Ready to Paint the Skies

Inside St. Mary’s Chapel, the Chatham Hall community gathered to honor the Class of 2026 during one of the School’s most beloved traditions: Baccalaureate.

The service marked a sacred pause between what has been and what is yet to come, a moment of reflection before Commencement officially launched the graduates into their next chapter.

Led by Chaplain Beth Barksdale and the leadership team, the ceremony celebrated not only achievement but also the senior class’s transformative journey. Students, faculty, families, trustees, and friends filled the Chapel as the organ and bagpipes echoed through the space during Highland Cathedral, performed by Mr. John Scott and Ms. Claire Crivaro.

Throughout the service, student leaders guided the community through readings, prayers, music, and reflections centered on courage, purpose, love, and belonging. In her welcome, Chaplain Barksdale reflected on the journey of the senior class:

“Last night, we watched our Seniors pass the light of their lanterns to the Juniors, knowing their classmates would flourish in its blaze. Today, they take with them the light of our school, knowing that their legacy will never be extinguished.”

Members of St. Mary’s Choir filled the Chapel with moving performances of Ubi Caritas and The Lord Bless You and Keep You.

Another centerpiece of the morning was the Senior Address delivered by Aniah Garcia-Charway ’26, titled “We Paint the Skies.” In a speech both poetic and deeply personal, Aniah reflected on the collective journey of the class and the responsibility graduates now carry as they step into the world.

Using the metaphor of artists painting the sky, she described how every Chatham Hall student arrived with “a paintbrush and a bucket,” uncertain at first how to use them, but gradually discovering their voice, purpose, and power.

“The sky is truly just a blank canvas,” she said. “We are being asked to do something beautiful and terrifying at the same time: to take those colors and begin painting the skies ourselves.”

Aniah spoke of late-night conversations in dorm hallways, shared challenges, laughter, growth, and the unbreakable bonds formed within the Chatham Hall community. She reminded her classmates that their years together had prepared them not simply for college, but for lives of impact. “When I stand here and look at all of you, I get emotional… because I know the world is going to be in good hands. It will be in the hands of critical thinkers, problem solvers, empaths, and innovators.”

She concluded with a charge to her classmates that perfectly captured the spirit of the day:

“Class of 2026, let us leave here today, ready to paint the skies.”

The Baccalaureate service also emphasized themes of compassion, resilience, and collective responsibility. Responsive readings inspired by 1 Corinthians 13 reminded students that “love is patient and kind,” while the Sending Litany encouraged graduates to move forward as people committed to justice, gentleness, truth, and service. As the final notes of All Creatures of Our God and King rang through the Chapel, the service flowed seamlessly into Commencement, with a short walk to The Wagoner-LaDuke Center for Athletics, Health & Wellness, a symbolic reminder that Baccalaureate is not an ending, but a sending forth.

For the Class of 2026, the morning served as both celebration and blessing: a final gathering as students and a first step into the wider world. And as Aniah reminded her classmates, no matter where life takes them next, they will always look up and share the same sky.