Convocation Always Begins the Odyssey of Navigating Another McCallie School Year

For the past several years in the final minutes before Convocation signals the start of another McCallie school year, a photo is taken of the many alums (52 this year) who work for the school in either faculty or staff positions.

As Wednesday’s picture was being posed around Head of School Lee Burns '87 on the front steps of the Chapel, one very important grad was missing—John McCall '61, who is both the oldest faculty member (81) and the longest tenured (58 years).

Suddenly, running down the hill from the academic buildings, came McCall in his gold-and-white-striped seersucker suit and bow tie. “Sorry,” he said. “Thanks for waiting.”

A little later, Burns having informed the students, faculty and staff in his Convocation address that this year’s student body of 1,009 from 29 states and 22 countries was the largest ever, McCall flashed back to the start of the Convocation in the quad, and all the middle schoolers running up the steps by Walker Hall to join in the festivities, and said, “That was my favorite moment. Seeing the middle schoolers so full of excitement and smiles, it lets you know that the Long Blue Line that we talk about will go on and on and on.”

According to Burns, that Long Blue Line of McCallie students since the school first opened 122 years ago on September 21, 1905, now numbers 18,729. Of those new to McCallie this year—including sixth graders from 39 elementary schools and those home-schooled, as well as a handful of new faculty members—Burns said, “I hope you will, very soon, feel not just warmly welcomed, but that you will know and feel that you are a part of a close-knit and caring family—the McCallie family. Despite this size and wide range of backgrounds, we are one school, one community, one family.”

Family wasn’t all Burns talked about on a cloudless morning warmed by a bright sun. He touched on The Odyssey, both the summer’s big box office smash movie, and Homer’s epic poem that inspired it.

“On the surface, The Odyssey is a story of one man finding his way home,” said Burns. “More than that, though, it is the story of a man becoming a man who can find his way home (to Ithaca). It is the story of the development of Odysseus and his discovery of who he is. It is as much about Odysseus’ internal journey as it is his journey on the sea.”

Addressing the students, Burns said, “At McCallie, we will push and challenge and stretch you. We will see that you struggle and that you are uncomfortable at times. We will expect your best. We will tell you when you fall short. We don’t want or expect perfection, but we do expect persistence and grit and guts.”

In a wide-ranging talk, Burns also addressed AI, the Honor Code, and the importance of the school motto: Man’s Chief End is to Glorify God and Enjoy Him Forever.

“This school is your Ithaca, your home,” Burns concluded. “And we are your family, here to support your external journey . . . and here to support your internal journey as you grow toward the man God intends you to be.”

Read Burns’ Full Convocation Address     Convocation 2026 Photo Gallery