Honors, History, Competition, and Community

By Lisa Tedrick Prejean

Had William Mann Irvine walked down the hill behind Main Hall the afternoon of October 8, 2024, he might have been perplexed.

Runners in dinosaur costumes? Singers who weren’t singing? Students eating pastries from a string? A big, blue eagle mascot answering to the name of Thunder?

Yet the sounds of laughter and loud swelling cheers would sound familiar to Irvine, who in the fall of 1893–with 40 boys, four instructors, and four acres of leased ground–launched a school known as Mercersburg College. The school adopted the name Mercersburg Academy in 1897.

The dinosaur costume race, lip-sync contest, and doughnut-eating relay were part of Mercersburg’s inaugural Founder’s Day celebration, planned to honor founding headmaster Irvine, who believed participation in athletics encourages hard work, fair play, and a clean life.

Following an afternoon of competitions, the senior class was named the victor of the day. The 11th-grade class came in second place, the 10th-grade class came in third, and the 9th graders placed fourth.

Along with bragging rights, the winning class walked away with the Founder’s Day gold championship belt, befitting of World Wrestling Entertainment’s finest. The prize seemed to go with the flow of the afternoon. There was a tug-of-war contest, after all, and there might have been some flexing and showboating thrown in here and there.

The true motivator for the afternoon was a head’s holiday in the form of a half day off of class, with the coveted prize of being able to sleep in on the designated day.

“We really want to pause in the busyness and mania of boarding school to have fun,” said Head of School Quentin McDowell
P ’25, ’27.

In addition to the class competitions, the day also provided an opportunity for the school community to hear a “Why Mercersburg?” story.

“The understanding is that we’re going to celebrate not only the founder of the school, but also the people who have made contributions to the school in many arenas as time goes on,” said School Archivist Doug Smith P ’23, ’24, who was part of the Founder’s Day planning committee.

Earlier in the day, Deborah Simon ’74 gave the inaugural Founder’s Day address. Simon spent two years as a Mercersburg student as the school was transitioning to a coeducational institution.

Simon likened Founder’s Day to a beginning, whether it be a birth, an organization’s start, or a career being launched. 

“I think there are two kinds of people–those who let things happen and those who make things happen,” Simon told the students. “I hope you become part of the latter and make things happen in your life.”

Simon is the most generous female philanthropist in the history of independent schools, McDowell said. Mercersburg’s Simon Student Center and Simon Theatre are two of the many projects her generosity funded. 

“I want the kids to connect the names that they see with the human beings who name them,” McDowell said, noting that it’s important for students to hear from those who have given time, talent, and treasure to organizations that have made an impact on their lives.

During a Q&A period after her remarks, Simon was asked what inspires her to support Mercersburg so deeply. 

“This was a true place where I found myself. I really did. The memories here that I had, the family that I developed here, have never been replaced. Mercersburg is hard to overcome,” Simon said. “To have that experience with family and friends and teachers who really know you and care about you, I’ve never found that anywhere else again, so that’s why. Also, the fact is that kids deserve–you guys all deserve–an education befitting your dreams.”

Leading up to Founder’s Day–which the school intends to make an annual tradition–student leaders provided input for the activities planned. 

“The goal is to make it fun and spontaneous,” said Dean of Students for Community Life Andy Brown. “We’re hoping to switch some things up every year, and also continuously give our student government and class councils a chance to formulate some of the competitions.”

In addition to class games, students were treated to Rita’s Italian Ice served by faculty and staff members.