Summer may be coming to an end, but Hampton Roads Academy is excited for a new beginning as we welcome back our students and families for the 2025-2026 school year.
In the coming year, the Year of Connections, we will celebrate the relationships that bind us together and connect the work our students do in the classroom to the lives they will build as citizens of a wider world. Connection is what makes it possible for HRA to fulfill the mission that has guided us since we opened our doors nearly 70 years ago: providing a holistic education that prepares students to embrace their curiosity, explore their creativity, and excel intellectually, artistically, physically, and morally.
“In the face of ever-evolving technology, it’s the human connection that remains the nucleus and heartbeat of our school community,” said Head of School Jay Lasley in his remarks at this year’s Convocation on August 27. “‘Community’ is an intentional word in our mission statement. It connotates connection—between teachers and students, between teachers and parents, among the faculty, and certainly among you all, the student body.”
Achieving Excellence through Connections
HRA students forge their paths with the support of a vibrant, diverse, and intergenerational Navigator family. Our parents and alumni are committed to the success of our students, enthusiastically contributing their time, energy, and generous gifts to help provide cutting-edge resources and unparalleled experiences on campus and beyond.
Our small class sizes allow students to form meaningful relationships with our experienced teachers. Receiving personalized attention at every stage of their academic careers, from Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 12, HRA students develop the skills to tackle challenging courses and succeed after graduation. Moreover, because our faculty members form connections with students as coaches on the athletic field as well as instructors in the classroom, they come to know multiple sides of each Navigator and are deeply invested in helping them thrive in all their pursuits.
“Some of the best connections I have here are with teachers, faculty, and coaches,” Student Council Association President Colten Fulcher ’26 told his peers at Convocation. “Advocate for yourself, make connections with the people around you, and remember the support systems that surround you here at HRA. … They all want you to succeed.”
One of the secrets to our success in preparing students for higher education and adult life is the way in which our school community embraces and weaves together the experiences of our three divisions. Our Lower School lays an academic and social foundation for greater challenges and opportunities in Middle School, which in turn builds students’ independence and skills in preparation for a demanding Upper School curriculum.
Time-honored traditions such as the Gateway Program at the end of Grade 4 and the Crossing Ceremony at the end of Grade 8 affirm that, as students advance from one division to the next, they remain part of the same Navigator family. This year, we are delighted to continue a new tradition initiated by the Class of 2025, the First Grade-Senior Buddies program, which forges close connections between our oldest students and some of our youngest through a shared love of reading.
With strong relationships as a foundation, the classroom experience at HRA works in tandem with a wealth of co-curricular opportunities to nurture the whole student. Our students distinguish themselves not only as scholars, writers, and critical thinkers, but also as artists, performers, musicians, players on 33 award-winning athletic teams, and members, creators, and leaders of over 50 clubs and extracurricular organizations. Cumulatively, Navigators complete 4,000 hours of community service every year. In the Upper School, students can enrich their education through summer travel, college-level research projects tailored to their interests, and an array of internships and mentorships coordinated by our REACH Initiative. This diverse assortment of opportunities allows HRA students to take ownership of their learning, explore new avenues, and connect their studies to fulfilling endeavors beyond the halls of their school.
Looking Forward
In the year ahead, Navigators at all grade levels will be challenged academically, trusted to hold themselves to the highest standard of character under the HRA Honor System, and encouraged to seize opportunities for learning and growth on campus and in their communities.
We invite both new and returning students and families to lean into this rigorous and rewarding experience. And to our alumni, we say, once a Navigator, always a Navigator. Join us for Homecoming and Noodle Night, turn out for class reunions, and pay forward everything you gained at HRA to the current generation of students and many generations to come.
Through connections, Navigators build the skills and the confidence to chart new waters and travel farther than they ever thought possible. HRA is a community like no other, shaping the leaders and trailblazers of tomorrow.
Mr. Lasley left the very next cohort of leaders, the Class of 2026 with a call to action: “I am counting on you. The student body is counting on you. This school community is counting on you. The future of society is counting on you.”
