The Upper School Student Senate, along with head of school Mr. J. Ross Peters, are leading an initiative to add more student-led chapels to the regular schedule this year. While there have been student-run chapels in the past, they were few and far between, and this effort will try to make these talks more regular.

“I promise they are coming soon,” chaplain Mr. Brendan Gorham said.

These new student-led chapels will mostly be held in Agape Chapel, but they have not been fully planned yet.  The program is originally intended for the senior class, but any grade can give a chapel talk if they want to take the initiative to.

Mr. Gorham believes that this will give the student speaker a more attentive audience.  

“Agape Chapel is intimate, spiritual and esthetic,” Mr. Gorham said. “It is easy to get into a mindset of worship there.”

Prefect of spirit Will Courtney agreed that students would listen closer to their peers.

“One of our colleagues, getting up there and speaking, will be impactful,” Courtney said. “I feel it will be easier to listen to them than it might be to someone we listen to every single day.”  

Senior Noah Woods is looking forward to student led chapels.

“I think it will get a lot more of the students active in chapel,” Woods said.“I feel that student led chapels will bring the student body together.”

“In general, regardless of what grade they are in, I try to work with them to get them to make that happen,” Mr. Gorham said. He also added that he would like to see the senior class help encourage underclassmen to take the initiative to present a chapel talk.  

The students may talk about anything that they wish as long as they can bring a related bible verse to expand on.

If you would like to take the initiative and plan your own chapel talk, contact Mr. Gorham at [email protected] to get the process started.