Thank you, Vince (White, co-head of school). I am so lucky to have worked with you this year and will truly treasure our friendship forever.
Good morning, faculty, family, friends, and the Class of 2026. My name is Chloe Fox.
I think for most of high school, I believed that growing up meant eventually feeling like you knew what you were doing. I imagined that by senior year, we would have everything figured out. That one day, I would wake up confident, experienced, and completely prepared for life. And now that we are finally here, I think we can all admit that that is not true at all. Because if high school taught us anything, it is that life never stops giving us first times.
During the past four years, we’ve all experienced so many things for the first time. The first time you had to introduce yourself in a room where you knew nobody. The first time getting lost in the Acky. The first time failing a test you studied so hard for, and the first time realizing you could bounce back from failure. The first time staying up way too late convincing yourself you could somehow finish by morning.
And beyond academics, there were bigger firsts too. The first steps you took towards living on your own. The first time you sailed on a boat like the Tabor Boy. The first moment you realized that someone believed in you before you believed in yourself. And the first of many friendships at Tabor that brought so much joy.
On the first day of my freshman year here at Tabor, my good friend Mavis was wearing a romper that was a bit too long. She tripped on the fabric and face-planted, but jumped right back up after her fall and filled the awkward what-just-happened silence with laughter. This was the first laugh we shared together in the first moment of our friendship.
Looking back, that moment feels like a great representation of high school itself. Every year here, we became beginners again. Just when we finally thought we understood something—whether it was academics, friendships, or ourselves—life handed us something completely new. That’s what makes high school so strange, but also so valuable. Tabor taught us that unfamiliarity leads to growth.
This incredible environment nurtured our curiosity and encouraged us to learn through every experience. There were always new perspectives to consider, new people to learn from, and new experiences waiting to change the way we think. There were new first days, uncomfortable moments that built resilience, and new challenges that pushed us further than we had expected.
We came to the school as new students stepping into unfamiliar territory, and over time, without noticing, we became the people sitting here today. People shaped by what we have learned and excited for what comes next.
Even after we graduate, there will be more firsts. Maybe next year you pick up a hacky sack for the first time. Maybe you travel the world. And maybe you create Tender Tuesdays wherever you land next, because some traditions are just too good to leave behind.
Whatever it is, I urge you to embrace being a beginner. Some of us might feel afraid of what our futures hold—new people, new routines, new expectations. But if the past four years have proven anything, it is that we know how to begin. As we leave Tabor and step into the unfamiliar, please keep in mind that some of the best parts of our lives started as firsts.
It has been my true honor to serve as the co-head of school for the 2025-2026 school year. Thank you to all of the family, faculty, and friends that supported us in our journey here at Tabor. A special thank you to my parents and my twin brother, Andrew, for being by my side from the beginning—truly the best first of all. And shout out Big Mike.
Congratulations to the Class of 2026. It has truly been the most memorable four years. Thank you.
Tabor Academy Co-Head of School Senior Address
By Chloe Fox ’26