Almost every weekday morning for the past a hundred years, all Concord Academy students began their school day with a fifteen minute speech given by our very own seniors: the beloved tradition of chapels. Containing many jokes, senior advice, notes of gratitude, and pieces of wisdom rooted from their comparably long time spent within the institution, it was one of the most cherished customs of CA. Despite this long-lasted heritage of senior chapels, however, it appears ninth graders will be the future chapel givers.
“As an academy that values diversity and new ideas, the Board [of Trustees] thought that Concord Academy could benefit from the fresh voices of ninth graders,” said Henry Fairfax in a recent interview. Although seniors have more experience with the school and their lives, CA now will be focusing on innovation and positive change.
Thus all incoming freshmen, starting from the Class of 2029, will be required to have their chapels ready to go by the end of summer break. Dates will be assigned by last-name in alphabetical order, and if one decides not to participate, community hours will be assigned.
As for the Classes of 2026, 2027, 2028, it appears their chapels will be canceled. Instead, they will be required to decorate the freshmen’s chapel benches, with community hours assigned upon absence. Voices of disagreement are rising, from posters around the school voicing complaints to forming clubs such as “Anti-Freshmen Club” and “Senior Chapel Supporters.” While the tension between incoming 9th graders and the other grades are seemingly increasing, the new set of rules seem to be stationary, and we will look at how it goes next year.
Meanwhile, I hope you cherish this last year of seniors giving chapels.