Golden Moments: Celebrating Ring Day 2025 with faith, imagination, and tradition

Every October, the halls of The Ursuline School transform overnight into something extraordinary. Faculty, staff, and students work quietly behind the scenes to surprise the senior class with a celebration that captures the heart of Ursuline tradition.

This year, the Class of 2026 stepped into a world of color, imagination, and delight inspired by Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, turning familiar hallways into a joyful tribute to tradition and sisterhood.

Excitement built from the moment the doors opened on Tuesday, October 21, 2025, as seniors in their winter dress uniforms, green sweaters, brown plaid skirts, and right ring fingers ready, gathered with family, classmates, and faculty for one of Ursuline’s most time-honored traditions. Each fall, Ring Day is more than a ceremony. It is a joyful rite of passage linking generations of Ursuline women.

The morning began with a Ring Day Liturgy held on the Feast of St. Ursula, the school’s patroness. Senior parents and family members joined their daughters for Mass celebrated by Father Thomas Byrnes, reflecting on St. Ursula’s courage and faith, and the timeless values that have shaped Ursuline life along North Avenue for generations.

Following the liturgy, the entire school community gathered for the Ring Day Ceremony, where seniors received their class rings and stepped “through the ring,” continuing a cherished tradition of faith and sisterhood.

“Ring Day is a beautiful reminder that tradition and transformation can coexist.”
- Dr. Colleen Melnyk P'18, president

In her remarks, Dr. Colleen Melnyk P'18, president of The Ursuline School, described Ring Day as “a milestone that connects you to generations of Ursuline women who have shared this same moment of pride and joy.” She noted that this year's Willy Wonka theme captured "the joy and creativity this story inspires, reminding us to imagine boldly, create with purpose, and find joy in sharing our gifts with others.”

For more than eight decades, the Ursuline ring has symbolized strength, scholarship, and sisterhood. The black onyx represents academic excellence and reflects each student’s inner character, while the band captures the spirit of women who carry Ursuline values into the world. Inside each ring are the words Ac Fui, Latin for I was there, I was a part, a timeless reminder of belonging.

The celebration’s Willy Wonka theme was brought vividly to life through an imaginative art installation created by students and Visual and Media Arts faculty, a beloved annual collaboration that transforms the first-floor hallway each year. Click HERE for a related story.

This year’s chocolate-inspired theme also tied into the school's Issue of Global Concern: Global Free Trade, guided by Mrs. Maria Barton ’83, P’23 ’25, director of Global Education. During the school year, students will explore fair-trade chocolate and ethical sourcing, examining how responsible business practices can support farmers and communities worldwide.

As the Class of 2026 stepped through the ring, their smiles said it all: a mixture of joy, pride, and wonder at the moment they had long awaited.

“Ring Day is a beautiful reminder that tradition and transformation can coexist,” said Dr. Melnyk. “Our seniors honor the past while stepping boldly into the future, grounded in faith and guided by a commitment to serve.”