Every Piece Matters: Finding Belonging at Rectory

Welcome Chapel | September 2026

What does it mean to belong? Where do we find that feeling, and how can we help others experience it?

These questions brought Rectory School students and faculty together for the first Chapel of the 2026–2027 academic year. Held at Christ Church, Welcome Chapel introduced new students to a longstanding Rectory tradition while continuing a conversation that began during the opening days of school: the importance of belonging.

Through reflection, music, student voices, and personal stories, the Chapel offered a reminder that belonging is not always immediate, nor does it look the same for everyone. Sometimes it is discovered through a team, a dormitory, a classroom, or a friendship. Other times, it begins with something as simple as someone noticing you and making room.

A Tradition Rooted in Reflection

Rectory’s Chapel tradition dates to the School’s founding in 1920 by Father Frank H. Bigelow, an Episcopal priest and educator. Although Rectory was never founded as a religious school, its historical connection to Christ Church remains an important part of the School’s story. Over time, Chapel has evolved alongside Rectory’s increasingly diverse and international community.

Today, monthly Chapel gatherings offer students an opportunity to step away from the busyness of school life and embrace a moment of quiet reflection. Through music, personal stories, and teachings from different religious and cultural traditions, students explore shared values such as kindness, honesty, gratitude, respect, and compassion.

Welcome Chapel began with an invitation to be fully present. As the church bell rang, students were encouraged to listen as each sound gradually faded, take in the beauty of the surrounding space, and set aside thoughts of classes, assignments, and athletic tryouts.

The gathering also included the lighting of a peace candle, accompanied by a student musical performance. Students were invited to reflect, meditate, or pray for peace in their own way, whether thinking of someone close to home or those experiencing hardship around the world.

Together, these moments reflected the heart of Rectory’s Chapel tradition: creating space to pause, reflect, and deepen our understanding of ourselves, one another, and the wider world.

Finding Your Place in the Puzzle

At the center of this year’s Welcome Chapel was a simple but meaningful symbol: a puzzle piece.

Each student received a piece of a larger puzzle, with no two pieces exactly alike. Some were filled with color, others were nearly identical, and some appeared particularly difficult to place.

The message was clear: every piece matters.

A puzzle may begin to take shape without all its pieces, but it cannot be complete until each one finds its place. The same is true of a school community. Every student brings something different through their experiences, backgrounds, interests, personalities, and perspectives.

Students were encouraged to consider where they feel a sense of belonging at Rectory. For some, it might be the hockey rink or athletic field. For others, the Art Barn, the Learning Center, the practice rooms, or a familiar dormitory might be where they feel most comfortable and connected.

And for those who have not yet discovered that space, the puzzle served as a reminder that finding where you fit can take time.

Belonging, in Their Own Words

Some of the most meaningful moments of Welcome Chapel came from students who shared personal experiences of finding their place at Rectory. Their stories reflected the many ways belonging develops, often through unexpected connections.

Will A. ’27 remembered the nervousness of entering the day room on his first day, surrounded by students who already seemed to know one another. A simple conversation with a classmate about their schedules became the beginning of an important friendship. Having experienced how meaningful that invitation was, he shared that inclusivity has become one of the values he strives to extend to others. Norah L. ‘27 talked about the challenges of joining a community far from home, adjusting to unfamiliar routines, navigating language and cultural differences, and learning that asking for help is an important part of finding connection. For Bitna K. '27, a ninth grader in her second year at Rectory, belonging emerged through a combination of experiences, including the support of faculty during Thanksgiving break and the encouragement of teammates when she returned to swimming. Reflecting on the unexpected places she found friendship and confidence; Bitna encouraged her peers to embrace new opportunities. “Try everything because belongingness will come to you unexpectedly,” she shared.

Her message carried an equally important responsibility for students who already feel connected: invite others into the communities and experiences that have become meaningful to you.

Across the student reflections, one theme emerged repeatedly. Belonging does not necessarily begin with a large group of friends or an immediate sense of comfort. Sometimes, it begins with one person who makes you feel welcome, supported, and safe.

The Power of a Small Invitation

Mr. Woodard, a Middle School faculty member, brought the message of belonging to life through a personal reflection on an experience from nearly 20 years ago.

As a young student arriving in Argentina, he found himself thousands of miles from home, speaking little Spanish and facing unexpected challenges with his travel arrangements. After navigating an unfamiliar city and finding a place to stay, he eventually sat down for dinner alone at a restaurant.

Two strangers noticed him sitting by himself and invited him to join them. It was International Friends Day, they explained, and they could not imagine letting him spend the evening alone.

That simple invitation left a lasting impression.

“Just like that, five thousand miles from home, I felt like I belonged.”

Mr. Woodard went on to build a life in Argentina, forming friendships and remaining there for nearly a decade. Yet, all these years later, he still remembers the two strangers who noticed someone sitting alone and chose to welcome him.

Drawing a parallel between his experience and that of students arriving at Rectory, particularly those far from everything familiar, Mr. Woodard encouraged students to recognize the impact they can have on one another.

Belonging, he reminded them, is not always created through grand gestures. More often, it grows through small, everyday acts of kindness: greeting someone in the hallway, inviting a classmate to sit at your table, including someone in a game, helping a new dormmate learn the routine, or simply taking the time to acknowledge another person.

For returning students especially, his reflection offered an opportunity to take an active role in helping new members of the Rectory community find their place.

“Be the person who notices,” Mr. Woodard encouraged. “You never know when a small invitation might be the thing that someone remembers twenty years later.”

Creating a Community Where Everyone Belongs

As students begin another year at Rectory, Welcome Chapel served as both a welcome and a challenge.

Belonging is something we discover, but it is also something we create for one another. It grows through shared experiences, mutual respect, and the willingness to reach beyond familiar friendships to include someone new.

The Chapel’s message extended beyond the walls of Christ Church and into the everyday moments that shape life at Rectory: a classroom conversation, an invitation at lunch, an encouraging word after practice, or a helping hand in the dormitory.

Every student has a place in the larger picture, and each has the opportunity to help someone else find theirs.

Every piece matters. Every person belongs. And together, we make Rectory complete.