Erin Davidson-Kellogg and Dan Kellogg P ’27
A faculty family embraces on-campus living and invests in its future.
Imagine a 16-year career in which you have been a:
- Math teacher
- Dorm parent
- Head coach for dance…
- … and cheerleading
- … and swimming
- Associate Director of College Counseling
- Director of Testing
- Assistant coach for track and field
- … and middle school girls’ lacrosse
- …and middle school field hockey
In that time, imagine you have also married your college boyfriend from Denison University and are raising two kids all while living in the dorms among high school kids and other faculty and staff families. It’s not conventional, but it’s the life of Erin Davidson-Kellogg. In speaking to Erin about her experiences, she and her husband, Dan, who has been by her side on this Perkiomen School journey from the beginning, express deep gratitude and fondness for their lives together as Panthers.
Once upon a time at Perkiomen, Erin was asked to transition from her original position as a math teacher into a full-time college counselor. In the evolution of a small school, there is natural growth in programs and talent management amongst personnel. As Dan reflects, Perkiomen likely observed in his wife a “youthful energy and ability to build relationships with students.” A new and enthusiastic professional, Erin’s natural tendency was to spend time getting to know the girls in the upper school dorms, asking about their hopes, dreams, and next steps as they inched toward graduation. Today, Erin is part of a staff of three in the Office of College Counseling. A continued good fit in this role, Director of College Counseling David Antoniewicz describes Erin as “the nicest person he’s ever met with a natural ability to help students flourish both at Perkiomen and as they look ahead toward what’s next.”
Living in the dorms, first as newlyweds and then as young parents, Erin and Dan had – and continue to have – a unique opportunity to engage with Perkiomen students while their kids, Trent ’27 and Allie, make memories in a community that is diverse and eclectic, nurturing and supportive. Erin and Dan have irreplaceable memories of their kids as toddlers: setting up a Little Tykes basketball hoop next to dorm rooms on Kriebel Floor so Trent could participate in “tournaments” with the students, watching their kids have impromptu dance parties with students in Robbie’s, and welcoming spontaneous playdates for Trent in the gym during weekends when Erin was caring for Allie as a newborn baby.
During the opening ceremony of each Olympics, Dan and Erin can sit with both kids and say, “We know someone from that country! And that country! And that country, too!” As Dan shares, “We’re both public school kids, so in comparison, we can really understand the opportunities that an independent school offers. Among them are interacting with students from other cultures and backgrounds!”
A common saying when raising kids is, “It takes a village.” Dan and Erin’s village includes fellow faculty and staff members who, as part of the Perkiomen Family, are honorary aunts and uncles whose kids are cousins also experiencing the loving community that is a campus home. As Erin says, “Our kids have had babysitters from different countries, economic, cultural backgrounds and have experienced so many languages being spoken on campus!”
Dan, a statistician and analyst for State Farm Insurance, has had an opportunity to pursue his personal passion by serving as an assistant coach for the boys’ basketball team for the past 10 years. Both involved on campus, since first arriving at Perkiomen, Erin and Dan have seen the school flourish and the interests of students and their activities expand.
“Now it’s my turn to give back because I had people who have helped me over the years,” Erin reflects.
Dan agrees, stating an observed investment in people, and especially families, at Perkiomen. From fellow faculty covering weekend duty nights so Erin could go to bed early with a newborn to an array of opportunities to grow personally and professionally, both Dan and Erin feel a strong calling to pay it forward.
It’s important to both Erin and Dan to provide opportunities and spaces for students to learn, grow, and benefit from the generosity of others. Over the course of several years, they are taking advantage of Pennsylvania’s EITC (Educational Improvement Tax Credit) program where their state tax liability is redirected to support need-based scholarships at Perkiomen. For their generosity and inspired by countless hours that their kids spent playing outdoors with other faculty kids and Perkiomen students, the Ping Pong Pavilion in the Outdoor Recreation Area will be named in their honor.
“We want to do our part!” Erin shares. “If the percentage of faculty/staff giving increases, it says a lot about our firsthand experiences and motivates other donors to give.” In such a small community, it is easy to see an overall impact of how a gift can make a difference. Erin and Dan are helping to sustain and support the next generation of faculty families and Perkiomen students.