Retiring Faculty Member: Dr. Curwen

After 26 years at the Academy, science instructor Kathleen Curwen will retire at the end of this school year.  Known for her compassionate and  patient nature, her presence on campus will be greatly missed by students and faculty alike.

Curwen served as a devoted administrator and teacher during her time here, holding positions as Dean of Faculty, Science Department Chair, as a dorm head and as an adviser to GSA.

Science instructor Alison Hobbie said that Curwen’s thoughtful spirit has inspired those around her. “She always strived to connect with each of her students, to find out their passions and share in their joys – to create something more than a normal ‘teacher to student’ relationship in Exeter,” Hobbie said. “She was always selfless with her time and will spend hours with a student for whom chemistry is a struggle.”

Curwen began teaching chemistry at the Academy in the fall of 1988. Prior to Exeter, Curwen taught in at University of New Hampshire, but after visiting the Academy in the spring of 1987, she decided to come to Exeter.

“I happened to come to the Assembly Hall one evening to hear a speaker. After the presentation, the speaker invited the audience to ask questions. I was so impressed by the questions that PEA students asked that I picked up the phone the next day and called the chair of the science department to inquire about teaching at Exeter,” Curwen said. She came on board the very next fall.

 Hobbie said that Curwen’s nature connected to her leadership as  Dean of Faculty as well. “Unbiased, devoted, understanding, all faculty members respected Dr. Curwen for her balanced and translucent leadership while she was in the office.”

Science Department Chair and instructor John Blackwell said that Curwen served as a caring and deeply invested department chair. “Dr. Curwen has always been conscientious. While she was the Chair of the Science Department, she was thoughtful and an excellent listener. When changes were suggested to the curriculum, she was sure to articulate the changes to the whole department for discussion,” Blackwell said.

Upper Tori Dakin noted Curwen’s ability to remove the excessively competitive atmosphere from her classrooms, allowing students to learn in a supportive environment.“Dr. Curwen is such a patient and astute teacher that every class with her is a pleasure. She has perfected the role of teacher in a Harkness style class, and always makes her classes fun and engaging,” Dakin said. 

Dakin recalled a time when Curwen walked in to her classroom to give her students a test and found them all huddled under the Harkness table, hiding. 

Curwen brought the class baked treats the next day because she found the prank so charming. “She's extremely approachable and has a great sense of humor --not all teachers would laugh and take a picture of their students hiding under the table before a test.”

Hobbie added that Curwen had an innate gift for keeping her students interested and curious about chemistry. “She always made each class enjoyable for her students; her classes were often designed around an activity so that it promoted intellectual curiosity,” Hobbie said. “She incorporates activities that combine important chemistry concepts with that ‘catch’ of wonder that sparks both enthusiasm and passion in her students.”

Curwen said that witnessing her students grow intellectually and as individuals has made her teaching experience worthwhile. “Seeing a student or advisee develop over the course of their time at Exeter – becoming more confident or taking on leadership positions - is very gratifying,” Curwen said. “The shy student who finds her voice at the table or the student who initially thinks he can’t do chemistry but realizes he can and can do it well – those moments are what make my experiences memorable.”

In addition to teaching, Curwen’s Exeter career has encompassed multiple facets of student life. She was an active adviser of the Academy’s Gay Straight Alliance, an organization she helped to found.

Along with her chemistry students and members of GSA, Curwen’s affability was recognized and treasured by her advisees and dorm residents as well. 

Upper and Knight House resident Philip Chang noted Curwen’s care and love for the dorm. “Dr. Curwen has been a generous and caring dorm faculty member. 

Every year, it has been Knight House tradition to travel up to her house by the beach for Academy Life Day; my fondest memories of her interacting with the dorm have come from our time at her house,” Chang said.

Senior William Vennes, one of Curwen’s last advisees, emphasized that her kindness allowed his dorm mates and himself in Knight House to “feel at home.” “She's really generous not only in giving up her free time for us, but also in making sure she's there to make us feel at home,” Vennes said. “Whenever her advisees have a birthday, she also makes his favorite dessert for the dorm and brings it over at check in,” he added.

For Vennes, Curwen has truly become a “dorm parent” rather than just a faculty member.“Really and truly the best way I can describe Dr. Curwen is as a mother figure, especially living away from my family back home,” he said. “She's always there to put in a good word for you or fight to help you out.”