And a new year begins. As you get older, you will begin to think in terms of annual and fiscal years, but everyone knows that the real rhythm of a new year begins at the end of summer when schools open their campuses again. For the rest of your life, you will feel the promise and hope represented with the start of school, even if you are not taking classes. I like to think that this is a result of being a lifelong learner, someone who loves the quest. Even though you will have responsibilities – caring for those you love, fulfilling your career goals, and maybe even becoming a mentor to a young person you know, there is an inner part of us that is always and should always, be on a quest.
 

So many of the things that define Vermont Academy have to do with self-discovery on a quest. This photo is of the 101-year-old Schooner Ladona that won the 1923 Bermuda Cup race. For me, it is going to serve as my visualization of the quest for this year. I invite you to do that, to come up with an image that becomes your compelling inspiration. Most of you would not choose a 101-year-old Schooner, but that is the beauty of it because what you choose discloses something about who you are.

The things that we embrace as an academy have to do with the quest. We begin each year with an opportunity to hike The Long Trail, founded by our former Assistant Head of School, James P. Taylor in 1909. He would be in the same position as Mr. Gilloran, so imagine that! We have a goal-setting template and lots of thoughtful reflection wrapped around our trademarked MAPS or My Action Plan for Success. The acronym, MAPS, has that journey implicit in it, and it is designed to help you understand that you can define your quest, your goals, and where you want to end up. Our school mission statement talks about our nurturing community designed to “inspire trailblazers to advance our world.” Think about that for a moment. We believe in you; you are in a supportive community, and we want to inspire you to develop your quest, perhaps, as the word “trailblazer” implies, into territories unknown, to be a discoverer of something, to invent something, in order to “advance our world,” -- and there is the other key element to Vermont Academy – growing and developing ideas to make a better world. To make things better. The way to do this is to start small: What can you do to support your friends, your school, and the village in which you reside? All great inventors were once high school students or teenagers, and they started by trial and error, by shaping their dream, the thing that inspired them, that quest vision I asked you to select for yourself, and they worked steadily until perhaps something they least expected to be their focus, became the thing that took off.

Determination and tenacity are part of the Vermont story and history of the state and also of our school. Togetherness and Community are as well. 

This year, I invite you to come up with your quest image, be in touch with your goals, and turn to support and togetherness that leads to that all-important sense of belonging.
 

Everyone in this wonderful Nita Choukas theater is gathered today for our Convocation, the launch of the new year, and the pledge of our honor code. We have Core Values that are essential to the life of our community every day. Try to have them in your memory, if not memorized so that you understand where we are rooted. I will read them to you.

Each member of the Vermont Academy Community...

·         Acts with the highest level of honesty and integrity

·         Considers the impact of their actions, on both the immediate and world community, for the     benefit of present and future generations

·         Cultivates strengths and seeks to overcome challenges

·         Embraces personal and direct interaction to address issues and resolve differences

·         Is important, has worth and dignity, and is viewed as an asset

·         Seeks and gives help when appropriate

·         Strives to achieve high and reasonable standards in the pursuit of personal excellence

·         Will grow and develop and is given the opportunity to do so here

This is a profound social contract to which we all commit. The signing of the honor code signifies that you join faculty, peers, and staff in this great endeavor we have designed: to help you discover who you are in a safe and supportive community that values exactly who you are and is here to help you on your quest to reach your personal goals, and the next steps in your life. I ask you all to opt into this grand idea and think about that inner quest, about the image that can compel you for this year that will be your visualization, your mantra, and to find ways to be that person of character who notices when others need help or do not know where to sit for lunch or where a class is or where to go for afternoon activities. Keep your eyes open, your hearts vulnerable and true, and share your authentic self with us as we will joyfully engage with you.

The lawns are green, and as Whitman said, they represent the “flag of my disposition,” they are the symbol of myself, facing a new year, an undefined quest, and all of the excitement and anticipation that accompanies it.

Thank you all for signing our Honor Code today and have a great first day of the new year at Vermont Academy!