News
Opening Day 2025 Filled with Joy and Anticipation
Our community gathered in Frierson Theatre to commemorate the new school year.
Not even a torrential rain could dampen our spirits on Opening Day as we gathered as a school community to commemorate the start of our 120th year of empowering young women.
Head of School Megan Cover kicked off the morning with a special welcome followed by a thoughtful, inspirational prayer by Dean of Spiritual Life Angelina DeVincenzo.
Megan returned to the lectern to introduce our new faculty and staff and students and to share our institutional goals for the school year:
- Celebrate the Whole Girl | In our 120th year, we honor our legacy and look to the future by providing excellence for all girls, in and outside of the classroom. Through learner-centered practices and interdisciplinary experiences, we help guide each girl toward pathways that spark her curiosity and interest in deeper learning. In every class and cocurricular opportunity—as well as in special programs such as Laureate Scholars, Tucker Fellows, and GOLE—we design experiences for each student to explore, create, and discover, optimizing her learning journey and challenging her in a supportive environment specifically designed for her.
- Celebrate Community & Connection | In our 120th year, we uphold high expectations for each GPS community member. Students demonstrate school pride through their integrity, attire, presence, and voice—living by the honor code, abiding by the dress code, and growing in agency and advocacy. Adults lead by example, fostering each girl's social and emotional development and showing her that her voice and actions matter, now and as a future alumna. Expanded partnerships, meaningful service learning, and leadership opportunities are hers to explore for real-world skill application.
- Celebrate and Steward GPS for a Robust Future | In our 120th year, we invest in our programs and spaces to ensure they are designed specifically to serve girls, so they can soar and thrive while at GPS and afterward at the university level. We foster excellence in teaching and learning by recruiting, valuing, investing in, and retaining mission-aligned faculty and staff. We treasure and respect our relationships with all constituents, so they speak with pride and reverence for our school—its past, present, and future—while stewarding our mission, values, and vision forward through bold philanthropic support.
Humanities teacher Ralph Covino, PhD, then took the stage to share a brief, animated history of our school, including a fire that broke out in 1907. Ralph stated that, “Not even a fire could close GPS for a day. Why? This wasn’t just about keeping school going. It was about showing the girls that they mattered enough for their teachers to take risks for them, protect what they’d built together, and keep moving forward as the GPS.” And he urged the girls to be great friends, help each other, take risks, and rise to challenges. “Even when it's hard. Actually, especially when it’s hard.”
Megan introduced her charges for the girls this school year and reminded the girls that, “When you walk onto this campus each morning, you carry with you the GPS name. Carry it with confidence, and carry it with pride.”
2025-26 School Year Charges:
- Be present. Phones away. Pay attention to who and what is right in front of you.
- Represent GPS with pride. Wear your uniform with dignity, honoring the girls who came before you.
- Live our honor code. Let honor, respect, curiosity, individuality, and relationships guide your choices.
- Greet one another. A simple “hello” can be an act of kindness that builds connection, makes someone feel seen, and strengthens the sense of belonging that defines GPS.
- Celebrate one another. Recognize the successes—big and small—of your classmates. Lifting others up not only strengthens our community but also inspires you to strive for your own goals.
- Take care of one another. Offer support in challenges and be the friend or ally someone needs in the moment.
- Care for our spaces. Keep them clean, safe, and welcoming.
- Lead with integrity and purpose. Your voice matters, step up when needed, and make an impact.
This year marks a return to a no-cell-phone policy with all students keeping their phones out of sight for the entire school day and an emphasis on student attire befitting the GPS tradition of the signature dress that each girl wears with pride.
Head of Upper School Beth Creswell Wilson ’96, PhD, thanked the members of the Class Leadership Council and introduced the senior CLC members—Paulina Proshkin, Caroline Carpenter, Evie Crutchfield, and Lucy Faler—who shared their focus of the school year: Aim with Purpose.
Paulina explained how they arrived at the theme. “Especially as seniors, reflecting on our times here, we realized that we don’t want to just get through the days this year, but rather make every day count,” she said. “Not only should we aim with a purpose as individuals, but also as classes, teams, and our schoolwide community. As a part of our theme, we have four main goals to accomplish alongside it: Be Confident, Be Intentional, Be Present, and Be Proud.”
Megan then shared the news of the creation of The Fox Fund for Exceptional Teaching, made possible through an $8 million gift from alumna Charlotte Frances Fox ’60, who passed away in April. She described the fund as “a permanent resource to ensure that every GPS girl has the best faculty possible—now and for generations to come,” she said. “Her gift ensures that those relationships—those moments of mentorship, encouragement, and inspiration—will remain the signature strength of a GPS education. Let her legacy inspire you to live this year with gratitude, pride, and purpose, knowing that you are part of something remarkable.”
In conclusion, Head of Middle School Kathryn Outlaw shared her hope for the new school year. “We are so fortunate to be part of a school that sees and celebrates each girl for who she is, fosters deep and lasting relationships, and offers outstanding opportunities to grow, both academically and personally,” she said. “This is a place where curiosity is encouraged, individuality is honored, and friendships can last a lifetime. As we step into the 2025–26 school year, we wish for it to be your best yet, filled with learning, discovery, and moments that make you proud. We can’t wait to walk beside you, cheer for you, and watch you shine on your GPS journey.”
And of course, no opening day would be complete without the singing of our “Alma Mater,” with the girls arm-in-arm as they proudly proclaimed, “Here’s to the GPS!”
As the girls and the adults who support them filed out of Frierson Theatre, they made their way to DeFoor Patio to help usher the newly minted freshman class from the middle school to the upper school where their classmates were waiting for them, arms outstretched to form a tunnel to guide them.
Today and Friday the girls are attending class retreats, where they will get to know each other better before classes begin on Monday, the beginning of the 120th year of GPS, a school designed for her. We cannot wait to get started!
