Zebra Tales
2018-19
Jed '20
Hometown (where you currently live): Huntsville, AL
Most surprising when you first arrived at Groton: There is no air conditioning in dorms. I was not used to this–even though it’s much hotter in the South, we have air conditioning in all our buildings!
Favorite class or classes and why: I enjoy my World and the West history class as well as Chemistry because of their close relationship to and effect on relevant topics that I am likely to encounter outside of the classroom.
Groton activities: Varsity football, thirds basketball, JV tennis, trapshooting, Student Activities Committee, Acolyte Head, Groton Evening Softball League, Jazz Ensemble, Admissions tour guide
Most memorable Groton moment: I accidentally wore my favorite hat into Mr. Lamont’s history classroom on the second floor, and before I knew it, he had taken it off my head. Next, he calmly walked over to the window and threw it out. This was very funny and I remembered never to wear a hat inside his classroom again!
Favorite Dining Hall food: Cheeseburgers and fries
Favorite Surprise Holiday: Last spring, when I went with a few of my friends to walk around Boston for the day, We had a lot of fun looking at sneakers in outlet stores, and we ate at Shake Shack with many members of our form. This holiday was the best because it truly was a surprise to everyone and a great beginning to spring term.
List of 8 news stories.
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Learning the Ropes at Concerts
One recent Saturday was a confluence of everything I’ve been doing this summer–concert production and a lot of DJ work. While it was my third paid DJ event of the summer, I’ve also been shadowing an industry professional and helping him with proms, weddings, and working to set up and take down decorations and pro audio equipment.Read More -
Berklee at Groton
Last weekend, the Jazz Ensemble welcomed jazz players from the Berklee College of Music for a workshop with our own jazz ensemble. We first performed and then worked through three of our own concert pieces with their band teacher, and then they joined us on stage to help fine-tune our parts section by section. Groton’s trombone section particularly appreciated the bass trombone player Dean from Berklee, as he gave us tips on articulation and breath support for our piece, “Extraordinary.”Read More -
March Madness
As I watched my poorly crafted NCAA tournament bracket drop in the national rankings, day after day, I wished that I actually had some skill in predicting who would go all the way this March. However, I had no reason to fear! We were having a 3 v. 3 basketball tourney of our own!Read More -
Are We in Vegas?
An annual Groton tradition, Casino Night, is a great laid-back way to spend a Saturday night. After students wait in line to get their starting loan of poker chips, we take to the Texas Hold ’em, blackjack, and roulette tables all around the ground level in the Forum. Of course, there aren’t enough spots for everyone to play at once, so groups of us loiter around the games of our choice, waiting for the table to turn over so we can bet heavily and not win any hands. I joke, but it can be hard to keep up with our well-equipped classmates, who have aggregated massive amounts of chips from other students who did not want to play.Read More -
St. Mark’s Week
After an especially focused week of football practice under the glow of a rental light, late into the evening after the sunset, we felt ready to play toe to toe with a team that Groton had not beat in three years. On Friday night, after our walkthrough before the next day’s game, and the last of the season, everyone got cleaned up and headed to the gym classroom for a special dinner that the parents organized to celebrate this year’s seniors.Read More -
An Interesting Fall Long Weekend
Last Friday, after a tough football loss in overtime to Middlesex School on our home field, I found myself slowly walking back to the locker room with my teammates. As I began to take off my pads and get ready to shower back in my dorm across campus, I heard my name being called, “Jed! Jed! Is he in here? The bus to Logan is leaving now!” Being very weary and slightly annoyed, I made my way out to the Athletic Center lobby, still sweaty and wearing my eye black from the game. I realized that the double overtime took the game far past the time that it was supposed to end.Read More -
A Fall Sunday on the Circle
The first weekend of school this year found me setting up games on the Circle, such as cornhole, street hockey, volleyball, and badminton. All of these games were being assembled in preparation for an afternoon event directed at the new Second and Third Formers (8th and 9th graders), as a chance for them to bond with new friends. As a member of the SAC (Student Activities Committee) on campus, I’m part of a small student group that is responsible for planning activities for every weekend that students are on campus, including Saturday as well as Sunday, and changing things up so that the boarding students never feel as if there is “nothing” to do. We are a student-led group, and we use our very helpful faculty leader, Mr. LeRoy, to book our outdoor movies, ice cream trucks, magicians, hypnotists, inflatables, and similar attractions.Read More -
Venturing into the DJ World
In my first post, I went into detail about my summer experiences at Bluewood Productions (for concerts), but I have spent equal, if not more, time with Steve Metz at Metropolitan DJ, in my city of Huntsville, Alabama. Starting in March, I was shadowing him at big proms and learning how to set up pipe & drape as well as uplighting for weddings. Steve actually lost his voice before the first event that I went to, so he asked if I could make announcements over the microphone for him at the prom, which was a first for me! After that night, I improved my natural sound and friendliness on the mic, which was useful at my own DJ events.Read More
