The 110th Commencement, with persistent rain unable to quell enthusiasm, was held under a tent in Grubbs Quadrangle on Sunday, May 24. Fitting, in a way, since Loomis Chaffee has always provided a big tent for students of all backgrounds since its earliest days. 

This year 198 graduates, family, friends, faculty, staff, and members of the Board of Trustees gathered to celebrate each student’s transition, as Head of School Jody Reilly Soja said, “from Loomis Chaffee student to a Loomis Chaffee alum, officially adding one more chapter to our school’s history.”  

Duncan A.L. MacLean ’90 welcomed the crowd and thanked the physical plant crew for all its preparation work. Commencement Speaker Jan Singer, mother of graduating seniors Max and Sophie, and Class Speaker Max Shactman each talked about kindness as part of their messages to the Class of 2026. Cienna Dumaoal, the director of spiritual life, offered the benediction.  

Each year the class offers a token of appreciation to the head of school during the Commencement ceremonies. This year the Class of 2026 deposited Bananagrams tiles — representing the 26 letters of the alphabet — in a Pelican-piggy bank made in the Pearse Hub for Innovation (PHI). “This gift is numerically significant,” Jody told the class, “but the gift of a game captures your playful spirit … with a healthy dose of competition.” 

Jan, an accomplished corporate executive and advisor for major global brands whose brother Ed Sharkansky ’86 was in the crowd, talked about the importance of getting the easy things right. She shared five:  

Take risk and recover quickly.  Take a chance, she said, and if something doesn’t go as planned, get back on your feet. Jan had to do just that to launch her career. 

Be on time and be present. “Being on time means being ready to engage at the time you have committed,” she said, “which means getting there early enough to get focused, to get ready. If you arrive on time, you’re late. The unintended message sent is ‘This isn’t important to me.’” She also said that lateness is a choice and being early is a statement. Jan shared the story of professional golfer Garrick Higgo, who was penalized two strokes for being a minute late for his tee time to start the PGA Championship earlier this month. Now he’s known for being late, she said.  

Be smart. “You are all bright. The school has made sure of that. But bright and smart are not the same thing. Bright is what you know. Smart is what you do with it.”  

Be accountable. “Things go wrong. Texts and AI messages miss the mark. Accidents happen. Own it. Apologize. Overcorrect.” Jan said she has made mistakes along the way, but the ones she recovered from the fastest were the ones she owned and fixed. “That’s how you build a reputation.” 

Be kind. Being kind today can be hard, she said, since we live in a social media world where being unkind is just a click away.  

Jan also warned that the brain sometimes protects the heart in times of change, convincing you that the place you are leaving isn’t as wonderful or meaningful as you thought. It can be hard saying goodbye, she said, but lead with your heart. 

In addition to offering wisdom to the entire class, Jan also had the privilege of handing her children their diplomas and giving them congratulatory hugs. 

Class speaker Max Shactman, son of Director of Wellbeing Jess Matzkin, spoke about how he and his classmates grew over time. 

He told the crowd that a simple act on one day “changed everything for me.” After a meal, he went to the dish drop in the dining hall, as usual, to bus his dirty dishes, but on this day he also thanked two of the people working at the dish drop. “And it felt good. Then I started to do it every day. Then, for every meal.”  Why? Because he started to build a relationship with the two workers and found meaning in the brief moment with them.   

“Every day, without fail, their faces would light up,” Max said. “They would walk over and ask, ‘How are you, Max?’ with open arms and a large smile. Those moments lasted a matter of seconds … but meant everything to me. I realize it may not be unique. I know others do it, too. But it was new for me. And it was transformative.” 

Those brief exchanges brought joy to Max and joy to the workers, who Max said showed up every day with warmth and care. 

“And to be honest,” he said, “I’ve found that it is true across campus — teachers, nurses, grounds crew, housekeeping, maintenance, campus safety — people who build pathways, literally and figuratively, for us to succeed. To all of them: Maybe we didn’t notice all these small things at first, but we see them now. On behalf of our class: Thank You.”  

Part of being human, Max said, is being imperfect. But another part can be growing, learning, adapting.  

“Small things matter,” he said. “Kindness matters. Human connection matters.”   

To that end, Jody told the class to stay connected to this school. “We send you off with sadness, yes, but also with pride and joy,” she said in her closing remarks. Come back for receptions, reunions, or at any time, she said. The Island awaits. 

Commencement and Class Night Prizes  

The Loomis Family Prize:  Christopher Zeng, Cathy Zhang   

Established in 1921, the Loomis Family Prize for scholarship honors the Founders and their successors in the Loomis family who have contributed time, energy, and fortune to nurture the growth of The Loomis Institute. It is awarded to the top scholar of the graduating class.    

The Ammidon Prize: Abdoulaye Sow 

Established in 1964 by former Chairman of the Board of Trustees Hoyt Ammidon of the Class of 1928, the Ammidon Prize is awarded annually to a student of the graduating class who, in the judgment of the faculty, has made an outstanding commitment to the common good through concern for others, both on and off the Island.   

The Florence E. Sellers Prize:  Norah Pond 

Established in 1955, the Florence E. Sellers Prize is awarded in loving memory of Florence Sellers, director of The Chaffee School from 1936 to 1954. The prize recognizes a student of the graduating class whom the faculty has judged to have the characteristics of Mrs. Sellers: a quest for excellence, self-discipline, and a concern for others.   

The Jennie Loomis Prize:  Sonia Barinskaya 

Established in 1929, the Jennie Loomis Prize, a medallion designed by sculptor Evelyn Longman Batchelder, honors Miss Jennie Loomis and her mother, Mrs. Jennie Cooke Loomis. Through this prize, the faculty recognizes a student in the graduating class for outstanding contributions to the school community.   

The Nathaniel Horton Batchelder Memorial Prize:  Cookie Danchaivijitr   

Established in 1916, this prize honors Gwendolen Sedgwick Batchelder and her husband, Nathaniel Horton Batchelder, who served as the school’s first headmaster from 1912 to 1949. Evelyn Longman Batchelder designed the medallion through which the faculty recognize a student within the graduating class for industry, loyalty, and integrity.   

Charles Edgar Sellers Faculty Prizes: Shane Lischin, Aster Conway-Reppert, Charlotte Preuss  

The Charles Edgar Sellers Prize is given by the faculty in loving memory of Charles Edgar Sellers, beloved teacher and coach, in recognition of personal achievement and service to the Loomis Chaffee community.