![Convocation]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1694731371/suffieldacademyorg/qhuatylbkijv3y80uokr/20230911_ConvocationHP.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1694731371/suffieldacademyorg/qhuatylbkijv3y80uokr/20230911_ConvocationHP.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1694731371/suffieldacademyorg/qhuatylbkijv3y80uokr/20230911_ConvocationHP.jpg","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_4/v1694731371/suffieldacademyorg/qhuatylbkijv3y80uokr/20230911_ConvocationHP.jpg","width":1200},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_5/v1694731371/suffieldacademyorg/qhuatylbkijv3y80uokr/20230911_ConvocationHP.jpg","width":1600},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_6/v1694731371/suffieldacademyorg/qhuatylbkijv3y80uokr/20230911_ConvocationHP.jpg","width":2200}])
Your firsts can turn into habits that make a real change in Suffield and our global community...so be intentional about the power you have to execute your firsts.
Suffield’s 2023-2024 academic year officially began with a Convocation ceremony on September 11, 2023 in Tisch Field House.
Head of School Charlie Cahn welcomed students and introduced Suffield’s new faculty members, before sharing the podium with Student Council President Chastity Blair ’24. Chastity spoke about her pride in being the first Black student council president in Suffield’s history, and encouraged her peers to attempt their own firsts, saying, “I jumped into this first because I am excited, ready, and prepared to try something that I have been aiming for since my first year in this institution. Suffield, what is your next first? Your firsts can turn into habits that make a real change in Suffield and our global community...so be intentional about the power you have to execute your firsts.”
Dean of Academics & Faculty Sara Yeager spoke about the themes of her life she considered this summer: who am I, who do I want to be, what do I believe, and what are my key values? She said, “Learn how to settle yourself, to dig deep, and to not give up. Put one foot in front of the other and breathe deeply. You can do it... Thinking about who you are and what you stand for shows us what we’re capable of. It allows us to reset ourselves and focus on our best selves, and this is what I want for you this year.”
In concluding Convocation, Charlie Cahn reaffirmed Suffield Academy’s mission and purpose. He said, “The atmosphere at Suffield is filled with respect, spirit, and pride in our school. This is an academically challenging, structured, encouraging school with talented, invested students and faculty members, an immaculate campus, great school spirit, and close attention to each student... Our core values are unwavering, even in an environment where social media and other content can blur boundaries and push ideas to the edge. They are our core four: kindness, respect, leadership, and effort.”
It was a meaningful, rejuvenating way to begin the new school year.
