Convocation 2025 Kicks Off New School Year

Thayer Academy began a new school year on Wednesday, Sept. 3, with Convocation ceremonies held at both the Upper School and Middle School. At both ceremonies, Head of School Chris Fortunato P ’26, ’28 challenged students with five words he said were both ordinary and, if taken to heart, revolutionary. 

“Ask deeper questions, and listen,” said Fortunato, who encouraged students in both divisions to move past the “How was your summer?” inquiries in favor of a more thorough understanding of other people’s stories. 

To make that more of a reality, Thayer recently asked community members to submit insightful questions; they then printed those questions on playing cards which will be distributed to Thayer families and made available around campus. At Convocation, brave volunteers — including students as well as faculty and staff — modeled the back-and-forth discussion for the larger audiences. As the questions progressed, interesting details emerged. Participants shared stories of role model family members, childhoods as family caretakers on large country estates, marathon training, dreams of a career in psychiatry, and a lifelong passion for cooking. One student shared his deep personal faith while another shared how birdwatching created a lasting bond with his late grandfather. One answer even involved a backtracking trip which led to a disquieting night on the site of a secluded family graveyard from the Civil War. 

“There is always more to someone’s story,” Fortunato reminded students. 

Fortunato also urged students to consider three images – icebergs, rivers, and lighthouses — as they began the new school year. Icebergs, he told them, offer only a glimpse of what’s below the surface. Rivers, he said, are always changing moment by moment. And lighthouses illuminate and reveal, providing guidance along the journey. As tangible reminders of that last image, both divisions received miniature Thayer flashlights. 

“You’re all capable of being lighthouses,” Fortunato said. 

At the Middle School, Sean Ryan ’30 and Isabella Chikwendu ’30 had the honor of welcoming both new and returning students to campus. 

“I was in your shoes last year,” Ryan reassured those students new to the Middle School. He urged all students to get involved, make use of the tremendous support systems, and try new things. 

Chikwendu also urged students to get out of their comfort zones while noting the opportunity to make memories that will last a lifetime. 

“Middle School can be a long journey,” Chikwendu said, “and good friends make that journey so much better.” 

At the Upper School, Student Government President Lyndsay Mingolelli ’26 welcomed all students but offered a special shout-out to the newly minted senior class. Evoking President John F. Kennedy’s “We choose to go to the moon” speech delivered at Rice University in 1962, Mingolelli encouraged Upper School students to make bold choices if they wanted to enjoy an amazing high school experience. 

“Being bold isn’t about being fearless,” added Mingolelli. “It’s about being afraid and doing it, anyway.” 

The Upper School ceremony ended with a student chorus singing the alma mater under the direction of Upper School Theater Director Kelly Hines P ’18, ’19. As the lights dimmed, students used their newly acquired “lighthouse” flashlights to give Hale Theater a decidedly concert feel.

This marks the 148th year of Thayer Academy, just two years shy of the school’s sesquicentennial.