Kingswood Oxford held commencement ceremonies for the Class of 2026 at the West Hartford campus on May 22, 2026.

Submitted by Jackie Pisani, Kingswood Oxford

Beneath a picture-perfect sky on the Senior Green on May 22, the Kingswood Oxford Class of 2026 crossed the stage and into the next chapter of their lives during a commencement ceremony, KO’s 114th, that was at once celebratory, reflective, funny, heartfelt, and unmistakably KO.

There were 99 graduates seated beneath the shady trees, surrounded by family, friends, faculty, and classmates. More than 20% of the class will continue their athletic careers at the collegiate level, a testament not only to their talent but also to the discipline and perseverance that defined this group throughout their time at KO. Teague Shamelffer earned the Dux Prize, awarded to the student with the highest cumulative academic standing in the class. No wonder, in his class superlatives, he was considered the “Most Locked In.”

The ceremony also carried an added emotional weight this year, as two beloved faculty members, Upper School science teacher Fritz Goodman and Upper School history teacher Rob Kyff, marked their retirements alongside the graduating seniors. Both men delivered remarks that reflected decades of wisdom, humor, care, and deep affection for students.

Dominic Brunalli introduced Goodman as the keynote speaker. He quoted one of Goodman’s oft-cited aphorisms, “Excellence is a choice.” Brunalli said, “Yes, it is brief, yes, it is simple, yet it conveys so much of Mr. Goodman’s character. He is an excellent human being, and his choices reflect that. No matter what the task is that is put in front of him, he will always put in his best effort, and this is reflected in the people around him. Every single team I’ve joined and every class I have had with him may not have started out with the most enthusiasm, but by the end of any given year, we had passion and discipline instilled in us. So I speak for everyone when I say thank you, Mr. Goodman. By asking us to give our very best, he allowed us to become the best version of ourselves.”

Goodman opened with a story that immediately drew laughter from the crowd. Recalling his own commencement speech at KO years ago, Goodman shared how a former student once admitted she could not remember who her graduation speaker had been while unknowingly standing just feet away from him. It was, he joked, “a good lesson in humility.”

But beneath the humor lay a deeply thoughtful message about truth, integrity, and the challenges of navigating a world increasingly shaped by misinformation and artificial intelligence. Goodman warned students that they are entering what many analysts call a “Post Truth Era,” a time in which misinformation spreads rapidly and discerning fact from fiction requires diligence and critical thinking. Drawing on his background in science, Goodman stressed the importance of evidence, intellectual honesty, and resisting shortcuts. “Anything worth doing is probably going to require hard work,” he said. “Resist short-cuts.”

At several points, Goodman acknowledged the uncertainty facing young people today, noting that the challenges this generation faces are often more complex and severe than those of previous eras. Yet rather than leave students discouraged, he urged them to remain hopeful, curious, and grounded in truth. “Excellence is a choice,” he reminded them, encouraging graduates to approach each day as “a fresh start.”

Goodman also reflected on the bonds students build during their years at KO, reminding graduates that they are now part of a legacy stretching back more than a century. “You are part of something special,” he said. “And it doesn’t end here.” His speech concluded on a poetic note with lines from John Keats’ “Ode on a Grecian Urn,” including the famous words: “Beauty is truth, truth beauty.”

Head of School Tom Dillow, as he says every year in his Charge to the Class, called the Senior Green “the most beautiful graduation setting in Connecticut, but quite possibly in the entire Western Hemisphere.” Looking out over the Green, framed by historic buildings, old trees, and the dappled sunlight, who are we to argue?

Inspired by Bruce Springsteen’s iconic song “Thunder Road,” Dillow framed his remarks around the idea of stepping fully into life rather than remaining safely on the sidelines. Recounting a moment when he found himself singing Springsteen loudly in the car while his son looked on in embarrassment, Dillow used the story to pivot into a larger message about adulthood, uncertainty, and courage.

“Get in the car,” he said. “Leave the porch. Risk something. Put down the phone. Step fully into your life.”

Dillow warned against what he described as the growing temptation to become spectators in one’s own life, endlessly scrolling, curating identities online, and avoiding discomfort or vulnerability. Instead, he encouraged students to pursue meaningful relationships, take risks, and embrace uncertainty. “A meaningful life almost always requires risk,” he said, pointing to the courage required to introduce yourself, fail publicly, disagree respectfully, fall in love, or simply be fully present with another person.

As students prepare to scatter across the country to colleges, universities, gap year experiences, and new adventures, Dillow urged them not to wait for certainty before beginning their lives. “You do not need to have your entire life figured out right now,” he said. “You just need enough courage to begin.”

He closed with one final callback to Springsteen and a challenge that seemed to capture the spirit of both commencement and KO itself: “Roll down the window. Let the wind blow back your hair. The door is open. Get in the car. And go live a great story.”

Brief, elegant, and deeply heartfelt, Kyff’s farewell remarks carried the emotional weight of nearly five decades spent shaping generations of KO students. Addressing the seniors as fellow graduates, Kyff joked that it had taken him 49 years to complete his own KO journey, “seven times longer than those of you who started here as sixth graders.”

He reflected on the values that define the school community – “integrity, perseverance, curiosity, rigor, a passion for learning, and, most of all, kindness and caring for others,” he said, would always remain “a sacred place of learning, laughter, life and love.”

The ceremony concluded with one of Kingswood Oxford’s most beloved traditions: the faculty receiving line. One by one, each graduate made their way down the line of teachers, advisors, coaches, and mentors, shaking hands, exchanging hugs, and often lingering for one last moment of gratitude.

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