This year’s freshman class of 2028 started their high school careers in an unthinkable way. Though many may dream of a sleepover at school, Form III no longer needed to. On September 3rd, Form III and Form V came back to school, filling the hallways with noise and the quad with life after a quiet summer away. Students spent the day reconnecting with friends and familiarizing themselves with the new community members whom they would get to know throughout the generously allotted twenty hours of orientation. The day was spent with rotation after rotation of programming, icebreakers and very competitive dance battles.
Coming into the new school year, students across Form III were filled with different emotions about how the night would go. “I thought it was an absolutely horrific idea,” said Ryan Hunter, Form III. “I know we are teenagers, we like to have fun, I didn’t think it would go well for the teachers, but honestly in the end I think we all had a great time.” However, many kids new to Fieldston harbored nervous feelings. As a new Form III student, Graydon Goldbarg said, “It was a little nerve-wracking at first, but I was glad that I did a sport before so I knew some kids that were new and others that had previously gone here.”
Emotions ranged across the student population, but there was a general consensus of excitement. Although the library was filled with plenty of late-night screaming and unwanted noise, it only tied the relationships in the grade closer together. Whether it was the late-night chats, sleep circles, four people sharing one pillow or the 3:00 AM McDonald’s meal, that night will be a memory shared by everyone in Form III.
A memory that everyone in Form III will never forget is the sacred dance battle between our iconic spelling bee contestant, Leon Kokorev Harrera, and the new and favored dean, Dean Marro. A competitive dance-off ensued. . Sloane Lytle shared her feelings about the iconic dance battle stating, “The dance battle was a 10 out of 10. I enjoyed it and I enjoyed that Mr. Marro did it too! I think that Leon won because he did multiple rounds and his dance moves were the best.”
There are many mixed feelings about whether students would do the sleepover again. The great majority agreed that the experience was a one-and-done. Chloe Housell, another new student to the class of 2028, shared her thoughts on the night saying, “My overall experience at the school sleepover was very welcoming and a lighthearted environment because I met so many new people that made me feel welcome and wanted at my first day at Fieldston.” Form III will tell stories about this extravagantly creative library sleepover forevermore.
