“When you become head of school, there are different paths that you can take,” Head of School at Kents Hill Dr. Molly MacKean said. “One of the advantages of the path I took is that I know the life of schools, which is really helpful when you’re trying to set the vision for a place like this.”
Dr. MacKean had a strong presence at GA during her time as head of Upper School from 2020-2024. She started her position during the COVID-19 pandemic, showing her compassion, adaptability, perseverance and ability to bring together the student body.
“She made the Upper School a more inviting place,” Jazziah Manning ‘25 said. “She always made an effort to have conversations as a way to connect with students on a daily basis.”
She has carried over this same sense of community and connection to Kents Hill, a boarding school for grades 9-12 in Readfield, Maine.
“This was a community that when I arrived it needed some love,” Dr. MacKean said. “It needed a sense of connectivity, a sense of vision and direction. And I was brought in very specifically to help with those things.”
Her transition from Head of Upper School to Head of School comes with its challenges, but Dr. MacKean is embracing them every step of the way.
“One of the things that I’m learning very quickly is how to run the business of a school,” Dr. MacKean said. “How to fundraise, learn about philanthropic culture and how to throw myself into a room and ask someone for a major donation to support a major project.”
Kents Hill’s campus is 400 acres of New England beauty, including two lakefronts and its very own ski hill. Maintaining these, however, has come with its own obstacles.
“You have to be scrappy,” Dr. MacKean said. “The school had a lot of deferred maintenance issues when I showed up, which has been something super new for me to have to deal with. And what do you learn? You ask for help. You figure out the people who know a lot more than you do. You listen to them and then you try solutions. If you’re clear about that, people will be remarkably forgiving.”
As she learns to navigate her new position in Maine, Dr. MacKean reflects on the major distinctions between her position at GA and her job at Kents Hill.
“At GA I was there every day, I knew exactly what was happening in all the classrooms, and I knew the day to day of the school,” Dr. MacKean said. “Now, I just have to trust my colleagues a lot more because I am on the road a lot, as part of my job is traveling around the country.”
While she’s had to quickly learn and adapt in her new position, Dr. MacKean still makes sure to bring her school spirit and fun up north. She unites Kents Hill students through field trips and traditions, including new ones she brought to campus just this year.
“Heads Holiday is a classic boarding school tradition, a day when the headmaster announces they’re canceling classes,” Dr. MacKean said. “It’s a whole new holiday, and we pigged out on all the famous Maine foods like Moxie soda, ice cream floats and skating on the pond.”
Dr. MacKean has already made her mark on the Kents Hill school, but she still misses the GA community and reminisces on the memories she made during her time here.
“I mean we went through it together,” Dr. MacKean said. “Being there in COVID and not knowing anyone and learning how fundamentally kind people will be how and how much communities draw together, it felt like such a defining chapter of my life both personally and professionally.”
Along with her personal goal of making her first visit to Asia this year, Dr. MacKean is ready to dive into the upcoming year at Kents Hill with several plans and projects lined up.
“I think I’m most excited to do some fundraising and really get this campus looking as beautiful as it can be,” Dr. MacKean said. “We need some new dormitory spaces and definitely a new Science Center in our future. These are multi-year projects, but when you’re meeting people and getting people excited about things that are happening here, then that feels really rewarding because there’s a really compelling story to this place.”
While the GA community misses Dr. MacKean’s friendly smiles, “itos” snacks and capri suns, many wish her the best as she finishes her first year and all of her future ones at Kents Hill.
“It’s always hard to have to say goodbye to friends and colleagues,” History teacher Dr. Adam Wilsman said. “But I know a lot of people at GA are thrilled to hear that Dr. MacKean is thriving up in New England.”