Congratulations to the Class of 2026
134 students walked into the Nicholas Athletic Center on June 5, 2026 and emerged after the
graduation ceremony as members of the BB&N alumni community. In keeping with tradition,
Senior Class President Carl Chen ‘26 welcomed those in attendance by reading a poem, “A
Psalm of Life,” which Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote a stone’s throw from campus at the
Longfellow House on Brattle Street, Cambridge.
The Senior Class selected Jack Rossiter ‘26 as its speaker. Rossiter, a third-generation student
at the school, spoke about the balance between BB&N’s rigor and its sense of community.
“Beneath the surface of stress and deadlines, the character of the people around us is why we
can tolerate the pressure,” he said. “With such special individuals at every turn, a school that
might otherwise feel intimidating and disconnected feels safe and exhilarating.” He made a point
to thank his fellow classmates, faculty, staff, and families for “showering us with support.”
The sentiment was fitting for a class about to launch into the world, a feeling that student
musicians captured with their performance of Sun Ra’s “Love in Outer Space.” The piece
seemed to stretch toward something vast and full of possibility. It was an apt musical backdrop
for what came next. Penelope Quilter-Vagts ’26 introduced her mother, the Museum of Fine Arts
Conservator Lydia Vagts ’81.
Vagts reminisced about her younger self when she was at BB&N and the route she has taken in
her career. She suggested that “the path you take in life is not the one you think it will be” and
encouraged graduates to push themselves in new directions. “Your years at BB&N have given
you an amazing academic foundation, why not stretch yourself by trying something new and
unexpected that is guaranteed to expand your horizons?” she asked. “Study whatever it is that
excites you and stimulates your creativity.”
Vagts is still close with her BB&N classmates and assured graduates that they will remain
connected to their peers. “I am here today to testify that the bonds you made here at BB&N
through your shared experiences will last you a lifetime,” she said.
Senior musicians took the stage next, performing “Thank You For the Music” from Mamma Mia,
the school’s winter musical. The lighthearted joy of the song set the stage for the Head of School
Jennifer Price, who stepped forward to address something more pressing—how to hold onto
that sense of community in an increasingly polarized world. Drawing on her own upbringing and
the school’s work with Visiting Innovator Jason Craigie Harris around embracing differing
opinions and welcoming difficult conversations, Price urged graduates to carry those values
beyond campus. “Our nation needs leaders who center inquiry and curiosity, skills that I know
you learned within these walls,” she said.
As the ceremony moved toward the conferring of diplomas, The Knightingales sang “For Good”
from Wicked, a song about how the people in our lives shape who we become. It was a fitting
prelude to Chair of the Board of Trustees Jason Hafler ’00, who welcomed the graduating seniors into the alumni community with both warmth and candor. “In your future, there will be
challenges, there will be times when things go wrong; it happens to all of us,” he shared. “The
question is not whether you will face the challenges. The question is where these challenges lead you.”
