Students and faculty from various underclassmen dormitories took a dorm-sponsored field trip to the Boston Hill Farm last Sunday. An annual tradition, the excursion featured apple picking and shopping at farm stands, allowing students to socialize with peers and house counselors outside of a dorm setting.
The outing gathered students from Johnson, Taylor, Chase, Isham, and Double Brick House, dorms all located in West Quad North and West Quad South. Rebecca Bowers, Teaching Fellow in the Department of Mathematics, Statistics, and Computer Science and house counselor in Johnson, took part in organizing the event. She emphasized moments of compassion and inclusivity throughout the trip.
“Johnson and Taylor [students] may not have known each other super well, but people made new friends. There were a couple of moments where people were just being really inclusive, saying, ‘Hey, wanna come?’ which was really sweet,” said Bowers.
Bowers continued, “I hope students came away with a deeper sense of connection with new people in the dorm. Sometimes being outside the dorm space helps you make connections that you can then bring back to campus.”
Anaya Sharma ’29 described the outing as a welcome break from academics and a chance to strengthen dorm connections. Sharma shared that the experience helped her grow closer to her dorm community and spend time with people she doesn’t often see during the busy school week.
“I went on the apple-picking trip mainly because I wanted to have fun with my friends and spend time off-campus… I met a guy from Taylor who was super nice, and I talked to my Prefects a lot more, which was really fun. We all hung out when we were getting food at the market. They had mac and cheese, ribs, and apple cider doughnuts, which were amazing,” said Sharma.
Shiloh Robinson ’27, a Prefect and three-year resident in Johnson, appreciated the opportunity to meet new students as an upperclassman. Robinson reflected on the trip as a bonding experience.
“[Johnson’s] done apple picking all my first two years, so it was a lot of fun. I got to hang out with a lot of my prefectees and meet a couple of guys from Taylor. Getting to hang out with people you don’t normally spend time with is always fun,” said Robinson.
Jacob Montanaro, a teaching fellow in Physical Education and Lifetime Wellness and a house counselor in Taylor, noted that the joint event was a first-time experience for Taylor residents.
“The boys from our dorm who went were all new to the dorm. Everyone went apple picking together, and there was a lot of photo-taking. People were shopping at the farm stand, getting apple cider donuts or apple cider, as well as the apples we picked. It was cool to see them not just interacting with [students] living in Taylor, but getting to see them outside of campus spaces, making connections and friends with girls in Johnson,” said Montanaro.
While students from various dorms attended, Taylor resident Jason Cai ’28 observed that participation levels were uneven. Cai expressed how he wished there was a greater turnout from his dorm in comparison to Johnson.
“Events like these can really allow dorms to spend time together more, but oftentimes they need participation from both dorms in equal amounts to really be effective. This apple picking trip only had four people from Taylor go and twenty-something from Johnson, which is a bit biased towards one side,” said Cai.
Montanaro emphasized the importance of organizing similar dorm-connecting events in the future in hopes of connecting residential clusters.
“I would like to continue these events, whether it’s just our dorm organizing an event. It’s great to invite other dorms to build connections with dorms, whether it’s in West Quad South or just across campus. The more the merrier. It should be an opportunity for people to meet as many people as they can while they’re here… The more opportunities we create for students to meet, connect, and explore together, the stronger our community becomes,” said Montanaro.
