HOS Report 4.20.26 Final

Franklin Road Academy Head of School Report to the Trustees- April 20, 2026 Confidential

Franklin Road Academy Head of School Report to the Trustees- April 20, 2026 Executive Summary

As is always the case, spring term in flying by. We continue to demonstrate strong institutional momentum across enrollment, advancement, and strategic planning.

Enrollment has reached 1,158 students with a 44% acceptance rate and over 70% yield, signaling sustained market strength. The Annual Fund outperforming last year by $50,000 although participation is down slightly to date. Stars and Guitars event generating over $520K, reinforcing a strong culture of philanthropy. We are actively stewarding key donor relationships while conducting focus groups to inform future capital priorities tied to the master plan, ensuring alignment between long-term campus development and donor interest. Concurrently, marketing and communications efforts are significantly elevating the school’s brand visibility and engagement, contributing to both admissions and community connection.

Strategically, we are making meaningful investments in programmatic innovation, talent, and academic excellence. As we prepare to launch the FRA Signature Experience, this represents a transformative initiative designed to differentiate our academic program through personalized, mission-aligned student pathways. We hired a Director of the FRA Signature Experience to help develop, coordinate and launch this initiative over the next two years. We also hired a new Director of Diversity, Community, and Inclusion from The Bolles school in Jacksonville, Florida. Both of these positions will help us advance our strategic priorities growing our academic program and strengthening school culture.

Academically, we continue to expand rigor and opportunity, including a record 31 AP offerings and enhanced programming for high-achieving students, while leveraging technology and AI to improve operational efficiency in areas like scheduling. These efforts, combined with continued development of our student outcomes across academics, arts, athletics, and co-curricular programs, reflect a clear focus on delivering a distinctive, student-oriented educational experience. While we are in the early stages of our strategic plan, I am excited for all that is to come. I am grateful for the boards support and encouragement as we push into the future.

My time:  Admission  Master Planning  Hiring  Campaign stewardship

Admission  A successful admission season enrolling 1158 students. This number will go down slightly as we move through the spring. We accepted 44% of the students that applied and yielded just over 70% of the acceptances.  Upper School New Student Registration Night April 14 th at 6 pm.  Lower School and Middle School Ice Cream Socials, April 28 th at 3:30 pm and 4:00 pm  Back-to-School webpage launched for new families on April 1 st.  New Parent training meetings starting the week of April 12 th.

Available

Re-Enrolled

New

Total

26 24 50 63 57 56 55

0 26 23 48 62 56 54 52

26 17 9 24 7 2 3 4

26 43 32 72 69 58 57 56

56 73 79 85

55 67 78 83

23 12 12 6

78 79 90 89

336

12th

86 107 107 101

80 103 102 99

21 4 0 0

101 107 102 99

409

Total

1025

988

170

1158

Prek3 PreK 4 JK KG 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10

th

11th

101

413

Development  Annual Fund is up by $50,000 from this time last year and participation is down by 3%.  Stars and Guitars netted over $520K.  Our Raise the Paddle effort supported a new sound system for the theater which was installed over spring break.  Kim Worrel and I are meeting with leadership donors from the last campaign to thank them for their support.  Ryan Harris and I are preparing to hold focus groups in May with potential leadership donors from different constituencies to determine interest in future projects currently being discussed by the Master Plan Committee as we finalize the master plan.

Marketing and Communications  Produced “Thank You Maintenance” video, incorporating thank you cards from lower school students, highlighting contributions of facilities team, and importance of FRA Fund in winter storm clean-up.

 Black History Month video on Instagram generated 14.5K views, 527 likes, and 177 shares, making it the second most viewed IG video of the past year.  Added Band, Choir, Robotics, Theater, Visual Arts to FRA branded apparel on online BSN store.  Produced Raise the Paddle video for Stars & Guitars to promote philanthropy for the new theater sound system.  For the first time, planned and executed Instagram takeovers for eight different Interim trips so that student-created content could be shared during Interim week, giving our audience an as-it-happens tour of the Interim experiences across the globe.  Produced and distributed branded email communication for Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month  Staff member became certified drone pilot, which will greatly enhance our capabilities of capturing aerial photography and videography  Blockbuster month for story generation. In March, we published and shared 11 news stories on: o Inaugural game of varsity boys lacrosse program o Senior Garrett Lee invited to USA Math Olympiad o Record-breaking year for FRA at Youth in Government conference o Upper school students spread across the globe during Interim week o Bob Chandler named Nashville Jazz Educator of the Year o Junior Elizabeth Weaver admitted to TN Governor’s School for the Arts o FRA to present Watership Down as spring play o Two FRA juniors accepted into Carnegie Mellon summer drama program o US robotics team advances to world championship o Women’s History Month speaker shares remarkable story as a child entrepreneur o FRA students tour Boston universities during Interim  Facebook post about Bob Chandler’s Nashville Jazz Educator of the Year award was the most engaged with Facebook post of the year: 337 likes, 84 comments, 10 shares. On Instagram, post also generated 497 likes, 44 comments and 20 shares.

