Head of School Felicia Wilks greeted students, faculty, and staff as they filled the seats of Brick Church for the annual fall All-School Assembly. “Our theme for our assemblies this year is wonder,” Wilks said, sharing the common thread that would tie this year’s all-school gatherings together. “Wonder is a word that can explain many wonderful things.”

Some of these wonderful things were present in the assembly, from seniors processing into Brick Church alongside kindergarteners—a perennial Spence tradition—to Grade 4 singing “Rainbow Connection.” 

“We all wonder a lot about school, especially in the beginning of the year,” said Wilks. “We wonder what we will learn in our classes, and we wonder how we will grow in our friendships.” Lower School students had a chance to share what they were wondering about during the assembly, asking older students: What is it like to be an eighth grader? How long has Spence been a school, and how do rainbows form after it rains?

Middle School students also shared their curiosities, asking teachers how and when they decided they wanted to teach, and why they were drawn to their particular subject. The Spence Glee Club explored the idea of wonder by singing “I Dream A World,” a song with text written by Langston Hughes, where the poet wonders about a joyful, peaceful world.

Before closing with the School Song, Wilks asked students and teachers to continue wondering throughout the year: “I encourage you to wonder, and to be curious about each other and about the world.”