CA’s 2025 Family Weekend Ushers in Season of Gratitude
Falling this year shortly before Thanksgiving, Concord Academy’s Family Weekend was an occasion for many expressions of gratitude for the partnership between school and families in support of CA students. Parents and guardians had opportunities to sample the teaching and learning that takes place every day at CA, meet their students’ mentors, and connect with other families. Though the weather was cold, the warmth of the CA community was palpable throughout the two-day event.
Programming began in the afternoon on Thursday, November 20, with athletic practices, a Dance Project open rehearsal, and a double-overtime set of boys and girls varsity basketball games. That evening, the CA Parents Social in the new Centennial Arts Center Hammett Ory Theater gave families a chance to chat with one another and with faculty and staff—nourishing the bonds that set CA apart as a distinctly relational school.
The next morning, parents gathered in the Student Health and Athletic Center for breakfast and opening remarks. CA Parents President Maggie Yuan P’27 described Family Weekend as an anchoring tradition, one that gives families a rhythm to return to over their students’ years at CA. “What I love most about CA—and Family Weekend, today—is that even just one day on campus can spark so much: new conversations, new connections that carry us through the year ahead,” she said. “And these small moments ripple out, influencing how we engage in the CA community long after Family Weekend is over.”
Noting that more than 400 families had registered, Head of School Henry Fairfax called the full tables throughout the gym “evidence of a fully engaged community.” He particularly thanked families of international students who traveled great distances to attend. “CA is blessed to have some of the finest faculty, staff, and administrators I have ever worked with; I sense that they are a key ingredient and part of what drew you and your children to CA,” he said. “And in turn, your children, who are talented and intellectually committed, will attract the next generation of inspiring educators. As you spend the day with us, I am confident that you will be inspired by our special sauce.”
Families went to class with their students, following a full academic day’s schedule of shortened periods, with options for parents of LGBTQ+ students, families of color, and international families to attend affinity gatherings. In the afternoon, families were invited to musical rehearsals in the C.A.C., where Chorus and CA Singers, Orchestra, Jazz Workshop and the Vocal Jazz and Pop Ensemble, and Percussion Ensemble were practicing for concerts in December. Boarding parents also had an opportunity to visit their students’ houses before the program concluded and families departed with their students for the Thanksgiving break.
