The start of the school year often carries with it a unique kind of energy— equal parts anticipation, reunion, and possibility. At GFA’s Centennial Convocation, middle and upper school students, faculty, and staff gathered to reflect on the past 100 years and the spirit of community that is still alive today.
After a performance of the Alma Mater from the 6th Grade Chorus, senior Capone A. ’26 reflected on the support he has found in friendships and in teachers who encouraged him to grow, lessons he turned into advice for his peers. As an underclassman, he admitted, he never would have imagined speaking in front of the entire school. Remembering the encouragement from Mrs. Morrison to “put himself out there,” however, he rose to the occasion—a reminder of the growth that happens when we take risks and step outside our comfort zones.
Capone offered three words of advice for the year ahead:
- Set goals to work towards: Trust the process, never quit, and don’t limit yourself.
- Be kind: Embrace GFA’s Each for All spirit, which also applies to how you treat yourself.
- Learn from everyone and everything: Success and failure alike can teach us, if we remain open to learning.
Capone’s words offered a glimpse of how each small action—every choice to be curious, kind, or brave—can shape not just a day, but a lifetime at GFA.
Building on Capone’s advice, Head of School Bob Whelan reflected on how these moments of curiosity, kindness, or courage form the rhythms of school life and continue the legacy of the GFA community. He described the very existence of the school at this moment in time as a kind of statistical miracle, like two million dice all landing on the same number, reminding students that their presence together is the result of countless connections across generations.
“I am who I am because of who you all are." - Bob Whelan, Head of SchoolMr. Whelan emphasized that much of what shapes students is not a singular dramatic moment, but the accumulation of daily choices and habits. Nearly half of what we do each day is driven by habit—and each small, consistent choice sends a message about who we are becoming. Even incremental steps, he reminded students, can make us one percent better every day.
To illustrate, Mr. Whelan pointed to alumni who discovered their passions through small but transformative moments on campus. Charlie Hall ’07, encouraged by beloved teacher Ed Denes to take the stage at a talent show, discovered a confidence in performing that eventually carried him to a sold-out Madison Square Garden. Another alum, Kelly Van Hoosen ’11, now working in the NFL, admitted her Middle School self never could have imagined the opportunities ahead, though the seeds of her NFL career were planted during childhood trips to games with her mother.
As GFA embarks on its second century, Mr. Whelan reminded students that it is these small steps—habits formed, relationships nurtured, moments embraced—that shape not just individual lives, but the enduring character of the GFA community. Convocation set the tone for this milestone year, reminding us that every new beginning carries forward the legacy of the past while opening the door to the next hundred years.