We know that ritual is a powerful thing for boys, and it can be used for good or ill depending on its construct. At Belmont Hill, we cherish a proud tradition unique to our culture and campus life. Click here for an exploration of these traditions, which include panels, chapel, milk and cookies, dress code, and family style lunch. While our school works to continually evolve, we also want alumni to return and know exactly where they are. 

At a larger level, tradition connects our current boys to the alumni body in a timeless way. While our school has evolved in its over one hundred year history, an alumnus can return to milk and cookies or family style lunch and feel like nothing has changed. We also know that tradition can be a force for ill as well, and some very bad ideas have been presented to boys in the name of tradition. We continue to monitor this balance, but remain committed to preserving and building this aspect of who we are.

In fact, all Form I boys pause for a day in October for a Tour of Belmont Hill Traditions. This includes learning about the history of the sextant, as well as the stories of individual teachers who are commemorated by benches and trees on campus. Many of these people are still alive and present in the daily lives of the adults in our community, and we want to be intentional about the boys feeling this significance as well. We make sure to take them through our memorials focused on military service and the special bench commemorating our school’s commitment to belonging for everyone. This process of welcoming Form I into our school’s rich history sends a message that these stories are everyone’s stories equally, and we challenge the boys to consider how they themselves might contribute to the Belmont Hill story.