Owning the Experience: Authenticity at The Williams School’s Convocation

The Williams School opened its 136th academic year on September 1 with Convocation, bringing students, faculty, staff, and families together to mark the beginning of a new year.

 

This year’s theme, “authenticity,” invited the community to consider what it means to know yourself, speak honestly, and take an active role in your own growth.

 

Head of School Mark Fader and longtime dance teacher Bo Parish explored that idea from two different perspectives.

 

Fader reflected on what it means to be genuine in the way we move through the world and interact with one another. His hope for the year, he shared, is that every member of the community feels comfortable being themselves and is willing to communicate truthfully, even when honesty can feel difficult or uncomfortable.

 

Parish, the school’s longest-serving faculty member, focused on independence and the value of learning to do things for yourself. Using cooking as a metaphor, she reflected on the creativity, confidence, resilience, and connection that can come from making something with your own hands. She then connected that idea to education, asking students to think about how actively they participate in their own learning.

 

Her remarks also addressed convenience and the growing presence of artificial intelligence in students’ lives. Rather than rejecting technology, Parish encouraged students to think carefully about how they use it and whether it supports the work of thinking, creating, and learning or begins to replace it.

 

“There’s a difference between being full and being nourished,” Parish said. “This year, consider taking ownership of what you’re consuming, whether it’s food or your educational experience. Be in charge. Be active.”

 

Her words offered a challenge that extends beyond Convocation. At Williams, students are encouraged to ask questions, make choices, explore their interests, and take increasing responsibility for their education. That independence grows alongside the support of teachers, advisors, classmates, and others who know students well and encourage them to keep stretching themselves.

 

Those same qualities of curiosity, independence, and engagement were reflected in another Convocation tradition: recognizing members of the senior class for the ways they have contributed to Williams. The ceremony formally welcomed the Class of 2027 into their senior year and honored several students for their scholarship, leadership, and engagement with the community.

 

The Bruce Lane Bulkeley School Prize was awarded to senior Eddie Keane ’27 for his exceptional essay on a notable alum of the former Bulkeley School for Boys, Harry K. Daghlian Jr., Class of 1938. Daghlian was most famously known for his work on the Manhattan Project with J. Robert Oppenheimer. The prize, established in honor of the historic New London institution founded in 1873, encourages students to contribute to a growing archive of school history through research and writing.

 

Describing the winning essays as “superior in every form,” the selection committee praised Keane for their clear writing, thorough research, and use of primary sources and interviews. There were also two runners-up, Ace Bairos ’27 and Ouranab Murtaza ’27.

 

Director of Upper School Teaching and Learning Chelsea Rallis presented the annual Book Awards, recognizing seniors who have demonstrated exceptional character and academic engagement. “The Book Awards acknowledge the intellectual passion and compassion of our students to the Williams community and the community at large,” Rallis said.

 

This year’s recipients are:

 

Prize for Intellectual Curiosity: Honors a member of the senior class for their efforts to advance their own level of understanding within the classroom environment, while also inspiring his peers and our faculty to do the same.

 

Recipient: Sadie Rotolo ’27

 

Intellectual Envoy Award: Honors efforts to advance knowledge and understanding in the greater world.

 

Recipient: Eddie Keane ‘27

 

Global Scholar Award: Honors a member of the senior class who finds energy and inspiration in learning about and promoting understanding of people and places different from themselves.

 

Recipient: Liam Cai ‘27

 

Heart of the Community Award: Honors a member of the senior class for their leadership in demonstrating care for others in all they do in addition to showing a true commitment to learning.

 

Recipient: Annie Shay ‘27

 

Leadership Award: Honors individuals in the community who serve as examples of what is truly possible in academics and student life.

 

Recipients: Sabine Balentine ‘27 and Liam Kelly ‘27

 

Courageous Explorer Award: Honors a member of the senior class who has served as a superlative example of wrestling with new ideas and experiences in positive ways.

 

Recipient: Ouranab Murtaza ‘27

 

By the end of the ceremony, authenticity had come to mean more than simply being yourself. It meant being willing to participate fully in your own experience. To ask the question. To try something before you know exactly how it will turn out. To speak honestly. To make something yourself. To take responsibility for where you are going next.

 

For Williams students, that feels like an appropriate place to begin.