205th Commencement Celebrated at New Hampton School

On Friday, May 22, 2026, 103 graduates gathered with families, friends, trustees, faculty, and alumni for New Hampton School’s 205th Commencement. This ceremony marked both the end of the Class of 2026’s time as students and the start of their journey as alumni. For the graduates, it was a day to look back on the community that shaped them—and ahead to the paths they will now take beyond campus.

Head of School Joe Williams opened the ceremony by welcoming families, alumni, trustees, faculty, and students to the School’s 205th Commencement exercises. He noted the significance of the day not only as a celebration of achievement but also as a moment of transition for the graduating class.

Williams acknowledged emotions in the room—pride, excitement, uncertainty, relief—and recognized faculty and staff whose support sustains student life. He reminded graduates that the measure of success extends beyond achievement alone, emphasizing instead how individuals respond to challenge. “Success is not about achievement,” he said, “but how you handle hard things that come your way.”

Noah Stevens, the Ben Cecil Welcome Speaker, shared his experience joining the community mid-year and the relationships that defined his New Hampton journey. He described how the School shaped identity through daily experiences: “New Hampton does not hand you an identity; instead, it gives you the space, the support, and the responsibility to build one yourself.”

Stevens highlighted the importance of small, shared moments across campus, from informal gatherings to traditions that define the student experience: “Over time, you are no longer trying to become someone else; you are becoming yourself.”

Williams returned to a central theme: growth through challenge and the gradual development of character. He encouraged students to reframe failure not as a setback, but as part of a larger process of growth, noting that difficult moments are both expected and formative. “Measure yourself by how you respond,” he said, emphasizing resilience, self-advocacy, and perspective. Williams also connected this message to the School’s emphasis on wellness and performance, encouraging graduates to maintain balance and integrity as they move forward into new environments.

Our student body presidents spoke on their time at New Hampton, each grounding their remarks in a shared sense of community while highlighting different personal experiences. Elyse Ngenda reflected on the passage of time and how quickly four years can shift from unfamiliar to deeply personal. “We started here as strangers in classrooms,” she said, “became friends in hallways, and now leave as something closer to a family.” She encouraged her classmates to remain present in both significant and ordinary moments, noting that “we did not just pass time, we grew through it.”

Griffin Taylor focused his remarks on gratitude for faculty, coaches, advisors, peers, and the relationships that shaped his experience: “A thank you to New Hampton, as we are all beyond lucky that we had the opportunity of calling this place home.”

Cara Kuczek closed by highlighting community as the defining feature of New Hampton. She acknowledged milestones, emphasizing that “these are the moments that solidified New Hampton as a home, and these lifelong friends as your family.”

Scholarship and Resolve

The Cum Laude Society address was delivered by Nellie MacDonald, who reflected on the academic journey of the graduating class and the mindset required to sustain it. Speaking to her classmates and families, MacDonald began by recognizing the shared experience of academic challenge and growth, noting that scholarship is defined less by perfection than by persistence.

She recalled a piece of advice that has stayed with her since her freshman year, shared with her by her father and rooted in a quote attributed to Winston Churchill: “Never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never—in nothing, great or small, large or petty—never give in.” MacDonald connected that message directly to her experience as a student, describing moments of doubt and difficulty throughout her academic path. In those moments, she said, the choice was not about avoiding challenge, but about continuing through it.

“A true scholar is not defined by perfection,” she said. “They are defined by their drive.”

She closed by encouraging her classmates to carry that mindset forward, not as a measure of certainty, but as a commitment to persistence in the face of complexity and change.

In his closing remarks, Head of School Joe Williams addressed the graduating class directly, reflecting on both the significance of the moment and his gratitude for the community that has shaped it.

He thanked students for their contributions to the life of the School and acknowledged the partnership of families, faculty, and staff who support the student experience. Williams also shared that his tenure as Head of School is drawing to a close, noting that he and his wife, Eileen, will carry the relationships built at New Hampton with them beyond campus.

He gave graduates a final charge: “You will always represent and be supported by this community, so do the right things, even when you think no one is watching.”