Happy Opening Day!
We are off to a great start, officially welcoming 804 Falcons earlier this morning.
Interesting to note, we have 147 New Students, and now, 149 Faculty and Staff! We also have two Exchange Students from our partner school in Madrid...Our Community is ever evolving, and, from the feeling on campus today, very excited, eager to begin, and happy! We have much to be grateful for, and I am incredibly proud of just where we stand on this First Day of School.
Patrick
Opening Chapel Remarks
August 13, 2025
New Beginnings…
Good morning…And,
Welcome to the 2025–2026 school year!
It is a real pleasure and a genuine privilege to be with you on this incredibly exciting---and beautiful—”First Day”.
Today we usher in a new school year, welcoming 804 students, including 147 New Students, and 149 Faculty and Staff. For many of you, everything is literally “new”, and while I won’t read aloud all of your names today, please know that we are all excited to have you join our Community...You have chosen well, and Palmer Trinity has chosen well---a perfect match! Again, welcome.
We have been busy this Summer getting ready for all of you…Upgrades to existing spaces, new learning areas, fresh paint…Yes, we are ready to get started!
Today, we “kick off” what promises to be an outstanding year…We have much to celebrate, and so much to be grateful for…
We celebrate The Official First Day of School, a “fresh” beginning…
We celebrate our 54th year as a learning Community…
We have accomplished much in our storied, and diverse history, and our future is very bright!
We celebrate that we are a Community that is constantly evolving---and in every way. A School that has grown from “humble roots” and 23 acres to a sprawling, 60-acre campus, filled with nearly 1,000 individuals crossing paths every day!
We celebrate the chance to learn, to grow, to be part of something greater than ourselves.
We celebrate the simple fact that we are here, in person…Side by side, arm in arm, hand in hand…Supporting one another, caring for another, and working as one….
We are the Palmer Trinity Falcons. We are proud, we are eager, and we are ready to take flight!
And, so again, I welcome you to what promises to be an outstanding Year at Palmer Trinity.
As we “kick off” a new Year…a new Beginning, I know that many of you may be feeling a little nervous…a bit anxious…This is a “big step”...This is a new time in your life, and an important one…Part of your story—the life you are building! Again, it’s exciting, but can also feel a little overwhelming…
With this idea of a “New Beginning” in mind, I share with you a few, hopefully helpful, and “small” pieces of advice, and various photographs I took this Summer while traveling in the Midwest and in Montana…
Earlier this Summer, in June, I had the distinct opportunity to be on the campus of Case Western Reserve University, in Cleveland, Ohio, attending The Heads Collegiate Forum—a selected group of School Heads across the country, who gather once a year, at a university, and enjoy lectures, networking, and professional collaboration.
As part of the tradition of this 113-year-old organization, a Chapel Service is held to bring everyone together, and to celebrate the legacies of Heads who have passed away…As I took my place on that first full day, as a newly elected Member, in that sacred space, and looked around the room, I must admit that I, myself, was feeling pretty intimidated…I was the “new guy”, surrounded by nearly 200 Heads, or Former, Distinguished, Heads of School…Many of whom were “heroes” of mine—leaders I had admired from afar and for many years…Accomplished men and women who had accrued vast experience and a host of accolades…Leaders, who, in some cases, are commanding institutions with famous histories, grand Endowments, and Foundings that date over 300 years old! Yes, I was feeling a bit out of place.
However, the Service began, and the words of the noted philosopher and writer Kahlil Gibran were shared, immediately having a “calming effect”, and these words “stuck” with me all Summer, particularly as I pondered what I would say to you this morning…
Fear
It is said that before entering the sea
a river trembles with fear.
She looks back at the path she has traveled,
from the peaks of the mountains,
the long winding road crossing forests and villages.
And in front of her,
she sees an ocean so vast,
that to enter
there seems nothing more than to disappear forever.
But there is no other way.
The river cannot go back.
Nobody can go back.
To go back is impossible in existence.
The river needs to take the risk
of entering the ocean
because only then will fear disappear,
because that’s where the river will know
it’s not about disappearing into the ocean,
but of becoming the ocean.
—Kahlil Gibran, writer/philosopher
Yes, it’s “natural” to feel some anxiety today…To be nervous…To be fearful…It’s the End of Summer…the End of Elementary School…Maybe you are just settling here, into Miami, or a new community you’ve moved into…Maybe there is a life change underway in your home…Whatever the case may be, you are ready…It’s time to move forward…Like the river, there is NO going back…You are heading to something greater…Something bigger than yourself. Something that you can impact in positive ways, and something that will impact you in ways you don’t even know just yet, or may be able to comprehend.