Academic  FRA Signature Experience Update- FRA has hired Jenny Sabados as the Director of the FRA Signature Experience, a PK-12 program that culminates with all US students selecting a signature experience to tailor their leadership in areas like Athletics, the Arts, Service, Global, STEM, and others. The plan is to allow the Class of 2029 to opt into the program, with the Class of 2030 being the first class to fully graduate under this new framework. Jenny begins this summer and has a track record of leading innovative programming, making her the perfect leader of this new initiative.  Diversity, Community, & Inclusion Hiring Update- after conducting a national search, reviewing hundreds of applications, speaking with 8 semifinalists, and bringing 3 finalists to campus, FRA has successfully hired Dr. Tranae’ Robinson as the school’s next Director of DCI. Dr. Robinson was the unanimous choice of the search committee and brings a depth of experience in independent school leadership that will allow her to seamlessly continue the work that Interim Director Kendall Rogers has overseen this year. Dr. Robinson is currently the Director of Resident Life at Bolles School in Jacksonville, FL.  MS/US Schedule Matrix for 26-27- Work has begun in building the 26-27 student schedule for grades 5-12. With myFRA as our new system and greater use of AI in the decision-making process, we should be able to release information sooner than before, with greater accuracy and efficiency.

 Enhancing Academic Offerings for Talented Students- Across all three divisions, efforts are underway to provide extra opportunities for talented and motivated students to take on additional academic challenges. Examples include entering more academic competitions in LS, piloting a few honors courses in MS, and expanding our AP offerings in US with a record number of AP options next year (31, the most in Tennessee).  Successful Service Saturday- On March 28, over 200 students, parents, and teachers from across the campus gathered in the MS gym to pack over 50,000 diapers for the Nashville Diaper Connection. With meaningful roles available to students of all ages, this was a very successful service event that brought our campus together to make a difference in the larger Nashville community.  New Leadership of Turner Fellows- As part of the current strategic vision, which seeks to better align spiritual life and service life, Brandon Albright will be leading the Turner Fellows program beginning this summer. Already under his oversight, the number of student applicants has doubled compared to last year.  Perennial Math Competition- On April 11, FRA hosted a regional Perennial Math competition, a nationwide competitive math organization for grades 3-8. With teams from around the Southeast converging on FRA’s campus, students competed on both individual and team portions of the test, with plenty of fun in between. Despite fierce competition from over 250 students, FRA had one of the strongest showings when the awards were announced, with both individuals and teams placing in 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th grades. We have early plans on adding a second competition in November to unofficially function as an admissions touchpoint for talented students from across Nashville to be on FRA’s campus.  February 13th Professional Development: ○ Vertical alignment meetings - The entire teaching staff met in vertical alignment groups with lower school teachers joining the MS/US departments. Lower school teachers were directed to share their experience with the Great Minds curriculum that was adopted by the lower school this year. Department chairs were instructed to help their departments find ways to support the lower school curriculum. Many of the department chairs have already planned meetings with the lower school teachers, or to dive deeper into the curriculum. ○ 4th – 6th Grade meeting: The 4th, 5th, and 6th grade teams met to talk about the transition to middle school, the ways that we can smooth the transition, and how we can use data between the grade levels to inform instruction. ○ AP Teacher meeting: A meeting with the AP teachers to review expectations for the weeks during the AP exam.  Hiring: ○ University Partnerships: We attended the Belmont University Career Center spring hiring event, expanding our university partnerships in Nashville. ○ NEMNET: We have reconnected with NEMNET, an organization focused on connecting diverse candidates with schools. ○ Current Listings: Open positions are posted to our website as well as the TAIS, SAIS, NAIS, and Carney Sandoe sites. Interviews and campus visits are ongoing.

