Convocation 2026: A Year Worth Making Meaningful

A new school year arrives full of possibility. There are people we have not met, conversations we have not had, risks we have not yet taken, and moments we cannot yet know will become memories. At New Hampton’s opening Convocation, that sense of possibility came with an invitation—and a responsibility: Make It Meaningful.

Head of School David Perfield P'29 began by recognizing the many people who made the start of school possible, including those whose care is often felt before it is seen. It was a fitting first expression of the theme: meaning begins in what we contribute to one another. 

“You control your attitude and your effort every day,” Perfield reminded students. Those two choices can turn an ordinary year into something more.

Student Body Co-President Ava Perry ’27 encouraged students to notice the life unfolding between New Hampton’s biggest traditions. Walks with friends, practices, dorm conversations, and moments between classes may feel routine now, but often become the experiences that last. “Being intentional with your time, your words, and your effort” gives those moments weight, Perry said. In the end, her advice was simple: “Don’t just go through the motions. Choose to be present. Choose to be intentional.”

Student Body Co-President Sean Connors ’27 looked ahead to everything still unwritten. “We all stand at the beginning of something new,” he said. A teacher may change how a student thinks. A new activity may uncover an unexpected passion. A brief introduction may become a lasting friendship. Connors challenged the community to “say yes a little more”—to attend the game, try the club, sit at a different table, and reach beyond what feels familiar. “Make it meaningful not only for yourself, but for the people around you.”

Featured speaker Nate Saler, the 2026 Ralph S. O’Connor Teaching Prize honoree, brought the theme to life through his own childhood struggles with speech and reading. His progress came slowly, supported by family, teachers, and the repeated choice to keep working.“Sometimes the things that are hardest for us are the experiences that will ultimately shape us the most,” Saler said. “It is those small things that add up.”

That may be the most hopeful promise of a new year: meaning does not need to arrive all at once. It is made—question by question, effort by effort, kindness by kindness.

The story of 2026–2027 has only begun. Now it belongs to every Husky to write.