On October 10, 2025, Mercersburg Academy held its second annual Founder’s Day, created as a way to commemorate the school’s founding as well as a time for students to enjoy a variety of activities, such as lip sync, tug of war, and water balloon toss. Andy Brown, Dean of Students for Community Life, stated, “Founder's Day has two parts: the morning meeting about the school’s history and the afternoon class competitions. The student government and class councils did a lot more of the planning this year, which made it feel more student-driven. We added trivia and smaller relays to make the day more inclusive and spontaneous so that everyone could participate in some way. I think it was a big success, more students got involved, and it was great seeing so much class pride and school spirit.”
Brodie Dann ‘28 said, “I liked Founder's Day a lot this year. It was way better because we were on the turf, and it felt like more people could participate in the games. The relay race was probably the best part. Everyone was cheering, and it had great energy. I think the songs were all good too, and I was happy our grade got a fun one.” Dann also added that “there were a lot more games, and a lot more people could participate.” Similarly, Ben Pham ‘27 enjoyed the event: “I thought Founder's Day was fun, especially the tug of war — that was definitely the highlight for me. The shaved ice was also really good.
Karin Sugiyama ‘27, Director of Student Activities for the Class of 2027, added her reflections. “I think Founder's Day was fun overall, but maybe we organized it too much — it lost a bit of the fondness and spontaneity. The water balloon activity wasn’t as engaging as the relays, which are fun to cheer for. We tried to make it inclusive by adding trivia for people who aren’t as athletic, but it still felt less hype compared to last year,” she said.
Sophie Oh ‘26 agreed, “Honestly, the weather kind of ruined the vibe — it was cold, and I felt like a lot of people skipped or weren’t as into it. There just wasn’t as much school spirit this year, and it felt really short compared to before. Still, it was fun to watch and see the freshman class being so into it — that gave me hope that things might get more lively again. I just wish people got to pick their own songs for lip sync because then everyone would be more excited to participate.” Picking up on a larger pattern, Oh added, “There just wasn’t a lot of spirit, but maybe that’s been a trend in a lot of activities lately.”
However, other students from her class found the event exciting. Anouk Wandeler ‘26 said, “I’m really happy we won — our class has been waiting for this since we came in second last year, so it felt great to finally do it.” She also considered her experience in the Class of 2026 lip sync group: “We weren’t feeling confident at first because of the song we got, but we pushed through and ended up having so much fun. It was cool to see everyone come together and actually enjoy performing. I liked that the songs were chosen randomly, but I do wish the selection had been more even. Ours felt a bit out of place compared to the others.”
Many students disagreed with the Office of Student Life’s decision to randomize the song choices, which differed from the previous year, in which students had the opportunity to choose their own songs. Brown explained the reasoning for the change: “We did that to keep things spontaneous and fair, and so one class couldn’t spend all summer practicing a routine ahead of time. It pushed students to be more creative in the moment and to have fun with what they were given. The goal was to make Founder's Day less about competition and more about school spirit and collaboration.”
The Class of 2026, in particular, was disappointed in its assigned song choice: Dance Monkey by Tones and I. Oh spoke for many of her classmates when she said, “Honestly, when I first heard the song our class got for lip sync, I was flabbergasted. I remember thinking, who even came up with this? Who listens to this song, and how is this supposed to get people excited? It sounded like something they’d play at Macy’s. But even though the choice was random and kind of weird, I think our class actually pulled it off really well. Still, I think it would’ve been way more fun if we got to choose our own songs — that way people could pick something they actually liked and be more creative and excited to perform.” Meanwhile, Wandeler offered a more nuanced take: “I actually liked that the songs were chosen randomly because it made things fair and more of a surprise. But I do think the song selection could’ve been more balanced — the other classes got really upbeat 2010s throwbacks, while ours was a slower 2022 song, so it didn’t feel totally even.” Members of other classes weighed in. Dann added, “I think they were all good songs, but I’m happy our grade got a good one.”
School Archivist Doug Smith explained the importance of the event. “Founder's Day is a way to rekindle the spirit of what used to be called Field Day: an old tradition where the whole school competed together. It’s meant to bring back that school spirit and sense of community, just in a modernized form. When I presented, I wanted to show that our community is what truly builds us, not just one founder or one event. Understanding our history helps students see how the school has grown and evolved, not to stay stuck in the past but to appreciate the roots that shaped who we are,” he said.