Convocation Opens School Year Traditionally
Faculty and students gathered in Hyde Chapel August 10 for the time-honored tradition of Opening Convocation, a ceremony that launches the school year and celebrates the principles that distinguish MUS.
Headmaster Pete Sanders welcomed the community to the 2026-27 school year – a year in which the students will experience the opening of the new Arts and Sciences Center in the spring and the debut of the new Hyde Chapel in the summer.
He highlighted a characteristic that defines our school: “MUS is a school of high academic standards," Sanders said. "We would not want it any other way. After all, if we ask for less, we will surely get it. MUS also asks more of you as a person.”
He introduced four students to speak on the tenets of the Community Creed.
Carson Alexander ’27, speaking on Scholarship and Accountability, stepped to the Hyde Chapel podium rolling a suitcase behind him to illustrate that each student is beginning a journey today. “Regardless of where we are starting, we all have the same opportunity to decide who we want to become," he said.
Holding up a passport, he said that scholarship means being open to new ideas that challenge you. “It is having the courage to step through the door and discover something you never knew before.”
But you must take the first step, he said, putting his shoes on the podium.
“Now these shoes … have walked into classrooms, walked through moments of success, and also moments where I fell short. However, these shoes have never taken a single step without me, because at the end of the day, I decide where they go. That is accountability.”
Looking forward at the year ahead, he said, “There will be mistakes. There will be moments when we want to take the easy path. But those moments are exactly when scholarship and accountability matter most.”
CSO President Liam Curran ’27 addressed Service and Involvement. “Despite the fact that our school has no service requirement, in the past two years, 100% of Upper School students chose to volunteer.”
Indicating that the annual Service Day will be September 16, he said, “I challenge each of us to show up … because we are fortunate enough to make a difference in someone else’s life. There is great need in our community for our time, our compassion, and our willingness to help. Service is an opportunity to become more connected to the people and community around us.”
Speaking on Involvement, he urged fellow Owls, “Take advantage of all that this school has to offer. Find something you care about. Try something new. Commit yourself to something bigger than yourself. … The lessons we learn through service to others, working together, and committing ourselves to our community are just as important as the lessons we learn in the classroom.”
Reid Howell ’31 spoke on Respect and Humility. “Respect is treating something with regard, or in simpler terms, honoring and appreciating people. … When we respect one another here at MUS, we grow to trust one another and build an amazing community,” he said.
“My next topic is humility, which can be closely tied to respect. Respect can be thinking of others more, and humility can be thinking of yourself less and not being self-centered. In a world with so much social media, where attention is a constant desire, humility is often difficult to see,” he said.
“Humility is taking responsibility when you do something wrong. For example, if a kid broke a window with a baseball accidentally, he needs to face the fact that he did it. The next step is to apologize. If the kid tells his mom that he broke the window and that he is sorry, he is showing humility. But having humility is not just accepting you did something wrong. It is also not being self-centered. A humble person would not brag; he would also be a good listener. … Humility is a very beautiful thing, and I am excited to see how it grows in each of us.”
Dhilan Madasu ’27 spoke about Truth and Honor. “As MUS students, we are taught to tell the truth, do our own work, honor our commitments, and respect the property of others and of the school. Honoring that commitment allows teachers and students to walk freely around the school, knowing that their personal property is safe and that every quiz and test will be taken on a level playing field. Success means very little if we must sacrifice our integrity to accomplish it.
“Everyone in this room will have a night this year where they feel overwhelmed by the work they have to do and might feel tempted to take a shortcut. Stay true to the mission of MUS – this school is dedicated to academic excellence, the cultivation of service and leadership and the development of well-rounded young men of strong moral character, consistent with the school’s Christian tradition.”
Before administering the Honor Code Pledge, Sanders underscored its importance. “The Honor Code is the cultural glue that holds us together, and it is also that glue that will hold you together as you move forward in these hallways and beyond, after graduation.”
Following the pledge, Honor Council President Adams Field ’27 called a representative from each grade and the faculty to the stage to sign the Honor Book. The book will be distributed in homerooms for each student and faculty member to sign.
