“At USM, I was taught by the best, so I wanted to teach among the best.”

Camp counselor Kip Jacobs ’74 was at Red Arrow Camp in Woodruff, WI, when he decided he wanted to teach. At the time, he was a pre-med student preparing for a career in medicine.

As a teacher, he knew he could change lives.

After college, Kip held various teaching positions– all the while setting his sights on returning to USM as a teacher. “At USM, I was taught by the best, so I wanted to teach among the best,” he says.

Kip was not the first or the last of the Jacobs
 family to attend USM. “This legacy family has legs,” Kip laughs. “We believe in the rich tradition of a USM education.”

His parents graduated from two of USM’s predecessor schools, Milwaukee Country Day School and Milwaukee Downer Seminary. His sister, two brothers, and all three of his sons, along with two nephews and a niece, are USM alumni.

Kip was recruited in 1987 as the first Dean of Students for the Upper School. Over the years, he has coached, served as Athletic Director, and now teaches 7th grade science.

Kip also leads the outdoor education initiative, over- seeing three organic vegetable gardens and tending a colony of bees with students in all three divisions.

“Just yesterday I was talking about bluebirds and nesting boxes with students at lunch,” Kip says. “In this time of fast food, it is nice to slow down, enjoy our food together, and share in good conversation.”

What makes a USM education so strong? Kip goes for a bee analogy. “We know how to pollinate great ideas.”