Chapin School - Princeton, NJ

Faculty and staff gathered to celebrate the end of the school year and one another. We recognized years-of-service milestones, honored Chapin Award recipients, and selected the Chapin Angel Grant recipients through a raffle drawing.

We also took time to thank and celebrate the faculty and staff members who will be leaving Chapin. Their contributions have helped shape our community, and we wish them the very best in the years ahead!

The Parents Association treated Chapin faculty and staff to a delicious lunch as a thoughtful expression of appreciation. Thank you, Parents Association, for a wonderful lunch and for all you do throughout the year for the Chapin community!

Today we celebrated the graduation of the Chapin School Class of 2026!

The ceremony included student reflections, heartfelt tributes from teachers, and the presentation of diplomas. Throughout the morning, students and teachers reflected on the friendships, growth, perseverance, and experiences that have shaped this class during their time at Chapin.

In his commencement address, Mr. Bristol reflected on The Lion Tracker's Guide to Life, a book he gifted to each graduate, and reminded students that the skills, character, and values they developed at Chapin will help guide them wherever they go. As he shared, "You did not learn these things by accident. You learned them here, in this community, from teachers who believed in you, from classmates who challenged you, and from years of doing the hard work."

Congratulations to the Class of 2026! We are proud of all you have accomplished, grateful for the many contributions you have made to the Chapin community, and look forward to following your future successes!

(Keep an eye out for more graduation photos from our photographer.)

At today’s Awards Ceremony, we recognized students for achievement in the classroom, the arts, and athletics, while also honoring intellectual curiosity, citizenship, community service, character, school spirit, and commitment to the Chapin community.

The ceremony also included the passing of leadership from the Class of 2026 to the Class of 2027, a performance by the combined choirs, the entire school singing the Blessing Song for the Class of 2026, and the annual year-end video.

In his closing remarks, Mr. Bristol shared:
“Look around this room. What you’re seeing is what Chapin actually is. Not the building. Not the schedule. Not the awards we’ve given out today. What Chapin is is what happens when great teachers and wonderful students show up in the same place, every day, and decide to do something meaningful together.

That’s the magic. And it’s not complicated. That is the foundation of this school. It has been for 95 years. And because of all of you in this room, it will be again in September.”

Mr. Bristol also shared a special message with the Class of 2026: “Congratulations on your awards today. We’ll see you tomorrow for a celebration that is entirely, completely yours.”

At today's Recognition Assembly, Mr. Bristol shared, "At Chapin, we believe that who you are and how you grow isn't shaped only by what happens in the classroom. Our clubs, activities, and organizations offer something a little different. They provide a chance to discover new interests, work alongside people who share your passions, and learn things about yourself that you might not find in a textbook. That learning matters just as much."

Today's assembly celebrated the students who have committed themselves to the school and made meaningful contributions to our community.

The afternoon also featured several Chapin traditions, including the Student Council gavel handoff to next year's president, Walson House winning the Cup Trophy, the Chapin Virtue Song led by Mr. Bywater, a fun game of "Truth or Door" hosted by the Yearbook Committee, and the announcement of this year's Yearbook Dedication recipient, Mr. Barnosky!

Physics Capstone: Our 8th grade students designed and built Rube Goldberg machines. They applied science concepts including force and motion, energy transfer, gravity, and simple machines as they created a series of chain reactions. Each machine completed a simple task in the most complicated way possible! The finished projects were a lot of fun to watch.

Besides being fun, this cross-curricular project had a little bit of everything! Students learned about primary, secondary, and tertiary colors in art, used fractions while planning, designed pizza boxes in Academic Integration & Design, and then made pizzas with Chef G and Chef B.

The project brought together art, math, design, and a little pizza making for a delicious end to the year!

Mr. Hoppenfeld’s fifth grade science classes had a blast making ice cream from scratch while learning about energy transfer. It was a sweet way to celebrate the end of the school year!

Junior Explorers, Explorers, and Kindergartners had a blast with their Countdown to Summer theme days! They built cars for a drive-in movie on Daytona Day, lit up the classroom on Glow Day, cooled off on Water Day after learning important water safety tips from a special guest, and enjoyed all the fun of the Wilby Carnival. Their teachers packed their Countdown to Summer with plenty of excitement and fun!

Chargers gathered for the final Family Groups meeting of the year before heading outside for a breakfast treat and to enjoy time together. After spending the night on the roof as promised, Head of School Mr. Bristol greeted students from above and helped make the celebration even more memorable. The morning was a fun way to recognize the success of the Runathon while celebrating the strong sense of connection and Charger spirit that have made this school year so special!