Boarding and Day · Co-ed College Prep · Grades 6–12 & Postgraduate · Hebron, Maine

A Terrific Boost for Hebron’s Outdoor Program

A Terrific Boost for Hebron’s Outdoor Program

Kim Kenway ‘70 had never been to a reunion at Hebron where a class gift was made and he thought it was time to change that. With his 50th approaching, he began to think about how the class of 1970 might contribute something. After a couple of conversations with members of the Hebron Advancement team, a plan to work on the waterfront on Marshall Pond began to come together.  Immediately, the need for an outdoor classroom space became the highest priority due to Covid-19. 

“It all came together pretty quickly,” says Kenway, who worked in partnership with class president Dean Wolfhart ‘70. “A few phone calls and emails set everything in motion. The next thing we knew, we hit our $100,000 fundraising goal.”

That $100,000 went a long way. If you hike or ski down to Marshall Pond today, you’ll see a cabin with a wood stove and sleeping loft, picnic tables made by the class of 2022, a hand pump for a 120’ drilled well, a lean-to, a new dock, and a new watercraft rack designed and built by Hebron students to store the stand-up paddleboards, canoes, and kayaks provided through the generosity of the Class of 1970.

Michael Tholen, Director of the Outdoor Center, who has taught outdoor programs throughout the country, is greatly enthused by the support for outdoor activities at Hebron Academy and the implications for students. 

“Right now we have the best of both worlds,” he says. “We can teach outdoor skills such as map and compass workshops and paddling techniques at the Class of 1970 Outdoor Center at Marshall Pond, and we can go a little farther afield on overnight hiking and camping trips. I think it’s also really important to help kids learn how to slow down and be present — to leave their cell phones behind, so they can see and hear everything around them; to help them learn how to be comfortable with themselves; to encourage critical thinking, and to help them become caring stewards of the world around them.”