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Hockaday recently had its All-School Convocation, an annual ceremony that celebrates the start of the school year.

On Wednesday morning, Hockaday’s faculty, staff and pre-kindergarten to twelfth grade students gathered around Graduation Terrace to celebrate the All-School Convocation, a ceremony that announced the start of the 102nd school year. Honoring the diversity of Hockaday, each grade level was introduced in a different world language: Korean, Cantonese, Afrikaans, French, Japanese, Spanish, Armenian, Hebrew, Chinese, Indonesian,  Farsi, Portuguese and English.

Following this roll call, representatives from the Lower, Middle and Upper Schools recited statements, which described pledges and plans for the year within each division. All those present at the convocation then joined together to sing the first verse of “America the Beautiful.”

The ceremony concluded with a speech from Eugene McDermott Headmistress Liza Lee, who has returned to Hockaday to serve as the interim head for the 2015-2016 school year. Throughout her speech, Lee emphasized the importance of convocation, as it “marks a new chapter in the life of a school and its community.”

Looking to the months ahead, she said, “Let’s remind ourselves…that within the ordinary routine of school lies the bright promise of growth and discovery, as it always has for every student.”