By Georgie Charette ’23
Students find places to come together and enjoy their day all over campus. Between the hours of six and eight pm, it’s easy to find groups of students clustered into their preferred spaces to engage in various activities. Turf ball, a mini series of baseball enjoyed by a collection of boys from every grade, takes over the far corner of the turf almost every night. Just as frequently, an informal game of soccer is being played with no particular boundaries somewhere in between the mismatching lines drawn across the turf. Tennis games are played just next to those who decide to spend their time simply sprawling out and enjoying some music. As you travel away from the lowest corner of campus, you find students lounging about on the comfortable couches on the deck of the tennis courts, watching and taunting their friends as they engage in friendly competitions. Pairs of two will be found wandering the perimeter of the practice field, or resting on one of the many benches overlooking our beautiful campus.
As the winds get chillier and begin to carry white flakes to the ground, you might assume everyone would stay cozy in their dorms, but no. If you take a peek into the basketball gym on a saturday night, you will see every single kind of ball being thrown around as a plethora of sounds hit your ears. Sneakers squeaking as they collide into the floor, turning to get the ball in the hoop before the next person in line. At least one speaker blasting some overplayed 2000’s hit, harmonizing with a group of students watching their friends and trying to sing along. If you venture across the street to the gym, you will find a space packed full of people. You will find everyone from gym rats, who spend the majority of their time there, to the newcomers, who keep their eyes low. Despite varied levels of experience, everyone comes together in this setting in order to use our wonderful fitness facilities.
It doesn’t end with sports and fitness when it comes to FGS students finding ways to entertain themselves. As you walk up the stairs to enter the dining hall, you will notice the student center, more commonly known as the stu, lit up by the smiles of underclassmen. Engaging in games of Ping Pong and squishing as many people as possible onto the couches to lounge and let the hours pass. Pool balls fly across the table as many wait around for their turn, all coexisting happily in this space. This is where students find opportunities to make new friends and reach out to new people.
The white walls of TPACC reflect a soothing energy into the large space, and many artists find themselves here after the hours of classes, perfecting their skills. As one student’s paintbrush glides across the surface of the canvas, another throws clay over and over again, hoping to throw a good enough foundation that will allow for their success. A soft hymn of the piano whispering through the crack in the door, dances along the top of your brain, spurring a feeling of empowerment and curiosity.
While all of these spaces may not be full all the time, they are all used and loved by our students. No matter what time of day it is, if you take a walk around campus and are willing to start a conversation with a new friend, you are guaranteed to find something of interest to do, and if you don’t enjoy it, there are plenty of other options.
The Highlander 