AP World History project interview with a Ukrainian refugee ignited a deep, ongoing commitment to service that has defined her years at King. Through her volunteer work with JFS, Katie has led initiatives including welcome basket drives and has helped preserve refugee narratives, contributing to King’s “Empowering Voices” project and the Fortunoff Video Archive at Yale. Beyond her service, she plays an active role in the King School community as a club founder, student leader, athlete, and mentor. Her work exemplifies the power of compassion and understanding to drive meaningful change.

Grade 6 Spanish students deepened their language proficiency, storytelling abilities, and cultural understanding through a project-based lesson centered on the Chilean legend of the Chanchito de Chile, which centers around a small, three-legged pig believed to bring good luck and protection. After learning about the cultural significance of the piglet through Spanish stories, students crafted clay chanchitos and wrote narratives using vocabulary and grammar they had studied throughout the year. The project included reading, writing, speaking, and listening assessments aligned with American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages standards, and led to a heartwarming presentation to lower school students, where the handmade figurines, symbolic of resilience and luck, were shared.

Grade 4 classrooms became bustling arcades on Wednesday, April 30, as families competed for high scores in student-designed video games inspired by animal research. The event marked the culmination of a nearly two-month interdisciplinary nonfiction unit, where students explored nonfiction texts, honed research skills, and translated their findings into educational, pixel-art games. The project deepened students’ literacy and creative thinking abilities while bringing learning to life in a creative and playful way.

The spring athletic season at King School continues to thrive with vibrant school spirit, thrilling athletic performances, and strong community engagement. Following weather-delayed King of Spring weekend games, the momentum carried into a week packed with high-energy varsity games and festive gatherings. Students, families, and staff turned out in force to enjoy ice cream, music, Viking Pride swag, and raffles while cheering on the teams. Highlights included impressive lacrosse and softball wins, a senior day celebration, and notable individual milestones. As the spring season advances, the King community remains united in support of its athletes, showcasing the resilience, heart, and pride that define the Viking spirit.

Cheers and applause filled the Grade 5 history classroom on Monday, April 28, as Tyler Sanchez ’32 brought his vision to life by hosting the first-ever Grade 5 Geography Bee. After proposing the idea in January, Tyler worked closely with teacher Helen Santoro to design and plan the event, writing nearly 100 challenging questions and shaping an engaging format that kept his classmates on the edge of their seats. During the event, student teams competed through exciting elimination rounds filled with questions on landmarks, cities, states, and geology. More than just a competition, the Geography Bee was a celebration of student voice, curiosity, and the power of following one's passion, leaving the grade inspired and energized by what may become a beloved new tradition at King.

King School’s annual Art Colloquiums celebrated the remarkable growth of senior art and design students in their final year of the OPEN (Original, Personal, Experienced, and Novel) program. The colloquiums, held over two assemblies, marked the culmination of years of creative exploration, as twelve talented artists presented portfolios that were as diverse as they were personal. Through trial, evolution, and self-expression, each artist unveiled a unique body of work that told a powerful story of transformation, boundary-pushing, and voice-finding.

This week was a powerhouse for the Vikings, marked by decisive victories, record-shattering performances, and dominant winning streaks. Although Saturday's forecast has dampened the King of Spring game plans, the week has already delivered exceptional achievements across all teams. The undefeated Girls Golf and Girls Lacrosse secured clutch wins, Boys Lacrosse exploded for a high-scoring victory in their midweek FAA game, and the Track and Field team obliterated multiple school records at the Hopkins Invitational. As postseason play looms, Viking athletes are peaking at precisely the right moment.