A Day in the Life of a Boarding Student

It is 7:30 a.m. and my alarm went off in my dorm room in East Main residence hall. My roommate is already up because she likes to do prep for her classes in the morning. We say hello, and I quickly gather my gear for a quick shower. I am in the a.m. shower group so we don’t have too many people in the bathroom at once. I head to my assigned sink to brush my teeth, stop in my assigned stall, then step into the shower assigned to my small group.

I put on my mask and I return to my room to get dressed, then head over to the temperature check kiosk in the dorm. I get my temperature taken and fill out my daily health log before grabbing breakfast. This extra step takes a bit more time but now it has just become routine. It’s also nice to see Zahra, the dorm parent on duty, and we exchange hellos. I chat with my friend from the 4th floor because she is there for her temp check, too!

We decide to walk to breakfast together, and while we are in masks it’s nice to be able to talk about the latest episode of “The Office” we both watched yesterday! We make sure to use the designated down staircase.

We grab breakfast in the dining hall, and both the faculty breakfast monitor and dining staff greet us by name. I opted for eggs and a waffle, and I can’t wait to dig in. My friend and I decided that we will eat outdoors today because it is so nice.

After breakfast I head back up to my room for my Arrangement 5 class. It is from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. It is IB Global Politics and we end up having a really robust discussion with Meredith, our teacher, about how different governments have approached the COVID epidemic. It was amazing to be able to talk about my experience in the US but to also hear from my friends in Europe, Vietnam, and Hong Kong. (Sample Daily Schedule.)

I stretch for a bit after class then sit back down for Arrangement 7–Spanish 3. Cheri, our teacher, greeted us and we reviewed the results of our last quiz, then did a Kahoot to reinforce the latest set of vocabulary. Cheri then split us into breakout rooms on Zoom so our small groups can continue to make progress on our group assignment—writing a mini play that each small group will perform at the end of the academic cycle. I’m nervous, but I think it will be fun!

Yesterday I had meeting for worship at 11:00 a.m., but I don’t have that today, so I was able to schedule some time with Chris in the Writing Center. I need help on the latest paper for English. We decided to meet in person, so I walked down to the library. It was so nice to see my friend, Sam. He is a day student and even though we had to be distant, we caught up for a bit. Once I made it to the library and up to the Learning Center, Chris greeted me and we worked through the conclusion of my paper. I feel so much better now!

I’m in Lunch B so I make my way to the Dining Hall to pick up lunch. I am so excited that it’s chili day. I pick the vegetarian option, a salad, cornbread, and of course a piece of Texas Sheet Cake and grab a seat at one of the tables. I take my mask off to eat. I sit with one of my friends (safely distant, of course) who is chatting with a new 10th grader. We talked about how we can’t wait to hear our friend play guitar during Open Mic night tomorrow. While we are doing in-person events tonight, the Student Activities Board made tomorrow’s Open Mic online because our friends who don’t live on campus wanted to participate, too.

After lunch I have some free time, so my roommate and I decide to connect with another boarding friend and we decide to sit on South Lawn and talk (with masks, of course). After that, it is consultation period. Yesterday I had a consult with Robert to go over material for next week’s test, so today I am using consult time to quickly say hi to my advisor (and grab candy from her candy bowl) and then meet with my college advisor. I want to see if there is any new feedback on my Common App essay.

At 2:10 p.m. I realize I am going to be late for Ceramics if I don’t hustle, so I book it to Hallowell just in time to greet Amedeo, grab a smock, and head to my designated pottery wheel. It is so nice to be hands on and to just be creative!

Class ends at 3:30 p.m., and I catch up with my friend from East on the way to the FAC. I have a conditioning session in the Fitness Center with Nancy, my lacrosse coach, and a group from my team.
At 5:00 p.m., I finish and head back up Meetinghouse Hill. It’s Friday and I am so excited! I can relax a bit, sleep in, and have fun. After dinner, I decide to go to Marshall—my friend and I have an ongoing pingpong battle and I want to get one game up on him. (Spoiler alert: I won). Later, Shari set up a s’mores pit and outdoor karaoke.

At 10:50 p.m., I head back to East Main and to the second floor where I am checking in with Gracie, my dorm head. She made an amazing fruit salad and had it in individual bowls for us. A few of us sat in the Common Room and talked about the best karaoke acts that night. We also talked about the food we ordered for the weekly Giant and H-Mart runs. I made sure to order clementines and Lucky Charms and I can’t wait to head to the Deans’ Office to pick up my groceries tomorrow. We also decided that after a long week, it was time for a Chipotle, so we decided that tomorrow night we would schedule Uber Eats delivery of Chipotle and debated whether a burrito or bowl was the choice. Then, of course, Open Mic later!

At 11:30 p.m., it was my turn for the bathroom and I brushed my teeth, then went back to my room and chatted with my roommate for a bit before catching just one more episode of “The Office” before heading to bed