Pacifica Stories

Each year, the Head of School Awards invites our community to pause together and recognize something deeper than achievement alone. 

On April 30, 2026, students, families, and faculty gathered for one of Pacifica’s most meaningful traditions: an evening that honors excellence across disciplines while reflecting on the formation of the whole person.

In his opening remarks, the Head of School framed the night as more than a celebration. It was a journey—through the present, the past, and the future, all held within an eternal perspective. What followed was a call to gratitude, a reminder of the legacy we inherit and carry forward, and an invitation for students to consider not only their gifts and ambitions, but their responsibilities to others.

For those who were unable to attend, we invite you to read the full address below by Jim Knight and share in the vision that shaped this special evening.

THE PAST, PRESENT, & FUTURE WITH ETERNITY THOWN IN

Good evening, students, parents, faculty, and friends,

Tonight is a special night in our school's life.
It is a night of recognition and celebration, honoring excellence in academics, the arts, science, service, and faith.

But more than that, tonight is a journey.

A journey through the Present, the Past, and the Future, held within an eternal perspective.

The Present

We begin here. In this moment. Fully present.

Tonight, we pause to honor you, our students. We see your work, your growth, your discipline, your creativity, your perseverance. We are proud of you.

To our teachers and staff, you are the guides on this journey. Your wisdom, care, and daily investment shape lives in ways that often go unseen. We are deeply grateful.

And to our parents, you are the foundation. Day after day, in the quiet faithfulness of raising your children, you are building something lasting. What we celebrate tonight begins with you.

Tonight is an invitation to gratitude.

Gratitude is not automatic; it is intentional.
In a fast-paced world, celebration is often missed. We move quickly to what’s next, what’s lacking. We often focus on what isn’t working rather than what is. We are pessimists.

The human condition tends toward complaint rather than thanksgiving.

We see this even in Scripture, the Israelites, after being rescued from slavery in Egypt, after being provided for in the wilderness, began to grumble. They forgot what had been done for them.

Tonight, we resist that instinct.

We slow down. We notice. We celebrate. We give thanks for what is.

The Past

But tonight is not only about the present. It is also about remembering.

We look back on the journey, on the work it took to get here, on the gifts that have been cultivated, on the people who have shaped us.

Our culture often dismisses the past, seeing it as outdated, irrelevant or wrong.

But we are not disconnected individuals. We are part of a larger story.

We stand on the shoulders of those who came before us. We inherit wisdom, values, and a legacy entrusted to us.

I remind my own children of this often: you are not independent actors simply living your own story. You are connected, deeply connected, to those who came before you and those who will come after you.

You carry a name. You carry gifts. You carry a responsibility to honor what has been given and to pass it on.

And yet, the past is not only marked by goodness. There is also brokenness.

So as we look back, we do so with honesty, offering forgiveness where it is needed, and asking for forgiveness where we have fallen short.

We receive the past with humility, gratitude, and grace.

The Future

And from there, we look forward. The question before each of us is this:

What will we do with what we’ve been given?

How will we cultivate our gifts?
How will we use them to honor God, to serve others, and to build lives of purpose and joy?

We live in a culture that speaks often about individual rights, and rightly so. Rights matter.

But there is another side to that coin:

Responsibility.

What is our duty? What is asked of us, not just for ourselves, but for others?

I think of my father-in-law, Karl Henry, a World War II veteran. A man shaped by a deep sense of duty.

When his wife became ill, he didn’t step away; he leaned in. Day after day, he cared for her faithfully until the very end. He was responsible and took care of his responsibilities. He was made for that moment. His life, in some ways, pointed to the final chapter with his wife. Karl, a member of the greatest generation, shaped my life. He asked me to consider my duties, my responsibilities, and not simply my dreams, passions, and needs. He taught me that duty and freedom go together. A flourishing life takes one's serious dreams, visions, and independence and integrates them with one's duties. Life is not just about me, thank goodness, but about a community, a history, and a legacy.

Karl finished strong and passed down a legacy of goodness that I have the privilege of passing on. 

Seniors, that is my challenge to you tonight:

Finish strong. Build a legacy.

As you step into what’s next, don’t think only in terms of your passions, your dreams, your rights.

Also, consider your responsibilities to your family, to your community, to the generations before you,  and to those who will follow you.

The Eternal

And finally, beyond the present, the past, and the future, there is the eternal. There is something bigger than ourselves. Thank goodness it is not all about me and that I don’t have to figure it out on my own.

Tonight is not just about achievement. It is not just about recognition.

It is about placing all of this in a greater story. A story shaped by God. So as we celebrate, let us lift our eyes. Let us allow heaven to inform this moment, to shape how we see our accomplishments, how we understand our purpose, and how we live our lives.

This sanctuary we are in tonight says something. It is beautiful and grand. When I come in here, my attention and gaze are drawn up. As you enter, your eyes look upward. Churches like this and across the world are meant to draw our eyes upward, to the eternal, reminding us that the present, the here and now, what is right in front of us, is not all there is. It is not the entire story. When I enter St. Paul's in London, Notre Dame in Paris, or St. Peter's in Rome, I am drawn to heaven.

The past, present, future, and the eternal all mix to create a life of meaning, purpose, and joy.

Students, tonight, we celebrate excellence and performance. But more than that, we celebrate formation, and we celebrate God. We celebrate who you are becoming. Who you are called to be.

Congratulations to each of you.

You are loved and celebrated.