2024–25 Convocation Remarks
September 3, 2024
Welcome. As most of you may know, my name is Don Kingman, and I and a whole bunch of other people have built, renovated, and been stewards of our campus for over 30 years. And, yes, I am probably the guy responsible for all the noise and commotion happening in that huge building being built right next door. Apologies for the disruption.
I have to say I love the opening day of school. You may ask why, given my role, but what it represents to me is a new beginning, a chance for you all to experience all of the work we have done as a school to get ready for this day. I love the energy that a new school year brings and the excitement and warmth that we all feel to rejoin as a community after a long summer break. So welcome home! I also love whole-school gatherings.
Some of my favorite whole-school assemblies were the spring jazz ensemble concerts. For those who were not there, picture this: The audience is settling into the P.A.C., and the musicians are on stage setting up their chairs and music stands and fiddling with their instruments. Ross Adams, the music director and a veteran 37-year teacher at CA, would turn around and tell the audience to give us a moment, because “we tune because we care.”
When you think about what this really means—to take a moment to prepare in order to share something so remarkable—it’s all ”because we care.” The entire performance is given, and from the first day of practice to the final note, they did this “because we care.” I always leave such concerts in awe and admiration, feeling a deep sense of pride for being connected to such a vital, alive, and incredibly impressive place as Concord Academy. And really, everything that happens here at CA, from the classes that you will take and the campus you will walk across to the meals you will eat and the buildings you will inhabit, everything is made possible “because we care.” This summer, we have been busy “tuning” up for your arrival here today.
So, I’m guessing that some of you, like me, may be wondering, why is Don standing in front of us to open the 2024–25 school year? Well, the powers that be thought that an old guy like me might have a story or two to tell young folks like you. And it is true that I never tire of talking about Concord Academy. I’m passionate about this place, and not just as my employer; I’ve been fortunate to call this campus my home since 1994.
You see, I raised my family here. When my family first arrived on campus, my two young kids, Haley and Taylor, now in their 30s, joined a handful of other kids growing up on campus. At that time there were only eight campus kids who called this campus home back then. Today, our community has grown to include 60 faculty and staff children who now call this campus their home.
So, for the past 30 years, I have served as director of operations and head of campus planning and construction. In these roles, I have overseen so many things that happen behind the scenes—things that might be taken for granted but also are highly visible projects in the end.
Part of my job was to help our campus grow and improve, to make this the best school experience possible. Let me share a bit about how things have grown and changed. We’ve renovated Phelps, Bradford, Haines, and Hobson and created Bailey Commons. We acquired and renovated faculty housing, including 186A, Monroe House, Gooding Barn, Belknap House, Toad Hall, Lee House, Ides, and 220 Main Street. We renovated the Stu-Fac and the P.A.C. and constructed South School, CA Labs, the SHAC, and the Moriarty Athletic Campus, and we expanded the Chapel, where we are meeting today. And by next year, we will open the Centennial Arts Center! All this was done “because we care.”
During my time at CA, I’ve also served in many other roles: as AOD, a chaperone, an advisor, and Monday night study hall proctor. (Voted best proctor one year. Here’s a little secret: We had a good time in my study hall! Maybe that’s why Grant won’t let me be proctor anymore.) I have plowed snow, cut grass, raked leaves, parked cars, set up Commencement chairs, closed school during snowstorms, and been a general caretaker for our campus. But most importantly, I’ve done my very best to be a good colleague and good member of the CA community, and I do what is needed for the greater good.
I have done things that are far outside my “official” job description, things like corralling a raccoon on the third floor of Wheeler with hockey sticks at 11:30 on a Saturday night, with a house full of boys barking out suggestions from the safety of their beds. That night, everyone was an expert on what to do—that is, everyone except me with my hockey stick. I am happy to share that both I and the racoon made it out of there in one piece. And I was on flood watch the time the river rose so high that our Chapel looked like it was on an island, complete with fish the size of campus kids swimming by.
Sometimes, I wasn’t fixing problems but actually creating them—like the time my wife burned popcorn in the kitchen of our campus house, triggering the fire alarm and requiring the evacuation of the entire main school building, including the P.A.C. Of course, there had to be a play rehearsal happening, and study hall in the Stu-Fac. My family was so embarrassed; I found them hiding in the car with our dog Maggie as the firemen searched our house. What a great time that was.
