Although I am a returning student, my nerves still rose as my mom and I pulled past the gates to the Circle. As everyone is now officially on campus, whether after a long summer or for the first time ever, the Circle has returned to life in full effect.
One essential component of the Circle is the relationships you build in your advisories. After settling into my room and catching up with as many people as possible, I met up with my advisory group outside the Athletic Center to go to our meeting. As much as I like to poke fun at my advisor, Ms. Walsh, for making us all trudge through the “treacherous” walk to her house, it is one of the best parts. We all walk through what's known as the “triangle”; a beautiful open field that sits atop a hill overlooking all the trees and terrain in the distance.
My advisory group is composed of seven of us who have become very close. We have the self-proclaimed highest percentage of advisory students from Wyoming in the greater New England boarding school realm (two of us), so it's safe for us to say that we are one of the best advisories.
When we arrive at Ms. Walsh's house, we are greeted by her dog, Riptide. Riptide's vibrant white coat flashes around while she tries to make up her mind who to greet first. We grab the firewood and round up some kindling, then we make a fire overlooking one of the many open fields right off of campus. The sun slowly drifts below the horizon, leaving the sky in a beautiful array of colors.
After many unsuccessful attempts to start the fire, we finally get the sparks to catch and are able to sit back and make some s'mores. We are able to share the stories of our summers as the sky darkens around the warm fire. All of us share our stories of the summer and gossip about which class we are most nervous for going into the year. The storytelling quickly turns into an intense debate over whether s'mores are better burnt or if they should be cooked golden brown. Unfortunately, there is not enough time to finish this debate, and so it will be a sensitive subject for anyone in Walsh’s advisory from this time forward. Instead, we table it for later and enjoy our final night without homework.
One thing Groton has taught me is to try and take in moments like these, especially later in the year when the workload increases. My advisories are a connection to friends and "family" that it is sometimes hard to get when I am at school so far away from my home. Not only have my advisors made sure I am where I want to be academically and athletically, but my advisors have also been incredibly helpful in making sure I am maintaining a healthy life outside of school and sports. They are there to talk to and help you with whatever problem presents itself.