Opening Chapel Talk Celebrates the Epiphanies to Come

As the new school year formally kicked off in Hamilton Chapel on Tuesday morning, the students weren’t the only ones who arrived having done their summer reading. In his annual opening Chapel Talk, Greg Schneider, Ronald M. Druker ’62 Head of School, used his love for literature to encourage the boys to seize the opportunities awaiting them in the months ahead.

Drawing upon the short stories of James Joyce’s Dubliners, and his own days as an English teacher, Mr. Schneider shared how epiphanies help shape every person’s own coming of age story.

“If we do our jobs well as your teachers and coaches this year, we will help you navigate and catalyze the epiphanies,” Mr. Schneider said. “Part of growing up is gaining the ability to see things with new clarity–to have those ‘aha’ moments about your own personal sense of meaning and purpose.”

Those transformative moments of discovery are a vital part of coming of age at Belmont Hill, and often arrive outside the daily pursuits of grades, performances, and college placement.

“Far more critical to your purpose at this school, to becoming a young man of good character, will be your ability to develop your passion, your sense of purpose, and your personal sense of judgement,” Mr. Schneider said. “Our faculty wants to know what you think about what you are learning. We want to hear your unique voice asking your unique questions about all of it.”

After Chapel, a day of classwork, athletics, and of course, cookies and milk awaited the boys. No doubt, the first of many surprises would find them along the way. And while Mr. Schneider proved his deep appreciation for great writing by revealing the wisdom of his favorite novel, he was sure to share the unsurprising truth of what inspires him most.

“Surely you are what brings me a sense of passion and purpose most of all. It is a gift for which I am eternally grateful.”