Celebrating New Beginnings

Convocation at FWCD signifies a new beginning. The 2025-26 convocation celebration opened with Student Body President Jack Wegman ’26 welcoming students, faculty and staff with an uplifting message about connection and making the most of the year ahead.

He reminded students that what makes the school special is not just academics, the arts and athletics, but also how the community supports and uplifts one another every day. He emphasized the importance of living out FWCD’s Core Values – kindness, respect, responsibility, integrity, scholarship, and courage – through small daily actions that strengthen the School community. As a senior, he urged everyone to cherish their time together and approach the year with energy, gratitude and pride. As he put it, “Those small actions add up to something powerful — they make our community stronger.”

Head of School Eric Lombardi expressed his enthusiasm for the start of the school year, highlighting some special individuals, including the Class of 2038 kindergarteners and the senior Class of 2026, as well as 124 new students and 17 new faculty and staff members. He engaged the crowd with questions about the “Alma Mater” and Core Values, highlighting that “courage” is the one value named in the School’s song. He encouraged Falcons to remember that real courage often means choosing kindness, even when it’s difficult, and standing up against unkindness. As he put it, “When we talk about the Core Value of courage, one thing we at FWCD are talking about is being brave enough to be kind.”

Following the speeches, Head of Middle School Stephen Blan led the school in a Simon Says warm-up exercise and then selected members from each Quad for a Simon Says competition to earn Quad Cup points. The winning Quad? F Quad! Happy New School Year!