Encircling each other with laughter and love

Class of 2026 built connection through a strong sense of place

When children are small, they develop a basic understanding of shapes — square, triangle, rectangle, circle. As kindergarteners, they learn how those pieces fit together. And, by middle school, they are measuring area and circumference. 

But it isn’t until high school, in advanced math and physics, that students delve into the dynamics of shapes — how they move, interact, transform, and behave under forces.

And, more deeply, how they influence interactions. 

For the Class of 2026, one shape had more influence than all the others. 

“The senior class does not sit inside during lunch at the long rectangular tables where you are geometrically cut off from others,” senior commencement speaker Emery Sonsino said at Harpeth Hall’s 2026 graduation ceremony. “Rather, we choose the geometry of a circle.”

That image, which reflected on the eight round tables on the patio outside the Harpeth Hall dining hall, became the emotional center of a graduation ceremony focused on connection and a sense of place. Those tables were a daily lunchtime gathering space for the senior class. The girls would pull up their chairs, make room for whoever arrived next, and linger after lunch was complete. 

“… These tables encapsulate us as a class because we want the ability to speak and face each other. As if we are saying with our choice of seating: I want to laugh with you and be present with you. I want to be vulnerable with you. And most of all, I want to see you for who you are.”

Commencement at Harpeth Hall serves as a culmination and a time to celebrate both academic achievement and the relationships that shaped a senior class. For the Class of 2026, those themes surfaced through reflections on friendship, gratitude, curiosity, and the enduring connections formed during the girls' years together.

“We have a very special relationship with the place that built us,” Emery said, “but we must also give ourselves credit for the way we have built this place too.”

For much of her speech, Emery guided the audience through campus as if leading one final tour. She led the audience from Souby Lawn to the dining hall patio, through the junior lobby, and across the athletic fields before arriving at the Senior House.

“Our campus lives and breathes,” she said.

The theme echoed remarks from senior Madeline Graf, who opened the ceremony by reflecting on the people and places that helped bring the Class of 2026 to this milestone.

“I can't help but think of the multitude of memories [this place] contains,” Madeline said. 

She spoke about the beautiful lawn at the center of campus — a place animated through jamborees, class photos, club songs, picnic blankets, and ceremonies. She thanked the people whose support shaped the class and reminded her classmates that while they would soon travel their own paths, those influences would remain with them.

That sense of connection also surfaced in Head of School Jess Hill's remarks. Reflecting on the year’s theme of “boundless curiosity,” she celebrated a class whose interests showed an arc of disciplines and whose accomplishments ranged from art and performance to athletics, engineering, research, and public speaking.

As graduates prepared to leave 3801 Hobbs Road, Ms. Hill returned to a theme that echoed Emery's vision of circles. “Connection remains vital,” she said.

“Harpeth Hall will reside somewhere in your memory — not just the place, but the relationships, the laughter, and the struggles. As your life unfolds with both good and not-so-good days and weeks, don’t let time separate you from that close friend you need to call at that moment … and always know that those of us back home are here for you — ready to support you and remind you of your significance and great worth.”

Emery saw that connection everywhere she looked. She described a class that filled theater seats for dance concerts and plays, packed the sidelines at athletic events, and celebrated each other’s achievements. “We are invested in one another’s success,” she said.

Recalling a tense moment during the lacrosse team’s state semifinal game, Emery remembered looking toward the stands as Harpeth Hall faced elimination. Amid the pressure, she heard classmates calling her name and encouraging her from the bleachers.

“When doubt took over, you made me believe again,” she said.

The experience became another lesson in the power of connection. “When we believe in each other, it rubs off on everyone, igniting a unique sense of belonging” she said. Then, quoting architect Denise Scott Brown, Emery noted that though architecture can create opportunities for people to meet, it cannot force relationships. That work belongs to the people who occupy the space.

“While we must cherish the place that built us, we must evolve into the architects,” she said. “Now, we hold the brick, windows, and chairs, and we get to decide how each material pieces together.”

So, she encouraged her classmates as they go out into the world to construct the next stages of their lives with intention, carrying forward the values and relationships they cultivated at Harpeth Hall. She reminded them, too, that, out in a world where sharp rectangles can be found around every corner, they have the power to create a different blueprint.

“We. Choose. Circles.”

 

THIRD HONORS

Neko Mannes

SECOND HONORS

Narcissa Broome

KATIE WRAY VALEDICTORY AWARD

Allyson Mao