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Our Hector J. Hughes Extemporaneous Speaking Contest and W. W. Fenn Public Speaking Contest train our students to speak confidently and eloquently before an audience and provide opportunities to showcase their creativity and leadership. 

Each ninth grade student takes to the podium in Ward Hall to share a parting Senior Reflection before the full Fenn community. Their messages are personal and always inspiring to the younger students absorbing them, often urging them to take full advantage of the myriad opportunities for personal growth that Fenn affords its students. 

Blue and Gold Fenn energy fills the campus when the legendary NANBAM ("Not a New Boy Anymore") celebration takes over the turf. Blue and Gold spirit tunnels welcome their newest members after each new boy's name is called, his team color is assigned, and he is gifted his first official t-shirt in blue or gold. Once all names are called, a spirited yet friendly battle of tug-o-war sets the tone for Field Day later in the year.

Days before each school year closes, Fenn boys assemble for an annual Field Day competition. Since the 1950s, teams of Blue and Gold have competed in a multitude of events, including favorites like tug-of-war and running relays. The flag of the winning team is hoisted proudly onto the Advancement Building's front flagpole until the following year's contest.

Fenn founder, Roger Fenn, understood the value of hands-on learning for boys and planted the seeds of today’s expansive arts program by establishing a Wood Shop course. Each Fenn student completes a signature project in his designated Wood Shop course, spanning the fourth grade's toolboxes and bird houses to ninth grade creations of bamboo fly-fishing rods, skateboards, guitars, and more!

Our fifth grade boys conclude their Lower School experience with Fenn's annual three-day trip to the Merrowvista Education Center in Tuftonboro, New Hampshire. It is a trip filled with laughter, excitement, comradeship, challenges, and growth, culminating in a special ceremony at which each student is recognized and celebrated for his unique contributions across his Lower School years.

Since Fenn alumnus and legendary teacher Jim Carter ’54 founded Fenn's signature Washington, D.C. trip in 1976, the Fenn seventh grade has traveled to the nation's capital for what many students name as the pinnacle grade-level trip during their Fenn years. Boys learn and grow as a class throughout the trip as they explore the rich history surrounding them.