Giving a Chapel talk has long been considered a rite-of-passage for Hotchkiss students, though due to the pandemic, several classes have graduated without participating
in this unique tradition. On September 8 and September 12, after a two-and-a-half-year hiatus, the community returned to a scheduled Chapel program.
Chapel talks have been a tradition in the community for more than a century, providing a space for guest speakers, and faculty and students to share personal experiences and learnings. Occasionally, the programs involve musical performances or literary readings. Since the space fits 312 students, Chapel is divided into two sessions; Lower Mids and Upper Mids attend on Thursdays and Preps and Seniors attend on Monday.
In the first Chapel program this year, Megan Ho ’24 read an excerpt from “The Odyssey,” followed by a personal narrative by Juliet Kaufmann ’23 on finding her place as a new Lower Mid. Isaiah Stephens ’25 spoke on the impact Mr. Pierre Yoo, Dorm head of Edelman, made on him, and Max Salzinger ’25 performed on cello the pop song “Despacito” by Luis Fonsi.
Dr. Jason Larson, director of spiritual and religious life, and Mr. Keith Moon, instructor in English, history, and Russian language, selected student presenters for the first Chapel of the year. Dr. Larson said, “We want students to understand that anyone can do this, and they can always come up to [me] or Mr. Moon if they have any kind of personal story or ideas that they think would be cool to share in Chapel talks.”
Many students believe the value of the Chapel program lies in the opportunity for individuals to present any topic or message of their choosing that they want to share with the whole community. Kaufmann said, “Having Chapel talks is a great way to get to know people and make our community feel a little less large and a little more personal.”
While students enjoyed the return of the program, other students held an opinion against the programming taking place in the Chapel. Hughlyn Wong ’23 said, “While I like getting a glimpse into my peers’ lives and hearing about others’ experiences, I don’t appreciate how everyone is forced to attend Chapel, because while the programming isn’t religious itself, the building and the name are inherently religious. This space might not be as comfortable or intimate for non-Christians or those with religious trauma.” The first presentations at the Chapel talks inspired some students to contemplate presenting. J. T. Popp ’26 expressed his interest. He said, “I hope to give a speech about the environment in the future Chapel talks, because I really like the environment, and I’ve given presentations about them at my previous school so I hope to continue that here.”