After some directions for the day from Upper School Head Zach Hansen, the 2026-27 school year began. See more Convocation photos HERE.
He highlighted a characteristic that defines our school: “MUS is a school of high academic standards," Sanders said. "We would not want it any other way. After all, if we ask for less, we will surely get it. MUS also asks more of you as a person.”
He introduced four students to speak on the tenets of the Community Creed.
Carson Alexander ’27, speaking on Scholarship and Accountability, stepped to the Hyde Chapel podium rolling a suitcase behind him to illustrate that each student is beginning a journey today. “Regardless of where we are starting, we all have the same opportunity to decide who we want to become," he said.
Holding up a passport, he said that scholarship means being open to new ideas that challenge you. “It is having the courage to step through the door and discover something you never knew before.”
But you must take the first step, he said, putting his shoes on the podium.
“Now these shoes … have walked into classrooms, walked through moments of success, and also moments where I fell short. However, these shoes have never taken a single step without me, because at the end of the day, I decide where they go. That is accountability.”
Looking forward at the year ahead, he said, “There will be mistakes. There will be moments when we want to take the easy path. But those moments are exactly when scholarship and accountability matter most.”
CSO President Liam Curran ’27 addressed Service and Involvement. “Despite the fact that our school has no service requirement, in the past two years, 100% of Upper School students chose to volunteer.”
Indicating that the annual Service Day will be September 16, he said, “I challenge each of us to show up … because we are fortunate enough to make a difference in someone else’s life. There is great need in our community for our time, our compassion, and our willingness to help. Service is an opportunity to become more connected to the people and community around us.”
Speaking on Involvement, he urged fellow Owls, “Take advantage of all that this school has to offer. Find something you care about. Try something new. Commit yourself to something bigger than yourself. … The lessons we learn through service to others, working together, and committing ourselves to our community are just as important as the lessons we learn in the classroom.”
Reid Howell ’31 spoke on Respect and Humility. “Respect is treating something with regard, or in simpler terms, honoring and appreciating people. … When we respect one another here at MUS, we grow to trust one another and build an amazing community,” he said.
“My next topic is humility, which can be closely tied to respect. Respect can be thinking of others more, and humility can be thinking of yourself less and not being self-centered. In a world with so much social media, where attention is a constant desire, humility is often difficult to see,” he said.
“Humility is taking responsibility when you do something wrong. For example, if a kid broke a window with a baseball accidentally, he needs to face the fact that he did it. The next step is to apologize. If the kid tells his mom that he broke the window and that he is sorry, he is showing humility. But having humility is not just accepting you did something wrong. It is also not being self-centered. A humble person would not brag; he would also be a good listener. … Humility is a very beautiful thing, and I am excited to see how it grows in each of us.”
Dhilan Madasu ’27 spoke about Truth and Honor. “As MUS students, we are taught to tell the truth, do our own work, honor our commitments, and respect the property of others and of the school. Honoring that commitment allows teachers and students to walk freely around the school, knowing that their personal property is safe and that every quiz and test will be taken on a level playing field. Success means very little if we must sacrifice our integrity to accomplish it.
“Everyone in this room will have a night this year where they feel overwhelmed by the work they have to do and might feel tempted to take a shortcut. Stay true to the mission of MUS – this school is dedicated to academic excellence, the cultivation of service and leadership and the development of well-rounded young men of strong moral character, consistent with the school’s Christian tradition.”
Before administering the Honor Code Pledge, Sanders underscored its importance. “The Honor Code is the cultural glue that holds us together, and it is also that glue that will hold you together as you move forward in these hallways and beyond, after graduation.”
Following the pledge, Honor Council President Adams Field ’27 called a representative from each grade and the faculty to the stage to sign the Honor Book. The book will be distributed in homerooms for each student and faculty member to sign.
After some directions for the day from Upper School Head Zach Hansen, the 2026-27 school year began. See more Convocation photos HERE.
Embracing a Bold Vision. Building a Bright Future.
Memphis University School is a college-preparatory, independent, day school for boys in Grades 6-12.
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