Ahh yes, sounds of the season:
Finally, I’m here. After three years of mocking how stupid it looked from the outside, I’ve accepted my rightful place in the front rows of the Chapel. This year, I got to be on the inside of the first ASM of the year, to celebrate my class with…chanting. The chanting, despite mimicking the Gregorian chants of sexually repressed 11th-century monks (and their famed gang signs), was a welcome respite from the sounds of Drumline. Frankly, it was pretty hype!
Oh, the joys of listening to a 9th grader picking up drums for the first time! A feeling of joy floods through my body, especially as the Co-Presidents and Deans rack up terrible jokes about numbers that genuinely didn’t make any sense. The lengths these guys went to in fitting the number 27 into a sentence, I’m surprised the 27 Club didn’t make an appearance. It should be noted that the Lower classes made WAY too much noise… like come on guys its our day… After all that preamble, there were a couple of speeches before the masses thronged out of the chapel and invaded downtown Andover for lunch. Apparently, shop owners don’t love 100 high school students saying random numbers and repping a set (boarding school btw).
As I think back to the ASM, I realized something had moved me. Sitting in those front rows, looking up at the stage, I finally understood why previous Seniors had been so emotional: they could see the exit, but they weren’t allowed to use it yet.
I’ll admit I barely listened to the speeches; I just jolted up when everyone else did. I was busy thinking about how this would be one of my “last firsts.” My last first ASM. My last first flag ceremony. My last first time explaining to someone that I was NOT a freshman, despite my smaller frame.
So yes, I chanted despite my younger self saying, “When I’m a senior, I would not be that obnoxious.” I spent three years waiting for the privilege of yelling a number in a building with poor ventilation, and I intended to get my tuition’s worth. Some Lower behind me rolled his eyes.
I turned around to tell him to have that BIG BLUE spirit!
