MHS Class of 2026 Encouraged to Transform Through School Pledge During Chapel Service

In the Founders Hall Rotunda on the morning before the first day of their senior year, the Milton Hershey School Class of 2026 reflected on how the School Pledge and Sacred Values will set them up to finish their time at MHS strong.

The annual Senior Only Chapel was re-envisioned this year to offer deeper meaning and connection. As students listened to scripture readings, sang spiritual songs, and heard reflections from President Pete Gurt ’85 and Pastor Will Ogle, two redesigned fountains quietly circulated water lit in the class colors, blue and white.

“Water is calming, it is reflection, and it should be soothing as well,” Gurt said.

The chapel was held the day before Opening of School Assembly, so the students were unaware of the school year theme, Our Pledge. Gurt and Ogle’s words set the foundation for the next day’s assembly and the year’s expectations.

Gurt explained how the requirements of the School Pledge are captured in the school’s Deed of Trust and fueled by its Sacred Values. Through an interactive activity, students aligned the Pledge’s words with the corresponding Sacred Value.

Gurt reminded students that no one is perfect, but how we choose to overcome adversity is a sign of our true character.

“Sometimes our choices bring us into troubled waters and God actually takes us into troubled waters not to drown us, but to cleanse us,” Gurt said.

As seniors, the Class of 2026 has earned more freedom than their younger peers. However, they must use those freedoms, Gurt said, to engage in healthy behaviors and avoid temptations.

“Being physically strong will get you to the start line, being mentally awake will get you to the finish line, and morally straight is how you are going to conduct yourself during this race,” Gurt said.

He quoted Proverbs 13:20— “Walk with the wise and become wise for a companion of fools suffers harm”— when reminding them to look out for each other and offer help when needed. Gurt told the students that when he was an MHS student, he looked up to the seniors as role models, and the same holds true for students today.

“Everybody on this campus looks to you to set the tone, to establish the expectation, and to model the values that Mr. And Mrs. Hershey expected,” he said.

Ogle challenged the students to think of Hershey as a “chocolate chrysalis” and embrace the transformation that occurs at MHS. He encouraged students to reflect on the MHS School Pledge and Psalm 15 when thinking about their transformations.

“These ideas have been around a long time,” Ogle said. “For a long, long time people have been striving to live out these kinds of values.”

Ogle also encouraged the students to not only live out the values in the School Pledge, but to make them a permanent part of their character.

“We want you to be transformed into the type of people who are unshakable in their character,” he said.

That evening, students wrote a letter to their future selves that outlined who they want to be at the end of the school year. During Senior Class Chapel in June, the students will open the letters and reflect on if they accomplished their goals.