Kinkaid's 50th Interim Term

Kinkaid’s interim term, a three-week period at the beginning of January, is designed to provide students with enrichment through experience, giving students opportunities to study subjects unavailable during the regular school year. Teachers conceptualize unique courses and travel opportunities for students in areas ranging from ornithology to the culinary arts. 

Interim term was established in 1971 by former teacher and Upper School principal Barry Moss and former business manager Bill McKinley. The idea for interim term was adapted from some progressive liberal arts colleges including Middlebury College, according to John Rovell, Kinkaid’s archivist. The program was received well, with lots of successful internships — we still partner with Houston Methodist and other loyal companies — and many popular interim term courses. Some, including Statistics, have been integrated into Kinkaid’s core curriculum over the years. 

This year, senior Bryan Akin had the opportunity to shadow and observe Dr. David Bloome at Fondren Orthopedics. Akin worked by Dr. Bloome’s side for the three-week period, observing orthopedic surgeries within feet of the operating table; listening as Dr. Bloome commented on each move he made and why; assisting with roughly 40 unique patient cases per day; learning to read x-rays and radiology scans; and many other instrumental tasks that an orthopedic surgeon might complete on a daily basis. 

Bryan says he will forever cherish the opportunity he had to intern with Dr. Bloome. 

“I can never be too sure, but I believe that going into orthopedic surgery is a very likely option for me,” he said.

Though senior internships are a truly amazing opportunity, interim term is still a great experience for the rest of high school students. Sophomore Ammar Ali spent the three-week period taking a selection of unique classes, “Space: The Final Frontier,” “MTV Pop Culture of the 80s,” and “Bridge.” 

Ammar enjoyed all of his classes and felt very engaged since he had the opportunity to select classes of his interests. Ammar also felt that with the absence of quizzes and tests he was able to enjoy learning much more than he does in the regular semester. 

Ammar says the interim term was “the overall best learning experience I had ever had.” 

The interim term is such an amazing experience for Kinkaid students and is something that the Upper School student body looks forward to each year. For students of all grade levels, the interim term is a cherished opportunity and one that they will likely never forget.