Montfort Orientation and Convocation 2019

The Montfort Academy welcomed 40 new Montfort Knights at the 2019 Convocation, which took place on Wednesday September 4th. The Honorable Richard Greco, Jr., President of Montfort and Convocation speaker, addressed the students. He asked them to fast forward to a time when they will be old and gray, referring to the line in Montfort’s alma mater, “And when the years have turned us gray, Montfort Knights still stand and say, The Glory of the Blue and Gold.” He told them that when they are old and gray they will have to answer the most important question that could ever be asked of a human being, “What kind of life did I lead?” He went on to say that this very difficult question can be more easily answered and more easily managed if today—and every day—they asked themselves, “What kind of life WILL I lead?” Following the address, the new Montfort Knights took the Montfort Knight oath and honor code oath, describing the virtues they will strive daily to uphold.

Following the Convocation ceremony, students participated in Socratic discussions regarding their summer reading. Freshmen were asked to read Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. In this novel from the 1950s set in a futuristic America, books are banned, and firemen are tasked with burning all books they may find. Instead, for entertainment, American families have parlor walls with large screen TVs that feed families their information and entertainment. In one Socratic discussion, the Freshmen turned Ray Bradbury’s eerily familiar depiction of a futuristic society dominated more by screens than books, turned the book upside down and discussed what the world would be like if we burned all our screens instead of books!