Thirty years may seem like a long time to work in one place, but I am here because I care, and I am here because so many other people around me care too. That makes it easy to “drink the Chameleon Kool-Aid.” I love that stuff: green and punchy and uniquely CA. I like our Kool-Aid not just because it tastes good, but also for how it represents the uniqueness of our CA community. Because we are unique—what we have here is very special, even if we are not aware of it all the time.
For those of you who know me, you know I’m passionate about stonework and admire beautifully crafted stone walls. You may not know that I’ve also admired tugboats for as long as I can remember.
You might be wondering where he’s going with this, so buckle up. Here’s my attempt at an analogy using stonewalls and tugboats.
Stone walls are timeless sentinels, pieced together one by one until disorganized rocks and stones meld into a cohesive structure. They may not be glamorous, but they serve multiple purposes: holding back the earth, defining a space, or acting as focal points in the landscape. They anchor us in our past, remind us of what came before, and can be gathering spots for moving forward as we sit upon them, thinking about what comes next as we survey our surroundings. These walls define outdoor spaces where we gather, talk, relax, and dream. This is not unlike how all of us arrive at CA as individuals—stone by stone, figuring out where we fit, and how we work together as a whole. The integrity of the wall relies entirely on the supportive nature of each rock and the rocks surrounding it. They are all dependent on one another, even if they are many yards away from each other. We are all connected, and we need to be mindful that no matter how big or small our role, all of us come together to create the wonderful place that is CA.
And tugboats? Well, as a toddler, my nickname was, well, Tugboat. Maybe I was a stubby kid or something, but the name stuck, and I rather identify with it even today. If you know anything about tugboats, you know they play a vital role behind the scenes to ensure work progresses safely and successfully. They don’t have a set schedule. They are there to support what needs to be done for the greater good, no matter the time of day, rain or shine. These unglamorous (but kinda cute) sturdy boats move bigger, more graceful and glamorous ships in the right direction. Without the assistance of tugboats, the bigger ships could not fulfill their purpose. They would not even get out of the harbor.
Many of the working adults around you here on campus, including me, are campus tugboats. They do the behind-the-scenes work. They clean campus spaces, prepare our meals, solve daily problems, clear the stage and move the equipment, keep the pathways clear and the fields mowed. There are so many hidden sheroes and heroes—tugboats—all around you. And, I encourage you to take some time to get to know them.
They do what they do because they care—they care about you, and they care about CA. In the lunchroom or in the hall, on the field or in the spaces you live and dwell, they are your advisors, teachers, coaches, your lunch crew, your Operations and support staff. They all care deeply about CA and about you. Take time to thank the tugboats. A smile and appreciation will make their day!
I also like to think of all of us as stewards of this campus and its culture, just as others were before us. Community doesn’t just happen. It’s intentional and requires all of us to contribute in our own ways. It is the small things that bind us all together or can create chinks in our stone wall that can cause erosion and decay.
As we start the new year—ready to start classes, play sports, make music and create art, learn things, see old friends and make new ones—don’t just think about what CA will do for you, but also think about your own personal role here and how you can add to CA.
So while no one has actually asked me, “Don, what can I do to make CA even better?” I am going to just volunteer some ideas, like the tugboat or stonemason I am. I promise my suggestions are so easy that you will barely notice the effort, but it will make so much of a difference in the lives of the people who support you here.
Hold the door for someone else. Shut a classroom window when no one is in the room. Leave a classroom in better shape than you found it. Pick up that loose piece of trash on campus before Brad or Alex do! Say please and thank you, or move book bags so we all can have access. When crossing Main Street, wave to the driver who stopped. If you know someone has had a tough day, reach out to them to check in. Give grace to those who are grumpy, empathy to those who seem down, and forgiveness for minor oversights. None of us is perfect. Appreciate that your view may not be what others believe or have experienced. Try to see other points of view—what we call diversity of perspectives.
We’re a relational school, so build relationships with each other, with your teachers, and with all these hidden sheroes and heroes—the tugboats who show up every day to care for you and our school. I assure you, it matters and you will be better for the experience. Hopefully, those of us who were entrusted with leading and stewarding this little jewel of a place called CA will leave it in better shape than we found it—all because we cared.
When I look back, I’m fulfilled and proud of what our school has accomplished over the last 30 years, and I can’t wait to see what the next 30 years will look like. Standing up here in the limelight is a little too bright for this guy, and this tugboat has work to do. So thank you for granting me the privilege of speaking today, and I look forward to seeing each of you on campus this year. Remember to cherish your time here, because it is like no other. I wish you all a very successful and happy first day of school!