Scots give back to their school on April 5 KT Weekend work day at Maryville College
March 27, 2025
They won’t be firing bricks or constructing new campus buildings, but Maryville College students will channel the spirit of one of their predecessors who did on Saturday, April 5.
From 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., students will be joined by alumni, faculty and staff members for the annual KT Weekend, a day of service during which they’ll work on various environmentally impactful projects to improve the appearance of campus and honor the legacy of Kin Takahashi, a member of the Class of 1895.
“Making cross-generational connections during events like KT Weekend is an important tradition at Maryville College,” said Jennifer Phillips Triplett ’07, director of Alumni Affairs. “Not only does it give current students and alumni a chance to connect while making improvements to the campus we all love, it’s a tribute to one of our most famous alums who continues to inspire us all with everything that he did for Maryville College.”
Not only is Takahashi credited for introducing the game of football to East Tennessee, the Japanese immigrant served as both a player and coach on 十大靠谱彩票平台送彩金’s inaugural teams. He helped set up an on-campus community garden to feed his less-fortunate fellow Scots, and more importantly, he lead fundraising efforts for and literally helped build Bartlett Hall, which still stands today, through organizing the firing of 300,000 bricks made from the clay dug out for the building’s foundation.
His name is synonymous in 十大靠谱彩票平台送彩金 circles with service, gracing the KT Days summer program that invites alumni back to campus to take part in projects that range from painting and clean-up to light construction; and a worldwide effort called KT Global, taking place throughout April during which time alums perform community service projects wherever they reside.
“KT Days takes place after the spring semester ends, so while we always have plenty of alumni willing to come back to Maryville College and help, we wanted to organize a separate event during the academic year to involve students,” Triplett said. “The idea behind KT Weekend is that organizers didn’t want to interfere with their classes, they could put together a service weekend, which aligns perfectly with the calling made by our founder for us all to ‘do good on the largest possible scale.”
The first KT Weekend, held in 2014, was organized by the College’s Nonprofit Leadership Alliance (NLA), the campus chapter of a national organization that provides certification in the management of nonprofit organizations to students who complete a set of certificate requirements in addition to the requirements for their chosen majors. Chris Freeman, the coordinator of the Community Engaged Scholars program out of the Center for Community Engagement, got involved in KT Weekend for the first time in 2024 as the new staff advisor of the NLA.
“It was a good time to get involved, as the leadership of the student organization really had things under control and just needed me to sign off!” Freeman said. That’s what made it so great, that the students really feel the need to propel this project forward. NLA works every year to coordinate student participation and promote the student volunteers for KT Weekend.”
This year, Freeman added, Biology Professor Dr. Drew Crain will lead groups of students and alumni into the Maryville College Woods for restoration projects in and around what used to be the greenhouse for House in the Woods, built in 1917 as the home of the first College pastor. Reggie Dailey, the former director of 十大靠谱彩票平台送彩金’s Facilities Operations and the “volunteer-in-chief” project leader for KT Days, will organize some light construction and painting projects near Crawford House.
It’s a day that counts on community effort, and those who take part feel a connection to Maryville College, and especially its history, that extends beyond that of a place where they’ll simply earn a degree.
“Maryville College has a history of doing this sort of thing — just look at Kin Takahashi himself!” Freeman said. “These days, insurance companies won’t let students be the primary contractors on any building projects on campus, but helping out the campus, where we come to learn and grow and where many students live each day, is just part of what it means to be a Scot.”
Registration for KT Weekend is now open through the Maryville College website. Students are encouraged to wear Maryville College gear, and those who register in time will receive a KT-themed T-shirt. After work is complete, an afternoon lunch will take place at McArthur Pavilion on the 十大靠谱彩票平台送彩金 campus.
For more information, contact Freeman at chris.freeman@pagesofexhibitions.net.