In 1950 Diana Hanbury King (pictured above) came to this country. She began teaching at Sidwell Friends School in Washington D.C. At the time this was one of several schools that had a program for dyslexic students under the aegis of Anna Gillingham. The program was directed by Helene Durbrow, who had been trained by Dr. Samuel Orton.
With encouragement from Dr. Orton, Helene Durbrow had opened Camp Mansfield, a summer program for dyslexic students in Vermont. Mrs. King spent several summers there and in due course was inspired to found Dunnabeck, in Western Pennsylvania. After running the camp for fourteen years, she met Kurt Goldman (pictured below), who encouraged her to open a school for dyslexic students and offered to provide the necessary funding.
- Founding Trustee:
Kurt Goldman
In 1969 Kildonan opened in Bucks County on a rented campus in Solebury. The first year, twelve students enrolled, but the school flourished and eventually outgrew the facility. Under the leadership of Leisket Mills, then chair of the Board of Trustees, a search began for a new campus. In 1980 the school moved to its present quarters in Amenia, New York, in the foothills of the Berkshires. The 460 acre campus had been the site of Barlow School and had several dormitories, a schoolhouse, a library, and an art building. In 1983 the summer program moved from Pennsylvania and became a part of the school. Over time, with the support of the trustees, Kildonan was able to add a large boys’ dormitory, a girls’ dormitory, and an elementary building housing day students in grades one through six. By 2004 the population had grown to 145 students and a faculty of almost 60, necessitated by the adherence to the initial concept of daily, one-on-one tutorials for every student. Mr. Ronald Wilson was appointed headmaster in 1986 and continues to run the school to this day.
Horseback riding, skiing, and a strong art program, all of which were a part of the original plan in Pennsylvania, have continued to play an important role in the extra-curricular program. Through the years, the curriculum evolved to offer a wider set of courses and to meet New York State standards. Despite many changes in personnel and in the campus, the school philosophy and objectives remain virtually unchanged. The school continues its mission to meet the needs of the dyslexic population by strengthening language skills, by providing stimulating subject matter courses, and by building confidence and self-esteem.
In 2003 the school was accredited by the Orton-Gillingham Academy of Practitioners and Educators both as a training site and as a school providing appropriate education for dyslexic students. In the following year the summer camp was accredited as well.
