Convocation: New Beginnings, Old Traditions

Convocation officially starts school and sets the tone and vision for the year ahead. Deeply rooted in the school’s tradition, which began under Head of School Tyler Tingley’s tenure in 1989, Convocation brings together students, faculty, and staff to celebrate the institution’s enduring values and the promising year ahead.

After greeting the new students and faculty members to the community, Head of School Tom Dillow introduced two students who offered their thoughts on the year ahead.

Anay Sahu ’29 shared his trepidation when he first came to KO. He admitted although he was nervous and worried, another feeling welled up inside of him – excitement – which has guided his growth and experiences at KO over the past two years. “Focusing on excitement is what creates motivation,” he said. “This lesson has helped me achieve my goals and to try to make the most of what KO has to offer, whether it’s athletically, academically, artistically, or as a person.” He urged the students to set new goals and work on achieving them.

Stella Zimmer ’25, the school’s new speaker, addressed each class with a personal message, underscoring the KO community’s support and encouragement to embrace new opportunities. “To the seniors, who only have 268 days left at KO,” she said, “we have a great responsibility of leading our school and becoming good examples that we have been influenced by.”

Dillow offered some reflections on the year ahead, particularly regarding the upcoming presidential race, which will grow increasingly contentious in the lead-up to the election. He used this as an opportunity to discuss with the students the expectations of having thoughtful and meaningful conversations with one another, avoiding the division and rancor that the country is now experiencing. He stated that our core value of “intellectual curiosity” should guide us in challenging our assumptions rather than living in an echo chamber driven by digital algorithms. “Intellectual curiosity requires humility, a willingness to admit that you don’t have all the answers,” he said. “If we’re aware of the complexities of the world and the tendency of our brains to look for simple answers, then we can approach the pursuit of knowledge  through determination, kindness, collaboration, respect, and hard work.” He reminded the students to ask questions and seek out conversations with people who see the world differently than they do.

Middle School Head Ann Sciglimpaglia and Upper Sch0ol Head Lisa Loeb oversaw the presentation of the class flags, a tradition that began in 1995. Sandy Cloud ’25 and Raine Wang ’25 presented the class flag to Violet Mattis and Jacob Palmer, members of the Class of 2031. In turn, Cloud and Wang were presented with the Class of 2025 flag, which will proudly wave over the Commencement ceremony in May. Jenna Kanaan ’25 and Leo Sussman  ’25 were given the Class of 2025 class plaques, upon which the seniors will carve their initials during Senior Week.

Following these traditions, choir teachers Steve Mitchell and David Baker led the school in a rousing version of the school song “Hail, Kingswood Oxford.”