There is something special about the beginning of a school year at Chatham Hall. The campus is full again, familiar faces have returned, new friendships are beginning, and the promise of a new year is all around us.

On August 25, the Chatham Hall community gathered in St. Mary’s Chapel for Opening Convocation, officially marking the beginning of the 2026-2027 school year. Chaplain Beth Barksdale welcomed the community and reflected on the meaning of convocation: a gathering of people with a shared purpose. She offered a simple but powerful reminder from a favorite book, Always, We Begin Again: we are continuously becoming. Each new school year allows us to consider who we want to be and how we want to move forward into the world.

Students, faculty, and staff participated throughout the service, offering readings, prayers, music, and reflections. The Opening Litany invited the community to make shared commitments for the year ahead, to curiosity and creativity, integrity and character, compassion and service, and to supporting one another. Students pledged to recognize that learning happens everywhere at Chatham Hall: in the classroom, during a game, on the stage, in the art room, in nature, and throughout our residential community.

The community members also committed to venturing beyond their comfort zones, welcoming others fully, asking thoughtful questions, reaching out to those who may feel alone or uncertain, and caring for the land and animals that make Chatham Hall’s campus so special.

One of the afternoon’s most meaningful moments was a series of interfaith readings focused on compassion. Drawing from Jewish, Bahá’í, and Buddhist traditions, students reflected on the importance of love, harmony, fellowship, and working for the well-being of others and all creation. These readings reflected an important part of Chatham Hall’s Episcopal identity: creating a community where students of diverse faiths and backgrounds can come together around shared values and a common commitment to one another.

The community then participated in the Passing of the Peace, greeting one another with handshakes, hugs, fist bumps, and peace signs, a joyful reminder that connection is at the heart of the Chatham Hall experience.

The evening’s Scripture reading, the Parable of the Lost Sheep, offered another powerful reflection on belonging. The story reminds us of the importance of seeking out those who may feel lost and celebrating when they are found. It was a fitting message for the beginning of a new school year, when every student is finding their place, building relationships, and discovering what this next chapter might hold.

The Convocation Address was delivered by Acting Head of School Ann Klotz and Chief Financial Officer Jennifer Hiltwine, followed by the presentation of Scholastic Awards and the Virginia Henry Holt Award. The community then came together in song for the Chatham Hall Alma Mater—a tradition connecting today’s students with generations of girls who have called Chatham Hall home.

As the service came to a close, the community offered a prayer for the year ahead, giving thanks for students, faculty, staff, families, friendships, art, music, mathematics, languages, gardens, pathways, fields, and all the places, special and sacred, that make up life at Chatham Hall.

Chaplain Barksdale’s final blessing captured the hope of the evening:

“May we be bold and brave so that the light of love guides our way.”

And with that, the 2026–2027 school year officially began.

A new year.
New questions.
New possibilities.
New opportunities to grow.

At Chatham Hall, we begin again. And we cannot wait to see where this year takes us.