Chapel Talk Speaks to the School’s Power to Change

As the community gathered again upon returning from spring break, Greg Schneider, Ronald M. Druker ’62 Head of School, had his eyes on the approaching season of change. Sixth Formers have begun their final marking period together and prospective students will be arriving on campus in the coming week as part of the School’s “Revisit Days.” In his morning Chapel Talk, Mr. Schneider used the moment of impending transitions to reflect on the ways Belmont Hill has changed him over the years, and he challenged the boys to do the same.

“I believe the culture of our school is a living, breathing thing,” Mr. Schneider said. “The place is bigger than all of us. Its impact is continual, and we can’t always see it happening.”

For Mr. Schneider, the engine of that transformation comes from the School’s guiding principle of working together. “Our adults and students alike feel in their soul that we are greater than the sum of our parts. We accomplish things here together that we cannot do alone–on the athletic fields, on the stage, and around the Harkness table.”

Even as the seniors prepare for their graduation and the next phase of their lives, those communal bonds forged at Belmont Hill are built to last. “There is a binding force between you and our alumni through all of this–and our faculty feel connected to those who came before them as well, just as I feel linked to the eight heads of school who paved the way for me,” Mr. Schneider said. “Tradition and ritual can be the glue that binds community together.

Springtime on campus is full of traditions, with the Yearbook Dedication, Prize Day, and Commencement on the horizon. But there is plenty of time between now and then for all students to take full advantage of the exciting opportunities to come over the final months of the school year at Belmont Hill.