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SHORTCUTS NEIGHBORS 70 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • S P R I N G / S U M M E R 2 0 1 5 New Stevenson Head Celebrates the Central Coast W hen Kevin Hicks was growing up on the Central Coast, he always knew it was special. As a preschooler at Carmel Bay School, he remembers walking with teachers through the eucalyptus grove to the beach, taking in the natural world with all five senses. Recently named the next President of Stevenson School, Hicks is thrilled to come home to the Peninsula. He and his wife Cornelia Cannon Holden will leave their current posts at Connecticut's Hotchkiss School, where he has served as Head of School and she as Director of Core Leadership. A day student at Stevenson from 1981 to 1985, Hicks says, "It opened up my world." One memory from January, 1982, stands out: the devastating mudslides in Santa Cruz. "Faculty member Robert Klevan asked the day stu- dents to go home and bring back rakes and shovels," Hicks says. "Then we headed off to help our neighbors. His invitation conveyed a powerful lesson about community and service." Stevenson's mission is to prepare students for success in college and beyond, to foster passion for learning and achievement, and to help them shape a joyful life. When asked how they define joy, Hicks and Holden speak of watching the light go on in another—the light of recognition, inspiration, curiosity and awe. They find joy nurturing this light in others, including their 4-year-old daughter, Zuleika Alice. They both resonate with the contemplative tradition of the Central Coast—"an environment that supports who we are"—and look forward to "being humbled and restored daily by what's rightly been called 'the greatest meeting of land and water in the world.'" "As a Stevenson student, I always felt believed in," Hicks says. "We were nourished and encouraged to discover our truest selves. The school's teach- ers and staff still equip students to thrive and inspire them to serve. It's an incredible honor to help steward the community as it evolves from one of the best schools in California to one of the best in the world." —Melanie Bishop Kevin Hicks, a former student at the Stevenson School, has come full circle, recently being chosen to lead the Pebble Beach campus. Hicks, who grew up on the Monterey Peninsula, is happy to return and hopes to inspire RLS students. Photo: Kelli Uldall