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(See more photos from the Dedication Day Ceremony below.)
Crisp autumn weather and the McDonogh Singers’ rendition of “Cherokee Morning Song” set the tone for the solemn Dedication Day Ceremony — the annual communitywide celebration honoring the people whose labor, commitment, vision, and generosity led to the establishment and growth of the School. The occasion, on Friday, October 11, was also an opportunity to remember beloved members of our community who left this life in the past year. In his invocation, Kevin J. Costa, Ph.D., Director of Spiritual and Ceremonial Services said, “While they may be “out of sight and reach, they live on in our hearts and in our memories.”
The ceremony continued with a reflection by Costa about former faculty member Bart Harrison who served the school from 1937 to 1974. He explained that Harrison was an eccentric, colorful English teacher, and shared some of his signature quirks. Then Costa challenged the student body: “Think of those teachers whom you’ll certainly remember for the rest of your life. How do they greet you? How do they encourage you? What do they do that makes you smile?”
Costa concluded his remarks by saying, “As we reflect on our past, this Dedication Day, let us also be even more mindful of these precious memories as they’re made. We are so lucky to have a campus full of dedicated people like Mr. Barton Harrison.”
The ceremony continued with student representatives placing wreaths at various campus locations. Head of School Dave Farace ‘87 joined Costa in explaining the significance and location of each including:
the edge of the woods along Lamborn Road for the Indigenous people, who hunted and stewarded the land for many generations before the School was founded;
Memorial to those Enslaved and Freed in honor of the enslaved peoples of John McDonogh whose work on his plantations in Louisiana helped build a significant portion of his wealth;
the grave of John McDonogh whose gift of philanthropy established a school farm in Baltimore for poor boys, which became McDonogh School;
Tagart Chapel in honor of generations of devoted faculty and staff who held students to the highest standards while offering the highest level of support; and
Memorial Court in remembrance of McDonogh alumni who gave their lives in military service to our nation in WWI, WWII, Korea, and Vietnam.
After the Upper School Concert Choir and Chorus performed the “Dedication Hymn,” the ceremony continued with the Alumni Memorial Service recognizing alumni faculty, staff, and trustees who died in the past year. Alumni Association President Kimberly Hilson Carmichael ‘10 remarked, “While they are no longer with us physically, their impact on our lives will never be forgotten.”
As each of the 54 names was read, a bell tolled in Tagart Memorial Chapel, and Alumni Association Vice President Morris Garten ‘85 and Recording Secretary Katherine Reider ‘96 placed a white flower in an urn. Together, the flowers created a lovely memorial arrangement. “Taps” was then played in honor of those who were remembered and the poem “Autumn Leaves,” by Margaret O. Daramola was read.
Costa concluded the Dedication Day ceremony by saying, “And when, someday, McDonogh’s Chapel Bell rings for us, be assured that we will be remembered just as we have paused to recollect all of those who have gone before us. May we always live in gratitude and kindness.”
