Four years ago, Ellie Hyder ’23 followed in the footsteps of so many Blair students before her as she walked the campus with her peers on the way to Convocation. She took to the stage along with her fellow Senior Class Council member Michael Diaco ’23. Looking on from home was Lil Hyder ’27, Ellie’s younger sister.

Lil listened to her sister’s speech about finding your “Blair at its best moment,” but it was a few words from Michael that truly stayed with her. “For those who know Blair, no explanation is needed. But for those who don’t know Blair, no explanation will suffice,” Michael told the audience in DuBois Theatre. Lil was determined to discover what he meant.

Now, four years later, Lil has followed those same footsteps to the stage herself, addressing the community during the opening of the 179th school year. Lil shared that after four years at Blair, she knew exactly what Michael meant.

“When we stop waiting for the big moments to embrace the community and the culture that Blair has, we come together and express it in the small, simple ones,” Lil said. “I encourage everyone here to embrace and remember the small moments that come from the busy energy of Blair. When we begin to take a deep breath and recognize where we are, the community and the culture becomes contagious.”

Lil’s sentiments were echoed by her fellow Senior Class Council member Grady Hausler ’27, who spoke next. Addressing the new students in the community, Grady advised: “When everybody is waiting for somebody else, be the somebody. You’ll forget most of this year, but what you won’t forget is the person who talked to you in your first week.”

Lil’s and Grady’s advice for the year was mirrored by a charge from Head of School Peter G. Curran P’27 ’27, who followed a performance by the Convocation Choir. “Show care in all spaces,” Mr. Curran asked of the crowd, highlighting one of Blair’s Five Fundamentals. “Ultimately, it’s all of our actions, big and small, that drive this concept.” From the small moments Lil described to the unspoken rule of saying hello on the pathways that Grady highlighted, there are countless ways to show up for the Blair community and help create the tone for the School.

“There is an important difference between wanting other people to think we are a good person and actually wanting to be a good person,” Mr. Curran explained. “Showing care isn’t only about what we do for another person, it’s also about who we choose to be in relation to them.”

As the 179th school year officially opened, the community also reflected on the significance of the evening itself. Convocation took place on September 11, 2026, 25 years after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and on the evening Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, began.

“There is something especially meaningful about officially opening our school year on a day that asks us both to remember and to look forward,” Mr. Curran noted. “To remember the people and communities that have shaped us, but also to consider the kind of community we look forward to creating together.”