Several positions have been filled across campus with more closing soon.  Curriculum Review: ○ Math: Melissa Robbins, as the Director of Math is currently working with the math department to review instruction happening in math PreK-12. ○ English: Clifton Kaiser, Chair of the English Department, has selected a team to support the English department in a full curriculum review. They have gone to visit St. Mary’s and Briarcrest in Memphis to pull together plans for next year.

Upper School

 Interim Week was March 9th – 12th. The Upper School students participated in various entrepreneurial and experiential events, including both local and international/regional travel opportunities. o Travel Experiences included: Ireland: History and Emigration; Hearts 2 Honduras Soccer Mission Trip; Fly Fishing in Bristol, TN; Mission Trip to St. Mary’s in Jamaica; Journey through Budapest, Vienna, and Prague; NYC Arts Journey; Red Rocks Basecamp Tour in Sedona; San Juan, Puerto Rico; Scientific Exploration in the Outer Banks, North Carolina; Spain and Morocco Immersion; College Tours in the Boston Area; and Ability 360: Arizona (a Heart 2 Heart and Exceptional Learning Experience). o Local Experiences included: Board Game Strategy & Creation; Digital Media and Broadcasting; Introduction to Golf; Sports Business; Job Shadowing and Entrepreneurial Ventures; Driver’s Education, and Women’s Self-Defense.  The FRA RoboPanthers robotics team sent three of four teams to the VEX State Championships. Team 97934X (Ryleigh Rhoden, Max Thompson, Baxter Lee) won the Judges Awards. Team 97934U (John Hanna, Maddie White, Eva Tran, and Beckett Fleming) won the Build Award, which qualified them for the World Championships at the end of April.  Over Spring Break, our Mathletes had a historic moment when Garrett Lee was invited to the USA Math Olympiad (USAMO), the first FRA student to be invited to this level of competition. Through his performance on previous tests (AIME/AMC), he qualified for the regional at Emory University in Atlanta, but chose instead to take it in Toronto, Ontario, Canada (where he hopes to attend college).  This month, the college counseling team taught a five-day unit on personal narrative writing and college essay drafting in Junior English classes. They also continued with one-on-one junior family meetings and junior advisory programming.  This year, because March 21, World Down Syndrome Day, occurred over Spring Break, the upper school chose to celebrate with a “Wear Yellow Spirit Day” and a special devotion led by Exceptional Learners mentors highlighting our students in the Heart 2 Heart Program.  In the second year of Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) on campus, our FRA chapter found a great deal of success. Adviser Tom Gilroy won Chapter Adviser of the Year, and Oliver Jackson was elected State Treasurer. At the State Competition in Chattanooga, we had thirty-three (33) national qualifiers (top 4 in the state), an improvement over twelve (12) from last year. The following students qualified for the National Competition in Texas this summer: Cam Anderson, Genevieve Bays, Declan Brennan, Evan Brown, Sammy Boylan, Spiro Darsinos, Jack Davis, Amelia Dawkins, Jaime de Gracia, Miguel de Gracia, Gemma Estrada, Avery Finnegan, Olivia Graffeo, Woods Hammond, Jaxon Hannold, Oliver Jackson, Luke Jones, Brett Kern, Omar Khalaf, Lucas Kinnard, Castor Maynard, Xander Maynard, Weston Marwill, Waller McMillin, Jimmy Murphy, Taylor Olson, Gabe Rangel, Vivi Richardson, and Michael Walsh. These students were FBLA state champions: Alex Cook, Charlotte Cooper, Jaime de Gracia, Miguel de Gracia, Merritt Gibbs, and Johnny Isaacs.  The Student Art Show opened on April 9th in the Scarlett Family Chapel, displaying artwork of various mediums from students across all grades, including alumni Dane Carter (Class of 1990). The opening night of the art show also included musical performances. The AP Art Showcase included works from Frances Arrieta, Keira Bulluck, Jack Davis, Carter Floyd, Ottilie Gardner, Olivia Graffeo, Aden Martin, Alexa

  

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Marquez, Walker Mathias, Elliott Moloney, Kinsley Moulds, Ryleigh Rhoden, Claire Standley, and Paige Trokey.

