Grade 3 students brought their study of communities close to home this fall with a visit to King School’s famous Simon House, where they explored the people, traditions, and stories that have shaped King across generations.

The annual visit builds on the students’ social studies work examining how communities function and how individual contributions help shape a shared identity. Inside Simon House, students connected classroom ideas with King’s current staff and history, learning how the school evolved from its founding institutions into the community they know today.

A highlight of the visit was time spent with King archivists and former teachers Karin Wagner and Cathy Mishkin, who introduced students to artifacts and stories from the school’s past. Historical photographs, yearbooks, and old uniforms offered a tangible connection to earlier generations of students and prompted a steady stream of questions.

“It is truly fun to tell these youngsters about the history of the school and share with them that you love the school,” said Wagner. “As you share its history, the kids always react, are amazed, and ask more questions.”

The visit introduced students to King’s three founding schools and the story of how they merged, helping them understand the origins of the current name and the many people who contributed to the school’s development.

For Mishkin, the students’ enthusiasm makes the annual experience especially meaningful.

“The students come to us and are excited to learn,” said Mishkin. “I hope that they leave us with some basic information about how the school started. I also hope they understand how many people helped create the school they are a part of.”

This year, one chapter of King’s history especially captured the students’ attention: a fire that once destroyed the school building. Wagner noted that questions about the event continued throughout the session, while Mishkin recalled one student who was particularly concerned and eager to learn more.

Students also toured Simon House with Director of Marketing Lakeya Newton and met current staff members in the Admission, Development, Marketing and Communications, Business, and Human Resources offices. Through those conversations, they learned more about the many roles that help King operate each day. An interactive scavenger hunt guided the tour, with students checking off each department, recording three facts they learned, and searching the historic building for all of its fireplaces.

The students’ curiosity reflected the purpose of the visit, which was to make history more immediate by connecting names, dates, photographs, artifacts, and present-day roles to the place where they learn every day.

As students examined pieces of King’s past and met the people helping shape its present, they gained a deeper sense of their own place in its continuing story. The experience reinforced the idea that a community is shaped by its buildings and traditions and by generations of people whose contributions continue to influence those who come after them.