These Chapel Talks come from teachers across all three divisions — Lower, Middle and Upper — and staff members, both familiar faces and those our seniors may not know as well. In these talks, trusted community members offer valuable insights and guidance, often drawing from their personal experiences to address topics that resonate with students in their final year at Hackley. These moments provide an opportunity for students to hear varying perspectives, encouraging connection and understanding within the Hackley Community.
Honoring Stories and Building Empathy
Chapel Talks powerfully align with the School’s mission, offering our seniors a chance to “learn from varying perspectives and backgrounds in our community” on matters directly related to “character, scholarship, and accomplishment.”
Listening to one another’s stories is a powerful way to build understanding and connection, while also cultivating empathy, a virtue of paramount importance to the Hackley Community.
A favorite part of senior year, Chapel Talks provide students with unique insight into the humanity, experiences, compassion and wisdom of those who have supported them in their years at Hackley.
In recent years, the Chapel Talks program has expanded to include seniors sharing their own stories with ninth- and 10th-grade peers. These student-led talks give seniors a chance to reflect on lessons they have learned and take on the role of mentor, while younger students gain insight and inspiration from the experiences of those just ahead of them. What began as a faculty-led tradition has grown into a communitywide exchange of stories, wisdom and connection. Read more about Chapel Talks in the two articles below.
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