Kenston Forest School

Kenston Forest School (KFS) is a college-preparatory school located in Blackstone, Virginia, United States.

Kenston Forest School
Location
75 Ridge Road
Blackstone, VA 23824
United States
Coordinates37°3′53.8″N 77°59′46.5″W
Information
TypePrivate K-12, co-educational
MottoEvery Child Known and Valued
Established1966, 54 years ago
OversightLunenburg – Nottoway Educational Foundation
HeadmasterLori Bacon
Faculty60 (FTE)
GradesPre-K - 12th
Enrollment356 (2020-21)
Student to teacher ratio12:1
LanguageAmerican English
Campus79 acres (0.31km2)
Color(s)    Forest Green & Green Bay Gold
(Green and Gold)
AthleticsFootball (independent), Basketball, Baseball, Volleyball, Golf, Soccer, Cross Country, & Softball
Athletics conferenceVISAA Division III
Virginia Colonial Conference Central Region
MascotKav
NicknameKavaliers
RivalBrunswick Academy
AccreditationSACS
TuitionKindergarten: $6500
Grades 1-7: $8,150
Grades 8-12: $8,550
WebsiteKenston Forest School

Kenston Forest School serves students from ten surrounding counties, one independent city, and one county in North Carolina. In addition to educating grades pre-kindergarten through twelve, the school has an Early Learning Program that is licensed by the State of Virginia. The school is accredited through the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools[1] and the Virginia Independent Schools Association.[2]

History

Kenston Forest School was founded in 1966 as a secondary segregation academy[3] by the Lunenburg-Nottoway Educational Foundation. The school was built on 28.5 acres of land right outside of Blackstone, and by 1966 the school had enrolled 175 students. The school lost its status as a tax-deductible charity in the 1970s because of its discriminatory admissions policy.[3] It regained its 501(c)(3) status in 1988.[4]

The development of an aggressive long range master plan and a successful capital campaign led to the construction of a new upper school building in 1999 as well as long overdue improvements to existing facilities including paint, tile, carpet, technology upgrades and air conditioning. The new upper school building included a well equipped computer lab, science lab and five additional classrooms. In 2004, the school received a new press box and acquired 53 acres. Phase II of the master plan included construction of a modern 10,000 square foot building in 2005 with nine classrooms to house the early learning program, after school program, summer program, kindergarten, and first grade. This facility also included a playground, office space, kitchen and cafeteria. The original gymnasium and mainstage underwent significant renovation in late 2007 and the basketball court was dedicated as “Alumni Court” on January 7, 2008. Enrollment had climbed significantly over the prior decade. Academic and other opportunities for students had increased, and the grounds and facilities had dramatically grown and improved. [5]

The name "Kenston" originates from a merging of the town names "Kenbridge" and "Blackstone." Kenston Forest School originally enrolled students in grades eight through twelve, acting as a high school for students from both the Kenbridge Day School and the Blackstone Day School, two private lower schools in the area. In 1981, after declining numbers of enrollment in all of these schools, the three decided to merge to form Kenston Forest School as it is today, one non-discriminatory, nonprofit school for grades pre-k through twelve. The school is still overseen by The Lunenburg – Nottoway Educational Foundation, which is governed by an appointed Board of Directors.[6]

Athletics

The Kenston Forest Kavaliers and Lady Kavaliers compete as a member of the Virginia Colonial Conference in all sports except for football of the Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association (VISAA) in Division III, the division for smaller schools in the VISAA. KFS fields 15 sports teams, five junior varsity, and ten varsity sports teams. Kenston has four varsity boys teams, four varsity girls teams, and two mixed-gender varsity sports teams. Kenston's boy's sports include eight-man football, basketball, cross country, and baseball. Kenston's girl's sports include basketball, cross country, volleyball, and softball. Kenston's mixed-gender sports are golf and soccer. In 2018, the football team joined the VISFL, a league that that sponsors 8 man football for Virginia private schools unable to field 11 man teams.

Rivalries

Kenston's main rival is inner conference & county-over Brunswick Academy. The rivalry is centered mostly around football and basketball.

VCC Conference/Tournament Championships

KFS has won conference and tournament championships in the following sports.[7]

  • Volleyball - 2019
  • Golf - 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018

VISAA State Championships

KFS has won state championships in the following sports.[8][9]

  • Football - 1991 (Inaugural Champions)
  • Softball - (2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2019) Division III.

Other VCC member schools include Banner Christian School, Blessed Sacrament Huguenot, Brunswick Academy, Richmond Christian School, Christchurch School, Fuqua School, Isle of Wight Academy (associate member), Southampton Academy, and Tidewater Academy.

KFS's hashtag is #GTDBAK which is primarily used for promotional events and social media.

References
  1. Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Archived 2006-12-29 at the Wayback Machine
  2. Virginia Independent Schools Association
  3. Prentice-Hall, inc (1974). Prentice-Hall federal taxes. Prentice-Hall, Inc. Retrieved 4 September 2012.
  4. "Lunenburg – Nottoway Educational Foundation Form 990 2016". Propublica. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
  5. "Campus & History | Kenston Forest School". kenston.org. Retrieved 2021-01-31.
  6. "Kenston Forest School - Board of Directors". Archived from the original on 2009-03-02. Retrieved 2009-04-19.
  7. "Past Champions | Kenston Forest School". kenston.org. Retrieved 2021-01-31.
  8. "VISAA.org: Document: Championship Results". Retrieved 2020-07-27.
  9. "VISAA.org: Document: Championship Results". Retrieved 2020-07-27.
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