“The Reason We’re Here”: Students Return to Campus for First Day of School

Before homeroom, Grade 12 students—instantly recognizable by their red class T-shirts—reveled in their new role as Rivers seniors, gathering near their parked cars decorated with Class of 2025 motifs. They also convened near the flagpole, helping Head of School Ryan S. Dahlem greet arriving students in the drop-off line. The day included a couple of regular classroom blocks, where teachers and students quickly got down to business. Middle School students had their first day of the annual Leadership Lab that marks the start of the year; their classes begin on Friday. And mid-morning, the entire school community came together in Kraft Dining Hall for the first all-school meeting of the year.

Dahlem greeted the students and told them, “You are the reason we’re here.” He noted that, as a lifelong educator, he too is accustomed to going back to school in the fall—and has never held a role where he didn’t do so. Dahlem quickly previewed anticipated highlights of the coming year—the completion of the accreditation process, the new strategic plan, the updating of our mission statement, the election—and welcomed the new professional community members in attendance.

As part of the previous week’s orientation programming, the seniors had gone on their customary white-water rafting trip. This year, Dahlem was in attendance, and at the assembly, he shared photos of shooting the rapids with his advisory group, a vibrant metaphor for the inevitable challenges in any school year. The group’s unflappable local rafting guide, perched at the stern, provided “stable, steady support”—in much the same way, Dahlem said, that teachers, coaches, and other members of the professional community are here to provide support to students. In one photo, the raft lurched and the guide was no longer visible but still present; likewise, Dahlem told the students, even when you can’t see them, the adults on campus have their backs.  

Dahlem then introduced new student body presidents Abbey Fireman ’25 and Christopher Kim ’25, who looked back on their years at Rivers and reflected on their journey to senior year. And with that, they dismissed the assembly, and the 2024–25 school year was officially underway.

Click here to see more photos from the first day of school.

Click here and here to see photos from Middle School Leadership Lab.