Senior GLC Stephanie Feyes, with assistance from the senior student council members, planned the Senior Week (April 13-17), with dress-up days and an off-campus lunch for seniors, leading up to Junior/Senior Prom.

On Wednesday, April 15th, nineteen seniors were honored as members of the 12-Year Club at a breakfast with parents, hearing from Allison Kaufman, Jay Salato, and Sean Casey. The event was prepared by the Alumni Director, Rod Jones.

On Friday, April 17, junior GLC Andrew Stacy and Brandon Alright led the Junior Theme Verse Retreat off campus. Starting with a hearty Cracker Barrel breakfast, all junior advisors and advisories discussed legacy and worked through the process to choose a theme verse for the campus for the 2026-2027 school year, their first senior moment.

On Saturday, April 18, FRA juniors and seniors and their dates enjoyed another successful Prom at the Ruby.

Entrepreneurial Leadership  Nine Entrepreneurial Leadership I teams will participate in the Entrepreneurship Final Pitch Competition on April 27th from 5:30 pm -8:00 pm at the National African American Music Museum. The teams will compete for cash prizes and an opportunity to pitch for $20,000 at the Uncharted Learning Summit in Chicago on July 9 th. The following will serve as judges: o Rob Bellanfant Technology Advice o Aiyda Cobb Sughrue Mion o Ajay Gupta Physical Rehabilitation Network o Mignon Francois The Cupcake Collection o Danny Pippen Nashville Entrepreneur Center o Paul Urbanek Rockefeller Global Family Office  The seven founders of the Entrepreneurship Leadership II class will also be showcasing their businesses during the pitch competition. Throughout this year, these students have transformed their business ideas into legal entities and successfully generated income for their ventures.  Students from the Entrepreneurial Leadership III class had the opportunity to teach the Junior Achievement entrepreneurship curriculum to a second-grade class. They brought their own creativity and lesson plans to the material, making the experience engaging and memorable for the younger students. This project also gave the ELIII students a valuable opportunity to build their communication, leadership, and facilitation skills.  The Leadership and Finance class for 9th-grade students will be revised to place greater emphasis on both personal and business finance, including an introduction to the stock market. These updates are designed to build a solid financial foundation and better prepare students for the rigor and expectations of the Entrepreneurial Leadership classes they will take in subsequent years.  Eight students are working independently with our head of school to pilot “The Market” running a student-led business selling lunch options to juniors and seniors out of the new concession stand off of the Bradshaw Commons.

Athletics  Soccer o Traveled to Gatlinburg for the Battle of the Smokies Tournament, March, 27 th 28th. The Varsity team went 0-2 (one goal matches), JV finished 1-1. o Varsity Boys- 3-4-1

o Boys Junior Varsity- 1-2-2  Softball o Millie Pardue surpassed the 700-strikeout mark. o Varsity: 9-3 o Middle School: 4-7 o Middle School JV: 3-3  Track and Field o Caroline Pfeffer: 10’6” in Pole Vault. DII-A State leading mark. (By a lot) o Zuri Settles: 100m hurdles and 300m hurdles. DII-A State leading times for both.

The only freshman girl to place top 8 in 100m hurdles at Scott Hartman Invite. o Omarii Sanders: 6’6” high jump (School Record) o Keira Bulluck is currently ranked 2nd in DII A for the 100m and 200m. o Keilan Neal placed 3rd in shot at Scott Hartman throwing 51’ 5”.  Baseball o Hosted Night at the Ball Park for our MS & LS Students on 4/10. o Varsity: 5-14 o Junior Varsity: 5-2 o Middle School: 6-6 o Middle School JV: 1-3-3 o Grades 5/6: 10-2, Crieve Hall Baseball Division Champions (Back-to-Back)  Tennis o Varsity Girls: 8-1, Regular Season District Champions o Varsity Boys: 4-6 Individual & Team Tournament starts 4/13 o JV Girls: 1-2 o JV Boys: 2-1  Lacrosse o Varsity Girls: 2-4 o Middle School Girls: 3-3 o Varsity Boys: 5-3 o Middle School Varsity Boys: 0-5 o Middle School JV Boys: 0-5

The Arts  Theater sound system, speakers, and upgrades were installed over Spring Break.  The Annual Art Show opened on April 9th with strong attendance.  New kilns for lower school and middle school/upper school arrived on campus and will be installed in the coming weeks.  Interviews for the Choir Director have been ongoing. We have conducted a thorough search and vetted many candidates.  Rehearsals continue and programs are ordered for the US spring play, Watership Down, which opens on April 23rd.  On April 15th, AP Drawing students visited the Frist Art Museum to see the current exhibit The Impressionist Revolution: Monet to Matisse from the Dallas Museum of Art.  Thanks to a velocity grant, the US 3-D AP students will visit the Glasshaus Nashville on April 21st for a 5-hour experience in glass blowing hosted by FRA alumnus and founder Wyatt Maxwell.  Frankie Awards ceremony will be on Tuesday, April 28 th.

