Discovering a Credo

At Chatham Hall, education is not only about what students learn academically, but also about who they are becoming. One of the most meaningful examples of this journey takes place in the World Religions course through the Creedal Statement Capstone Project, an experience that invites students to pause, reflect, and thoughtfully consider the beliefs and values shaping their lives.

World Religions is a required course for each student before they graduate from Chatham Hall, marking the deep importance of understanding perspectives and viewpoints, as well as offering an opportunity for students to explore their own beliefs in a community of peers. Part of this course is discovering a credo. The word credo comes from the Latin phrase meaning “I believe.” Traditionally, a creedal statement is a declaration of belief or purpose, represented as a reflection of how someone understands themselves, the world around them, and the life they hope to lead.

Each student participates in this capstone project, writing a personal creedal statement responding to questions such as:

While the written reflection is deeply important, the project extends far beyond the written word. Students also create and present an experiential expression of their beliefs to an audience of people meaningful to them. These presentations are intentionally personal and creative, designed to reflect each student’s personality, passions, and understanding of self.

Some students may lead discussions, share music, perform dance or spoken word, guide walks across campus, create symbolic artwork, or invite others into moments of reflection beneath the night sky. Others may incorporate storytelling, poetry, ritual, or service. No two presentations are alike because no two students are alike.

In addition to the presentation, each student selects a physical symbol representing their creedal statement, an object they can return to as a reminder of what they believe, what they value, and who they hope to become.

Students are encouraged to invite trusted members of their community to witness this important milestone. Advisors, teachers, coaches, roommates, family members, and friends often gather alongside Chaplain Barksdale to listen and support students as they share vulnerable and meaningful reflections about identity, purpose, faith, and growth.

Presentations take place across campus in locations that hold significance for each student, from St. Mary’s Chapel and dorm spaces to gardens, fields, studios, and quiet outdoor corners of campus, and are not limited to parameters that may inhibit their personal expression.

The Creedal Statement project exemplifies the kind of learning that defines a Chatham Hall education: thoughtful, reflective, experiential, and deeply human. It asks students not simply to memorize information, but to wrestle with life’s larger questions and articulate the values they hope will guide them into the future.

In a world that often moves quickly and demands certainty, the Creedal Statement offers students something increasingly rare: the opportunity to slow down, reflect deeply, and say with honesty and courage, "This is who I am." “This is what I believe.”