Upon my return to Groton as a Fourth Former, I was greeted with a new freedom: ‘the fifteen.’ The fifteen is a moniker for the 15 minutes between study hall and check in for Upper Schoolers. Typically, you could find most Fourth Formers, and a few other upper schoolers, sitting in the darkened expanse of the dining hall.
The check-in precursor serves as a moment to distance yourself from the isolation of your assignment center by making a pb&j, pouring a glass of milk, or simply sitting in a booth with friends who are not in your dorm. Some of the most special moments or best laughs of the week happen during this 15-minute window of time. Despite frequenting the dining hall, my ventures also include late night doordash runs (as pictured on the right), dorm visits, or that one time I had to throw out my cardboard boxes in the Schoolhouse. Although the academic step from Third Form to Fourth is wide, and sometimes feels all encompassing, the fifteen is a welcome break amidst the chaos.