The period between Thanksgiving and Winter, dubbed by students the two weeks, is infamous for being jam-packed with the rushed beginnings of winter sports, large numbers of tests and quizzes, and the Lessons and Carols Festival.
With the end of Thanksgiving, we returned the Wednesday after. Immediately, I was set upon with Squash tryouts. After a few days, a few matches, a few practices, the roster was decided, and I made the cut for Varsity this year, a big step up from the middle of the JV roster last year. Mr. Prockup, our coach, has done wonders for our team so far, and we are going to be far better than we expected, under our current circumstances—we graduated 5 from our top 8 last season. While it is a little bit dire, all teams do go through a rebuilding process, and we have a shot at a very respectable record this year because of Mr. Prockop’s coaching. The price of that, though, comes in the form of sprints twice a week. While miserable, they make a notable difference during our matches, such as Wednesday, against Exeter. We ended up coming just short, 4-3, but we had two matches that made it to a 5th game. Overall, it was a super fun match and everyone on the team is eagerly looking forward to our matches after the break.
In terms of academics, the two weeks are notorious for their difficulty, but they’re also some of the more enjoyable times. In History, my class has worked on and turned in our research papers today. While they were at times a grind, it was a subject of our choice, and so we were able to pick a topic that interested us. Topics ranged from Japanese influence on Peru to the influence of the USSR on the Spanish Civil War. In my English we’ve begun Macbeth, but rather than sit around the table, we’ve been performing what we’ve read for homework in the smaller black box theater, putting the words into the medium that they were actually intended. While an odd experience, it's certainly been very positive and really fun.
Tonight, the 14th, the final night before we leave, we saw the annual performance of Lessons and Carols, a Christmas service in the Chapel. Per usual, it was incredible, featuring readings from students, the theater director, a prior headmaster, Mr. Polk ‘58, and Mr. Maqubela, our current headmaster. The real highlight, though, was the choir. Throughout the performance, they sounded incredible, from the basses to the sopranos, and even featured a piece written completely by Ebun ‘24. The chamber orchestra too, played a phenomenal set. Winter break begins tomorrow, the 15th, and while I’m happy to see my family and friends from home, I’m sad to see Groton Go.