Sant Bani School founding head receives lifetime achievement award

SANBORNTON — The founding head of Sant Bani School, Kent Bicknell, received a lifetime achievement award for Pioneering Work in Educational Alternatives from the Alternative Education Resource Organization. Bicknell received the award at a conference held in Portland, Ore. in June.

Invited to give a presentation, Bicknell delivered "Meandering Brooks: Henry Thoreau and Asian Spiritual Teachings in Support of Progressive Education,” an area of independent scholarship on which he has published articles. He connected the topic to the educational philosophy of Sant Bani School. His recent book, "Stepping Stones: The First Five Years of Sant Bani School (1973-1978)," was well-received at the conference.

Bicknell helped found Sant Bani School in 1973, serving as head until 2017. From the initial six students spanning grades one to seven in the first year, the school grew and operated as a K-12 for many years. It is now a pre-K-8 school with over 160 students.

In addition to his 44 years as head of Sant Bani School, Bicknell has served on the New Hampshire Commissioner of Education’s non-public school advisory council since 1975, on the board of trustees of the Independent Schools Association of Northern New England 2005-2015, and as a commissioner with the New England Association of Schools and Colleges 2003-2010. He has advised schools in Bhutan, Burkina Faso, Colombia, Canada, Guatemala, India, and the U.S.

To learn more about Sant Bani School, visit santbani.org.

To learn more about the Alternative Education Resource Organization, visit educationrevolution.org.