Celebrating Fall Traditions at Salem Academy
Traditions are central to the Salem Academy experience, adding meaning and connection for generations of students. Academy alumnae have fond memories of participating in Salem’s unique fall traditions like: Opening Chapel, Saber Sorting, Ring Banquet, Senior Day, Family Weekend, and Senior Vespers.
Every August, the school year begins with the Opening Chapel service. During the service, the Dean of Students welcomes Academy students to campus and reads encouraging messages from Academy alumnae such as: “Offer your ideas. And listen when others do the same (class of 1972); “Salem gave us the space and the supportive environment in which to learn from failure and get up to try again. If you can take advantage of this while at Salem, you will have mastered a key life skill” (class of 1975); and “Salem offers you a safe space to figure yourself out, try, fail, succeed. Embrace the experience” (class of 1993). Opening Chapel is such an inspiring way to begin the year!
At the Saber Sorting event, each Salem Academy student is assigned one of two teams, Purple or Gold, a designation that lasts a lifetime and is carried through family lines. The Academy’s Athletic Council leads this tradition and hosts field-day-style games where students proudly wear their new colors.
Academy seniors receive their class rings at Ring Banquet, an all-school event arranged by the freshmen students. The celebration continues the next day with Senior Day, which begins with a breakfast hosted by the Academy faculty. From there, they stroll through campus to admire the seniors’ cars, doors, and bikes, which the underclassmen have decorated for the Senior Day decoration competition. Later, the seniors step into the classroom to teach fun elective classes to the underclassmen. The day concludes with the seniors performing their class song from the footbridge above the Academy community, filling the campus below with music and laughter.\
During Family Weekend, Salem Academy students’ families meet with teachers, attend an assembly, and take part in club meetings. The weekend ends with an epic kickball game between the Purple and Gold Teams!
Each December, the Salem Academy community gathers for Senior Vespers, a cherished Moravian Christmas tradition that has been passed down for centuries. Seniors lead the candlelit service in song, echoing hymns sung by generations of Salem students before them, and serve their school community Moravian buns and coffee.
As the oldest continuously operating educational institution for girls and women in the country, Salem is rich with history and tradition. Our beloved fall traditions not only celebrate the spirit of Salem Academy, but also strengthen the lifelong bonds that connect students, families, faculty, and alumnae across generations.