Doane Stuart’s 40th year had its official start at our Convocation ceremony on Wedneday, September 9 in the Golub Interfaith Chapel. This annual Doane Stuart tradition kicks off the year as students, faculty and staff gather to begin the process of once again binding our learning community together with shared goals and interests. Mr. Hodgkinson opened the ceremony with a prayer and a warm welcome given to our new students and faculty. Mrs. Clarke provided the opening remarks and introduced the new faculty, Mr. Bowman introduced this year’s new students and Mrs. Cassant, Mr. and Mrs. Hodgkinson, Mrs. Brown, Mr. Russell and Mr. Ocampo Valle introduced our division leaders in grades four, eight and twelve. Dalton Hanaway ’17 of Saratoga Springs played the bagpipes for the processional and recessional and Dawson Stone ’18 of East Greenbush played the piano accompaniment for “Here I am, Lord.”
At the end of the service bells were rung to start the year’s journey. This year we were honored to welcome Mrs. Elle Houle Dietemann and Mrs. Christine Roy Faber who joined us to ring in the new year. Mrs. Dietemann and Mrs. Faber are members of the class of 1976, the first senior class in what was, in September 1975, the first year we opened as The Doane Stuart School. Mrs. Duker, President of the Board of Trustees, provided the closing prayer.