Hackley School
On Thursday, Sept. 10, Hackley officially kicked off the 2026-2027 academic year at our annual Convocation ceremony. Head of School Charles Franklin and Community Council President Ace Perez ’27 formally welcomed the Hackley Community to a new school year.
In what has become a beautiful — and adorable — tradition, the Class of 2027 escorted their kindergarten buddies to their, respectively, final and first Convocation ceremony. Following a performance of the Hackley alma mater by the Hackley Mixed Chorus, joined by our fourth graders, Mr. Franklin kicked things off by encouraging students to learn as many names of fellow Hornets as they can, and not to shy away from introducing themselves and getting to know others.
Staying on that theme, Mr. Franklin later invited two teams of students, each featuring a fourth grader, eighth grader and twelfth grader, to play a fun game of guessing which name of two on the board belongs to the most number of Hackley students. The winning prize was a highly coveted Hornet squishy.
.jpg)
In his inspirational speech, Ace invited his peers to "make things harder on yourself."
"What I’m saying is that you should embrace challenges and never let difficulty stop you from getting involved," he elaborated. "That means being brave, trying new things and sticking with things even when they’re hard."
Ace clarified that his advice "doesn’t mean you should sign up for every single activity or take on every responsibility that comes your way. (If you do that, chances are you’re in for a long school year.) Instead, you should find the things around campus that matter to you: music, sports, volunteering, even just being a good friend. Figure out what excites you, and give it your all — regardless of how tough it might seem. It’s worth it."
To close out the ceremony, Mr. Franklin invited senior Brandon Acosta and two Kindergarteners up to the stage to lead our community in a rousing cheer of "Go Hack!"
We can't wait for another amazing year of learning, friendships and growth on the Hilltop!
