KENT, Conn.—Bright skies and bright smiles marked the opening of Kent Center School Tuesday, Aug. 26, as 185 students assembled for the 2025-26 school year.
“[The opening day] went great,” reported school Principal Michelle Mott. “Everyone arrived here with bright smiles, eager to get back.”
The children entered the school to be greeted by familiar faces. Only one new faculty member has been added, Emily Piescki, the art teacher.
“The only other new thing that we talked to the children about is our school climate vision, Cougar PRIDE,” Mott said. “PRIDE stands for perseverance, respect, integrity, determination and empathy. The state of Connecticut instituted a new policy, Restorative Practices, this year to help students build a positive climate. We talked to the children about modeling and how both staff and students will do it all over the school.”
The approach prioritizes building relationships and empowering individuals through tools like circles, restorative conferences, and counseling, shifting away from purely punitive measures toward repairing harm and supporting growth.
“I don’t think it will be different than what we have been doing in the past,” said Mott, “but PRIDE gives it a name. It’s all about building relationships and responding to a child’s behavior.”
She said early mornings are dedicated to settling the students in for the coming school day. Some classrooms may use color blocks that represent different moods, such as anger, depression, and happiness to give the teacher insight into how a child is feeling; other teachers may employ “moody faces” as a means of gauging their students’ readiness to learn. In the younger grades, a morning meeting offers community time for an activity or conversation.
“We had a professional development day yesterday,” said Mott. “I think Restorative Practices was mentioned 14 times—which shows you how important it is.”
She said the school’s population has been “pretty steady for the last couple of years,” and covers grades pre-kindergarten through 8. The number of students per classroom varies with the populations of the different grades, but averages between 12 and 16. This gives students a large enough class for socialization, she said.
“We do have some small groups, but when that happens, we find opportunities to bring them together for that reason,” she said.