Today, we begin that journey together. As we do so, don’t forget that YOU are bringing your own unique talents, “fresh eyes”, and lessons and experiences already learned…And while Palmer Trinity may be “new” to you, you are more than ready for this journey…
Today is your day!
I sincerely hope that you will join me in my optimism, and heed the wise words of one of my favorite authors, the Celtic writer, John O’Donohue, who reminds us, that
A beginning is a beautiful thing…and even though the journey ahead is unclear, a beginning will always remain true to itself.
He furthers this notion, and adds, that
Unknown to us, there are moments
When crevices we cannot see open
For time to come alive with beginning.
—John O’Donohue
Remember, too, that,
You are here for a reason.
You have accomplished much, but you also owe a great debt of gratitude to those who have made today possible. Do NOT take that for granted! As I share each year at this Opening Chapel, only 1% of students your age have the chance to attend an independent school. Be grateful for this education, for it is a precious gift, and one that should not be taken lightly. In fact, make sure you find the persons who provided this for you and let them know just how much you appreciate this opportunity…Your gratitude will also help you to “set the right tone” in how you go about your daily life, I would argue…As Father David Steindl-Rast tells us,
It is not joy that makes us grateful; it is gratitude that makes us joyful.
—Father David Steindl-Rast
So,
Be Grateful. Be Joyful!
Every day is a new beginning…A real blessing. Today is Day One of your Palmer Trinity Year. Today is yours for the taking. Be ready to learn. Be ready to experience new things. Be ready to make new friends.
As you well know, on your journey, you may experience some difficulties…Some challenges…Some things that might not go your way…Remember, this is a process…Keep moving forward!
You may not have a “clear path” or sight of just what is “around the bend”...The road may be steep and treacherous…
There may be a few twists and turns…
That’s okay! Remember,
There are plenty of difficult obstacles in your path. Don’t allow yourself to become one of them.
—Ralph Marston, writer/motivator
I encourage you to pause, reflect, make time regularly to think about how you will “set the course” as you move forward, and how you will approach each day—each challenge. Please, also,
Don’t be intimidated by what you don’t know. That can be your greatest strength and ensure that you do things differently from everyone else.
—Sarah Blakely, entrepreneur
Visualize, if you will, just how this Year may unfold for you…Make time to think and to consider the possibilities that are yours. Think about how you will succeed, knowing that you will have unforeseen challenges.
At this point, you should have at least a few basic ideas—if not more—of what you hope to achieve this year…Of what you’d like to accomplish, or be…Many of you may have already written your Goals down, and if you have not, I am sincerely hoping you are at least thinking about your possible Goals, Wishes, and Dreams for the Year.
But, please, remember, too, that you are supported. You are in good company. We are ALL taking that “first step” today…You have an entire community with you—your family, your friends, and new acquaintances to be made. Look around you…There are nearly 1,000 Falcons here, and we are all on this journey together. We are all moving forward…We are all part of something greater than ourselves.
Finally,
As is our School Expectation, I ask each of you to:
Lead with Love.
As a student and an Ambassador for Palmer Trinity, I am counting on EACH OF YOU to step up…To be a person of integrity, that is, someone who can be counted on to do the right thing. Someone, whom I dare say, will be kind, compassionate, and ready to help others and make a positive impact. Someone, ultimately, who will LEAD WITH LOVE. The legendary musician, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, expresses this sentiment so simply,
Neither a lofty intelligence nor imagination nor both together go to the making of genius. Love, love, love, that is the soul of genius.
—Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
And, so, fellow Falcons, I am eager for our Year to begin. We have a beautiful day before us, and our future is bright. We are sure to have many wonderful adventures in the coming days...We will celebrate our triumphs together, and we will work through any of those challenges or unexpected obstacles together, too…I’ll leave you with this brief Blessing…
May I live this day
Compassionate of heart,
Clear in word,
Gracious of awareness,
Courageous of thought,
Generous in love.
May my mind come alive today
To the invisible geography
That invites me to new frontiers,
To break the dead shell of yesterdays,
To risk being disturbed and changed.
May I have the courage today
To live the life that I would love,
To postpone my dream no longer
But do at last what I came here for
And waste my heart on fear no more.
A New Beginning…
Be Grateful.
Be Joyful!
No Fear.
Lead with Love.
All the very best for a healthy, happy, and most rewarding Year!
