Our Pledge, Our Path: Reflecting Forward into the 2025-26 School Year

In a striking debut that set a transformative tone for Milton Hershey School’s 2025 Opening of School Assembly, the GIANT Center concourse shimmered with mirrored panels, creating a symbolic passage of self-reflection. As students and staff walked through the radiant corridor, they saw themselves not just in glass, but in the heart of a community poised to embrace the 2025–26 school-year theme together.

Beyond the mirrored concourse, the spirit of reflection echoed throughout every detail of the event, inviting the MHS community to begin the school year with excitement and intention. A screen shaped like a circular mirror framed much of the event’s creative elements, but most of all, it became the platform by which MHS alumnus and former MHS President Johnny O’Brien ’61 introduced via video the school-year theme: Our Pledge.  

“The School Pledge defines our habits, shapes our values, and inspires our choices,” said current MHS President Pete Gurt ’85. “The Pledge, this pledge, Our Pledge is how legends are made.” 

The 2025–26 school year marks the centennial of George Copenhaver’s writing of the School Pledge—a milestone that honors a century-long legacy of values passed down through generations. This anniversary reaffirms Our Pledge as a timeless symbol of commitment, proudly displayed in every student home and woven into the fabric of campus life. That legacy was brought to life in a profound way by MHS Manager of School History Alicia Schlossberg and her team, who deepened its meaning by sharing the origins and evolution of the Pledge. As we carry the Pledge’s words into a new school year, the MHS community is reminded not only of the moment they recited it during Opening of School Assembly, but of the many moments throughout it’s 100-year history that have shaped its enduring power.  

 “The Pledge is more than a pledge; it’s a promise to meet the standards that would make our founders proud,” said Schlossberg.

As the audience was guided through each line of the School Pledge, mirrored panels revealed the next, each unveiling a new layer of meaning. Accompanying videos brought the words to life, connecting them to unforgettable MHS stories. These powerful narratives gave depth to the School Pledge’s promises, transforming tradition into lived experience. Visually and emotionally, they invited the MHS community to see Our Pledge in a new light—moving all in attendance to be reminded of how truly special MHS is. 

The Pena-Santiago family shared their story of resilience in the face of many challenges. Their positive example sets the standard for others to do likewise. Because of the support of MHS, they have been able to achieve success and grow in exponential ways, with the Golden Rule as an anchor.  

“I feel like we went from nothing, and when we got here,  we were handed everything. My children were given the chance to flourish and grow,” said Brandi King, mother of MHS students Leo, Eli, Cielo, and Aen Pena-Santiago.

The reflective moments sparked by each video and presentation were matched with bursts of excitement and challenge, reinforcing not only the theme’s meaning, but its power to build connection. The Spartan Strength Challenge, for example, led by MHS Mascot Sparty and Middle Division student Aubryee Reyes, reiterated to everyone that true strength is so much more than physical capabilities.  

In another challenge, Director of MHS Home Life Services Dave Barnes invited everyone to open a special surprise envelope and write down on the card inside the name of someone to whom they will show exceptional kindness this year. As the cards were raised high across the arena, each name represented a personal pledge to live out the third line of the School Pledge. 

As the event neared its close, Johnny O’Brien ’61 returned to the screen, this time joined by fellow MHS alumni representing nine decades of the School’s history. As they shared their personal reflections from the last 100 years of the School Pledge, each offered a unique perspective shaped by their own MHS journey, before reciting its last lines together. 

“The School Pledge is the key source to being successful in life and that doesn’t change but gets more important and more tested as we become adults,” said O’Brien. “So, coming back to that foundation is absolutely vital.” 

Former professional football player Garry Gilliam ’09 delivered the final challenge of the morning, rallying the MHS community to show their Spartan Pride at the upcoming Cocoa Bean Game Tailgate and Watch Party on Friday, Aug. 22. As his words reverberated through GIANT Center, every attendee raised their rally towel, joining together in a spirited display of unity before singing the MHS Alma Mater with surprise guest—awarding-winning a cappella group Straight No Chaser.

“Without the foundation the School Pledge gave, I would not be doing what I do now,” said Gilliam. 

President Gurt ’85 then invited the audience to view Our Pledge through three powerful and symbolic lenses. First, as a mirror—a call to self-reflection and personal accountability. Second, as a window—a perspective that opens us to the needs of others and the importance of service. And third, as a door—an invitation to step boldly into the life we are meant to lead, a life where legends are made. Building on that spirit of purpose and commitment, President Gurt ’85 then welcomed the Pena-Santiago family to the stage, reminding all that resilience is built not in the absence of trials, but in the courage to face them. 

“Each day we take 25 seconds to recite the Pledge to ourselves,” said Gurt. “Those 25 seconds can change the course of your life when you move from saying the Pledge to living the Pledge.” 

Just when the MHS community thought the event was over, Straight No Chaser joined President Gurt ’85 for another performance, motivating all in attendance to make the 2025-26 school year their best yet.  

The 2025 Opening of School Assembly invited the entire MHS community to view Our Pledge through a renewed perspective—not as words framed on a wall, but as a living, breathing commitment that has impacted generations for a century. It challenged each of us to reflect deeply and let that reflection fuel our pursuit of excellence. In a year shaped by reflection, the School Pledge becomes Our Pledge to pause, take a collective breath, and be reminded of who we are and who we are becoming. 

See More from the Opening of School Assembly