Championing Inclusion: Marlborough Welcomes the 2025-2026 School Year

With cheers of “Welcome!” ringing through the air, pom poms waving, and genuine smiles everywhere, Marlborough’s community officially kicked off the 2025-2026 school year. Leading the charge was the Class of 2026 who embraced their role as the welcoming committee, greeting everyone at the front gate with infectious enthusiasm and school spirit. 

The Class of 2026 began their final first day of Marlborough even earlier than the rest of the community, gathering at 7:00 a.m. for the beloved tradition of Senior Sunrise. This special time allowed them to come together as a class, receive their Senior sweatshirts—prominently featuring a line from their class song: “Vienna waits for you,” and prepare for their morning duties as greeters. The morning also marked the highly anticipated unveiling of their Senior Lounge, lovingly transformed by their parents and guardians into a space where they can decompress, hang out, and create lasting memories throughout their final year. 

The buzz of energy reached its peak as the entire community assembled in Caswell Hall for the opening All-School Meeting (ASM). After a creative, entertaining video by All-School Council highlighting the importance of Marlborough’s core values, All-School President Rainey R. ’26 delivered remarks to her peers. She perfectly captured the spirit of embracing the present moment, drawing from her own summer experiences of returning to passions she held in Middle School. This return sparked a deeper reflection: Rainey encouraged the community to remember a vital truth, “You don’t have to earn your joy.”

Her message continued as she urged students to participate fully in school life, from optional dodgeball tournaments to a plug for the Chess Club, emphasizing the importance of staying present rather than constantly working toward future rewards. “We really do need to keep ourselves present,” she reflected, challenging the community to find balance between academic achievement and genuine enjoyment.

Head of School Jennifer Ciccarelli followed with remarks that established this year’s guiding theme: championing inclusion. Moving beyond inclusion as merely a concept to discuss, Ms. Ciccarelli called for “an active, courageous act” that requires stepping out of comfort zones and advocating for others. She painted a picture of what this looks like in practice—inviting new students to join study groups, interrupting jokes that exclude others, and standing up for classmates being treated unkindly.

Quoting the words of writer and civil rights activist James Baldwin, Ms. Ciccarelli reminded the community that “we are responsible for the world in which we find ourselves, if only because we are the only sentient force that can change it.” This perspective frames Marlborough students not as passive participants but as active creators of their community culture.

Ms. Ciccarelli challenged everyone to “commit to being the ones who champion inclusion, who speak up for what is right both inside and outside of these ever graceful halls of learning,” envisioning a school environment where every person feels “seen, valued, and empowered to be their authentic self.”

As Marlborough embarks on the 2025-2026 year, the community will be guided by the convergence of Rainey’s call to find joy in the present moment and Ms. Ciccarelli’s charge to actively champion inclusion. With this powerful foundation for the year, students and staculty alike are empowered to savor their daily experiences and courageously work toward building a more welcoming community, all against the backdrop of another intellectually fulfilling and inspiring year at Marlborough.