Middle School  Interim Trips to: JA Biztown (grade 5), Space Camp (grade 6), Chattanooga (grade 7), and Washington, DC (grade 8). Many compliments were given to all grades on how well they represented FRA.  The Middle School Musical: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was performed at the end of February. Each performance was a packed house.  This year, we added a 4:00 pm showing of the MS Musical. Between the school day and the show, we hosted clubs and a “Wonka Watch party” with pizza and games for students who needed to stay. It was well attended and all students had a great time.

The 4:00pm Musical show was high energy and well received due to all the students in our section.  Annie and Kathryn Axford were Head of Middle School for the Day and decreed a Pajama Day for the middle school.  Our final round of ERB Testing was completed. Students have shown extraordinary growth, specifically in both reading comprehension and mathematical reasoning.  MS/LS final Panther Pals of the year was a ton of fun with outdoor games like duck, duck, goose, and paper, rock, scissors war. Because it was also close to Easter, we took on the challenge of egg races as well. It was a great way to finish our time together.  The K-12 and Alumni Art Show was very well attended by Middle School students and families.  Perennial Math Competition awards: 6th Grade award winners: Henry Miller, Ansley Andrady, Hallum Seaton and Tommy Lee. 5 th grade award winners: Cole Scarborough, Lincoln Sobey, Grady Alvis, and Corbin Ellis  Author, Thanhha Lai, visited FRA on 4/13. Students in 5 th, 6th and 7th grades read her book Inside Out and Back Again. It was a beautiful celebration of literature, Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month. The students also were able to present their work to her, have her sign their books and hear a special message from the Phan family, who’s son Rich is a classmate in our Middle School. All made possible by a Velocity Grant.

Lower School

 The Daddy Daughter Dance was held on March 28th and with a tremendous turnout.

Over 91% of all lower school girls attended the dance and had a great time dancing the night away as the sun set in the Western-themed “Home on the FRAnge” lower school dining hall and gym.  Lower school students participated in the final Panther Pals events with middle and upper school students in late March. On both days the students were able to enjoy fun games and activities outside as we continue to strengthen the bonds between our divisions.  On Thursday, March 26, The Pre-K FRA Café welcomed Pre-K3 parents for the annual event whereby the students experienced entrepreneurship as operators of a restaurant.

Students from Dr. Stacey Banks-Houston’s classes assisted the Pre-K students.

 On April 6, Lower School students concluded their cultural educational assemblies with a presentation from upper school students Ava Gleaves, Eva Tran, and Elizabeth Weaver, as well as Aabesh De (husband of Anna De), as a celebration of Asian American Pacific Islander month.  All Pre-K and Kindergarten students will participate in the fourth annual “Fun Run” for Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt University on April 22 nd. Over the past three years more than $50,000 has been raised for the Children’s Hospital and our students learn about pediatric oncology patients from FRA-parent Vanderbilt doctors.

