Leaving a Legacy

4/1/2025

April Chapel Theme Explored

"The greatest purpose of life is to live it for something that will last longer than you."

- William James

The April 2025 school-wide theme is legacy. Community members came together on Tuesday, April 1, to celebrate and learn about legacies and how we all want to live in the world.

Chaplain Barksdale

Legacy is more than what we leave behind—it is the impact we make in the lives of others, the values we uphold, and the love we share. Each of us is shaped by those who came before us, and in turn, we have the opportunity to shape the future through our words, actions, deeds, and faith.

As we focus on the theme of legacy this month, let us consider: What kind of legacy are we building? Where are we being called to serve? How do our lives imprint hope, kindness, goodness, and love?

May our time together this morning inspire us to walk in the footsteps of those who have gone before us while also forging new paths for those who will follow.

Gathering Words

Sophia H. '25

"When we no longer know what to do, we have come to our real work, and when we no longer know which way to go, we have begun our real journey." -Wendell Berry

Processional Hymn

Pass It On

It only takes a spark to get a fire going

And soon, all those around can warm up in its glowing

That's how it is with God's love

Once you've experienced it

You spread this love to everyone

You want to pass it on!

Sacred Words: Matthew 13:1-10, Parable of the Sower

Ana C. '26

That same day, Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. Then, he told them many things in parables, saying: "A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. If you have ears, hear!"

Three Perspectives Shared Reflection Connecting Experiences Meaningful Quotes

Mr. Kieran Conrad: "Tell me, what is it you plan to do, With your one wild and precious life?" -Mary Oliver

Mallory S. '27: "Your legacy is every life you have touched." - Oprah Winfrey

Kate D. '25: "Nothing worth doing is ever accomplished in a single lifetime." - Reinhold Niebuhr

Community Prayer from The Gift of Years by Joan Chittister

Allie M. '27

Joan Chittister is an American Benedictine nun, theologian, author, and speaker. She has served as Benedictine prioress and Benedictine federation president, president of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, and co-chair of the Global Peace Initiative of Women. Our responsive community prayer is a reading from her book, "The Gift of Years." In modern society, to leave a legacy ordinarily means to specify the distribution of property to heirs according to the terms described in a legal document. It's a relatively rare event for most people to be mentioned in a will. What we are inclined to forget is that each of us leaves a legacy, whether we mean to or whether we want to or not. Our legacies are the quality of the lives we leave behind.

Ms. Lauren Lamothe ’18

What are we leaving behind? That is the question that marks the timbre of a lifetime. We leave behind our attitude toward the world. We are remembered for whether or not we inspired in others a love for life and an openness to all of those who lived it with us. We will be remembered for our smiles and our frowns, for our laughter and for our complaints, for our kindness and for our selfishness.

Isabella C.P .'25

We leave behind for all the world to see the value system that marks everything we do. People who never asked us directly what we valued in life never doubt for a moment what it was. They know if we cared for the Earth because they watched us as we seeded our flowerbeds—or left the debris from the garage spill over into what could have been a garden.

Sadirah J. '25

They know what we thought of people of other colors or creeds by the language we used and the lives we connected with. They know the depth of our spiritual life by the way we treated those around us and what we thought of life, and what we gave our lives to doing.

Mr. Zach Smith

We leave behind the memory of the way we treated strangers, how we loved the individuals closest to us, how we cared for those who loved us, how we spoke to them in hard times, how we gave ourselves away to satisfy their needs.

Aliah R. '25

Our legacy is far more than our fiscal worth. Our legacy does not end the day we die. We have added to it every moment of our lives. Amen.

What is a legacy?
Tula D. '27
When I think about the word "legacy," I think about my sister. She came to Chatham before me, and in many ways, she paved the way for my journey here. Hearing about her experiences, how she grew to be the person she is and the connections she built here made me realize that this was more than just a school; it was a place that could shape me, too.

Her time here created a path that I naturally found myself following. It wasn't just about academics or opportunities; it was about the sense of belonging she found, her impact, and how Chatham became a part of her story. That legacy was something I wanted to be a part of. Now that I'm here, I see how much of her experience has influenced mine, but I also recognize the ways I am making my own mark. While I followed in her footsteps, I am also creating my own path - one that I hope will inspire someone else, just as she inspired me.

At the end of Chapel, community members made their way to several outdoor plaques commemorating significant people, events, or places in honor of their history and contributions facilitated by Mrs. Kimber Keating, Mrs. Michelle Andrade, Ms. Shannon Reynolds, Ms. Claire Crivaro and Dr. McHugh. At each station, facilitators asked a series of questions to begin discussing the kind of legacy they hope to leave.