Convocation 2026

A beloved tradition kicks off the 2026-27 school year with themes of community and belonging

An unseasonably warm late-summer morning greeted students, faculty, and staff gathered on Grover Jones Field on Friday, Sept. 18, for Collegiate School’s 28th annual Convocation. Bringing together the School’s community from Junior Kindergarten through 12th Grade, the tradition marked the beginning of a new academic year with reflections on what it means to belong and support one another.

The program opened with a joyful processional set to music by the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, followed by a welcome from 4th Graders Lauren Croxton and Henry Theunissen. Croxton welcomed new faculty, staff, and students to campus. “We are so glad you are here, and we hope you like green and gold!” she said. Looking to the year ahead, she emphasized the importance of community. “I know this year will be filled with learning, kindness, and lots of respect. We are here to support one another along the way.”

Theunissen turned attention to another important Collegiate tradition: the relationship between Seniors and their Kindergarten buddies. Singling out the Class of 2027 and the Class of 2039, he noted that their new friendships were already beginning to take shape. “Just as the Seniors carried in their Kindergarten buddies, our Seniors have led the way and carry us all by setting a good example,” he said.

That theme of connection permeated the morning.

For Senior Class President Jack Porter, community begins with trust. Calling it the “backbone of our community,” Porter described trust as fundamental to the Collegiate experience, something that allows students to rely on their teachers and classmates and provides the foundation for friendships and shared experiences.

He recalled some seemingly ordinary moments that became lasting memories: “wading through murky water in my pajamas” and “building LEGO spaceships,” among them. Such memories, he told students, reveal that “the way we remember Collegiate is far more complex and rich than just the classrooms or sports fields.”

Ultimately, Porter compared the lasting emotional imprint of Collegiate to “fine green and gold dust” that remains even as specific buildings and names fade. “Someday, in the years to come, some of that dust will get kicked up, and as I breathe it in, I am reminded of what it means to be a Cougar,” he said.

His reflections were followed by a musical interlude, as the Upper School Jazz Band, Orchestra, and Chorus performed a rousing rendition of “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.”

Middle School Council Co-chairs Leyton Lombard ’31 and McGill Ferrell ’31 continued the morning’s observations about community and belonging.

Convocation, Lombard said, is about “who is with us and the memories we make with these people.” She drew a parallel between the turf beneath the students’ feet and the Collegiate community. “Each person is a little part of the community, just like how each turf pellet makes a whole football field,” she said. “Without the turf, the football field wouldn’t be the same, and without every single one of you, Collegiate wouldn't be the same either. We may each be one small piece, but together we are something so much bigger.” 

Ferrell drew inspiration from popular literary characters Harry Potter, Winnie the Pooh, and Bilbo Baggins to emphasize the value of friendship and discovery. He urged fellow students to view the school year as an adventure rather than something to be endured. “The adventure exists in not knowing what we will one day discover,” he said. “Instead of knowing everything, we can just believe in each other and in our ability to handle what comes our way. We can believe that however hard things get, that goodness is waiting for each of us just up ahead.” 

Ferrell then introduced Senior Class President Rosie Ferrell, who returned to the idea of belonging and to the ways students can help create it for one another. Convocation is a reminder that students are part of “something bigger and greater than ourselves,” and that belonging to Collegiate is “really another way of saying that we belong to one another,” she said.

Ferrell acknowledged that belonging can sometimes be complicated by the pressure students feel to measure up. At a school filled with accomplished athletes, artists, and other high performers, it can be easy to feel inadequate. Instead, she encouraged students to recognize their own “enoughness” and, in turn, to “buy into each other,” strengthening the community.

Quoting Wendell Berry, Ferrell stressed that “belonging does not erase individuality; it enlarges it.” The support students need, she suggested, is “right under our noses. It’s all around us. It is us.”

The morning’s themes came together in Head of School Jeff Mancabelli’s closing remarks, which centered on another defining part of the Collegiate experience: the arts.

“From your first days in Junior Kindergarten to your final moments as a Senior, you are surrounded by teachers who encourage you to discover something new through the arts,” he said. For some students, that discovery happens in theater; for others, in a studio, through artwork displayed around campus, or through music.

The arts, Mancabelli said, offer more than an opportunity to develop talents. “The arts are a way to express ourselves. They let us say what we mean when sometimes regular words feel too small.” Music, he noted, can give voice to feelings that are difficult to express. “A song can help you speak when you struggle to find the words.”

Quoting Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Carousel, Mancabelli offered a reminder that challenges are inevitable, but no one has to face them alone:

“Walk on through the wind and the rain
Though your dreams be tossed and blown
Walk on, walk on, with hope in your heart
And you'll never walk alone.”

The “wind and rain,” Mancabelli explained, represent the difficult moments that inevitably come with a school year, while dreams that are “tossed and blown” acknowledge that setbacks are part of the journey. His message was not to avoid those challenges but to keep moving forward with hope, curiosity, and a willingness to make a difference.

He returned to the song’s final promise: “You’ll never walk alone.” For Mancabelli, the words echo Collegiate’s core value of community and the responsibility each person has to help create it. “Pay attention this year,” he encouraged students. “Notice who’s walking with you and be there for them.”

He also challenged students to “carry on,” invoking the “lifelong motto” of beloved Collegiate English teacher Lewis “Bubba” Lawson. “Whatever challenges this year brings, meet them with courage, support one another, and keep moving forward to CARRY ON!”

Calling attention to the role students play in shaping the community, Mancabelli singled out the 4th Graders, 8th Graders, and 12th Graders and charged each group to be Collegiate’s new leaders and role models. “Remember, leadership is not about having a title,” he said. “It is about using the gifts and talents you have to raise others up.”

The morning concluded, as Convocation traditionally does, with the entire community singing the school alma mater, Hail Collegiate. With the opening notes still resonating, students walked into the new school year grounded in connection and belonging.