Diversity, Community, & Inclusion  We have completed our Celebration of Black History Month and Women’s History Month, and began the celebration of Asian American Pacific Islander Month. In collaboration with Dr. Stacey Banks-Houston and Entrepreneurial Leadership our guest speaker for Women’s History Month was Mikaila Ulmer, CEO of Me and the Bee’s Lemonade. She spoke to her experience creating the business at the age of 4, pitching on Shark Tank at 10, and using her gifts and talents to form connections and embrace her purpose. Each middle and upper school student was able to try her lemonade. Members of MS / US Culture Council gave devotions to their peers focused on the importance of celebrating Women’s History Month. US Culture Council students participated in the LS AAPI assembly at the start of April, and will give devotions to US / MS in May.  Dr. Stacey Banks-Houston, Keith Gray, and I took of group of 30 upper school students to Meharry Medical College in March. This was an opportunity to expose the group to medical career pathways and to learn about Meharry, one of four HBCU medical colleges in the United States. Students had the opportunity to speak with Meharry President, Dr. James Hildreth, and FRA alumna Christina Sterns (class of 2020), who is a first-year medical student at Meharry.  Division Heads have been invited to a Faculty of Color Retention Training hosted by NEMNET that is offered in April and May. This is a continuation of efforts to partner with NEMNET and identify new pathways to attract and retain diverse faculty.  The Peer Mentorship Program has continued through March and April. Students have discussed new topics focused on positive mindsets and healthy relationships. There will be two more sessions before the end of the year, one focused on faith and the other a celebration of the conclusion of the program for the year.  The Culture Council is finalizing proposals for their committees (Education, Encouragement, Empowerment) to present to Mr. Jay Salato and Mr. Casey. The Education Committee has conducted an academic support survey to assess how students are navigating academic rigor and finding balance between school work and co-curricular activities.  I have organized materials to ensure a smooth transition to the next director of Diversity, Community, and Inclusion. This includes a schedule of the heritage celebration programming for next school year, Culture Council documents, a DCI strategic plan, and guidance on the Community Well-being and Respect Form.  In accordance with the strategic plan, I have completed an analysis of a subset of admissions and academic data to identify trends in student experiences and inform future efforts through the office of Diversity, Community, and Inclusion. This report is for Mr. Casey and Dr. Eric Johnson.

Spiritual Life  Brandon Albright, Kaylee Shackleford, and David Gallagher led a mission trip to Jamaica over interim on March 7-14. They, alongside 22 upper school students, served with American Caribbean Experience and it was a life-changing trip.

 Will McCauley, Kaylee Shackleford, Matt Perez, and Blake Clifton will be leading a middle school mission trip to St. Simons Island, GA from May 24-30. We will be taking 10 rising 7th-9th grade students to serve with Lighthouse Family Retreat, a ministry that puts on free vacations for families that have kids battling childhood cancer.  Brandon Albright, Ashlyn Bufton, and Allie Woods will be leading a middle school mission trip to St. Simons Island, GA from May 31-June 6. We will be taking 12 rising 7th-9th grade students to serve with Lighthouse Family Retreat, a ministry that puts on free vacations for families that have kids battling childhood cancer.  The Junior Class has their Theme Verse Retreat on Friday, April 17 at Edwin Warner Park to choose their theme verse for the upcoming school year. We will walk them through a verse selection process by discussing legacy and their hope as a class before deciding on a verse that would give them encouragement and challenge them to live into for their last year. As part of the senior back-to-school retreat, they will plan tangible ways to live this verse out throughout the year.  Student bible studies are concluding their spring studies in a couple weeks on Thursday, April 30. These groups will have met on Thursday mornings for eight weeks. o The 5th girls bible study is led by Ashlyn Bufton and averages about 6-8 students. o The 6th girls bible study is led by students Caroline Pfeffer, Maggie Murphy, Austin Roy, and Anastasia Rodewald and averages about 10-12 students. o The 7th girls bible study is led by Megan Weddle and averages about 6-8 students. o The 8th girls bible study is led by students Annabelle Bradford and Kherington Cost and averages about 8-10 students. o The 5th/6th boys bible study is led by Matt Perez and senior Max Riggs and averages about 15-20 students. o The 7th/8th boys bible study is led by Brandon Albright, Phillip Griswold, Matt Fortier, and senior Bobby Rhodes and averages about 10-15 students. o The US boys bible study is led by local student pastor Grant Argent and averages about 10-15 students. o The 9th grade bible study is led by freshman Noland Mankin and averages about 8-10 students. th  The 8 Grade Commissioning Chapel will be held on Wednesday, May 6. This is a special chapel where we commission the 8th graders to head into the upper school. 8th grade advisors will speak to their advisory, sharing a Bible verse and message, and then students receive their 8th Grade crosses.  The Senior Chapel will be held on Wednesday, April 29. 12 th grade parents and seniors enjoy breakfast together before joining the US in the chapel. During this special chapel, senior advisors share words of encouragement, wisdom, and reflection to the class and their advisory. They address each of their advisee individually, sharing three characteristics they see in them. At the conclusion of chapel, seniors join their advisors on stage and receive their “Senior Rocks” with their name and adjectives written on them before closing in a prayer over the seniors.