News

Keswick School Announces Incoming Head of School, Jody Berkey

Mon, 12 Jan 2026 05:00:00 +0000

Keswick Schools First Annual Gingerbread House Competition

Fri, 19 Dec 2025 05:00:00 +0000

Last Friday, we held our first annual Gingerbread House Competition. Each classroom received a $35 budget to purchase construction materials. Each group took a different approach to building their carb-loaded domiciles.

Group A exemplified the saying “more is more” by building not one, not two, not three structures, but seven mini houses to create a gingerbread village surrounding a grand Christmas tree. The students of Group B took a political stand by using their gingerbread house to launch Frozone's re-election campaign. Frozone won our presidential election in early November and has overseen the golden age of baked-goods-related construction projects.

In Group C, the students raised awareness of the value of agriculture and the plight of animal crackers without homes this winter through their gingerbread barn. They kindly ask you to consider adopting one of these precious barnyard treats this holiday season. Group D embraced a message of community with their photorealistic recreation of one of our community meetings, complete with Marc Columbus parachuting in and Dr. Thomson working on cleaning the chimney. They even made sure all of our fine four-legged friends were represented. Now that’s community! Finally, Group E took a more rustic, impressionistic approach to their gingerbread construction, opting for unique hexagonal and A-frame structures that offer a sweeping survey of modern architecture. Their dissertation on the subject is currently under peer review.

Our guest judge, John Outland, received extensive training in weather-resistant icing methods, load-bearing candy cane fabrication, and North Pole zoning and permitting regulations in preparation for his difficult decision. While each classroom brought their own vision for a marshmallow world, only one group could be bestowed the honor of master gingerbread house architecture firm.

We are pleased to announce that Group D was our inaugural winner. In addition to bragging rights, Talie, Matthew, and their students will be honored in the Gingerbread Hall of Fame, located on the Island of Misfit Toys, and appear in next season’s issues of All Elves, All Ears, the magical toy maker profession’s number one industry magazine.

Keswick School Thanksgiving Festivities

Tue, 18 Nov 2025 05:00:00 +0000

Thanksgiving is a special time at Keswick School. As the weather cools and the days grow shorter, we come together as a community to celebrate the holiday. For our staff and students, Thanksgiving is not only about football and food, but also about the values of gratitude, community, and working for the greater good. These are values that we work to embody every day, but the holiday brings a special focus to them. Below are some of the ways we celebrate Thanksgiving and the important values it represents.

Graditude Trees

Every November, we focus on gratitude around campus. One way we do that is by putting things we’re grateful for on leaves and putting them on bulletin boards in the dorm or lighted trees around campus.

Thanksgiving Feast

Another November tradition is our Thanksgiving Feast, where we invite staff to make or bring side dishes or desserts to complement the traditional parts of the meal (e.g., turkey, mashed potatoes, Brussels sprouts, cranberry sauce). Students, especially Yellow House and Group D students, also partner with staff to contribute. This year, students have signed up to make a sweet potato casserole, pumpkin cinnamon rolls, and butter chicken.

Flag Football Game

Lastly, we burn off the delicious lunch calories with our traditional flag football game on Davis Field.

Spirit of Halloween Recognition: A tribute to John Outland

Fri, 31 Oct 2025 04:00:00 +0000

John Outland: our Halloween Master of Ceremonies and planner extraordinaire…

Bubba Wallace - One of our student's favorite NASCAR driver & an authentic quarter panel of a racecar.

2024: John/Student Swap - paying homage to the time a student got his finger stuck in the lid of a metal garbage can, and the student dressing in John’s signature style.

We’re not sure if John even personally likes Halloween, but his Halloween planning and execution are noteworthy each year. From organizing staff to hollow out pumpkins to prepare them for the boys to carve, to counting and distributing candy to all the stations around campus, to making sure all staff are on top of their assignments, John is on top of all the Halloween details.

Even better than his logistical prowess around the event is his heart for making it extra meaningful for the boys with his annual choice of costume. He uses Halloween to connect with the boys to build and nurture relationships.

John is the MVP of Halloween! His dedication to the boys, their experience, the staff, and the mission of the school shine through even brighter when Halloween rolls around each year!

First Annual Staff Pumpkin Decorating Contest

Thu, 30 Oct 2025 04:00:00 +0000

Staff and students enjoyed our first annual staff pumpkin decorating contest this week. A lot of creativity and hard work went into this year’s entrees! We hope to build upon the success of this year’s contest in years to come. Can you guess who create the winning pumpkin?

And the pumpkin that swept the competition; the winner of Staff Choice, Student Choice, and Grand Prize is...

Keswick School Participates in Cross Country Running Event

Tue, 28 Oct 2025 04:00:00 +0000

The Keswick School Cross Country team competed at a local event at Crozet Park last week. It was a chilly, breezy afternoon, but with clear skies and familiar terrain, the students took the course with confidence. Having raced here several times this season, there was plenty of excitement fueled by the experience they’ve gained over the past few meets.

Right from the start, Keswick runners made their presence known, breaking away from much of the field early on. Several students ran a smart, strategic first half, pacing themselves and positioning for a strong finish. At the midway point, two runners from The Field School held the lead, but the Keswick trio stayed close behind, methodically closing the gap.

As the race wore on, Keswick’s steady pressure paid off. The top Field runner began to fade, and the final mile turned into a thrilling chase. With a quarter mile to go, one of our students surged ahead with an incredible burst of speed, separating himself from the pack and securing 1st place overall. In the final stretch, two more of our students unleashed one more push, overtaking their competitors in a dramatic photo finish—giving Keswick an outstanding 1-2-3 finish!

With strong performances across the board, Keswick captured 1st place overall in team scoring a well earned victory and a testament to their hard work, teamwork, and determination.

Keswick School Wayfinders Camp on the Chesapeake Bay

Mon, 20 Oct 2025 04:00:00 +0000

For decades, Keswick School maintained a standing Boy Scout troop. Recently we struck out on our own and rebranded our group as the Wayfinders. This rebranding allowed us to tailor the experience to our students’ strengths and needs. Our students get to learn a variety of skills in outdoorsmanship, civic responsibility, independence, and service to others.

Dr. Huff, our Licensed Family and Marriage Counselor, leads our Wayfinders throughout the year. Along with assistance from several staff, he guides the students as they spend time together and develop unique and valuable abilities.

These abilities are put to the test on frequent Wayfinders camping trips. Last week, some of the Wayfinders took a two-night camping trip to First Landing State Park in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Although some of the camping trips truly “rough it” with backcountry camping without modern amenities, during this trip, the group stayed at a campground at the state park, that had tent pads, running water, and bathhouses.

During the trip, students had the opportunity to work on camp setup, fire building, fishing, and even crabbing. Although the results of crabbing were not what they envisioned, they’ll enjoy the memory of their sole one inch crab and spending time with one another at the beach.

Wayfinder camping trips, like much of the experiential education at Keswick School, is planned out in a progressive manner that builds on past successes. At the beginning of the year, the Wayfinders use our on-campus camp site to practice foundational skills. As we progress through the school year, the camping trips become more challenging in ways that help students learn new skills while gaining practice in the ones they have already learned.

A step along that path includes using campgrounds which provide basic needs allowing students to easily maintain hygiene and avoid the need to create a campsite. However, in the spring and summer months, Wayfinders often take hiking trips on the Appalachian Trail and canoe trips down the river where they accept the challenges of backcountry camping and all the skills that requires.