By Sebastian Komaritsky ’25
Many students from Frederick Gunn School like to use the student center as a means of relaxation, meeting new people, and hanging out with people. In this article, we delve into the student center and explore why it’s such a popular destination for many students and how it impacts our school community. The student center is located near the Hall of Flags and is a common area for many students when they need an area to relax or hang out with friends.
The student center is full of many recreational activities for students to use, including three bean bag couches, two bean bag chairs, a full-sized pool table, two foosball tables, a ping pong table, and a jumbo Connect 4 game. In the outer area there are tables and chairs to sit in if you need to do work there. You will rarely find the student center empty, as it is always filled with people hanging out on the couches or playing pool. Zino Owhero, an avid foosball player in the student center, shared, “My favorite part of the student center is the foosball tables. I like to play foosball with my friends and have friendly competition with my peers.”
While the student center is a lively area and most certainly a sociable space, it is important to clean up as many students do, but once in a while, it does get shut down due to students being forgetful. In addition, there is a big flat-screen TV that draws students to connect to the TV and watch things such as football, soccer, basketball, and YouTube videos. The student center is usually always open to everyone unless a special event is planned there.
“My favorite part is the couches; I love just sitting there and watching my friends play ping pong or pool,” said Nick Wang, a two-year junior. While the student center is mainly for students, many faculty also use the student center for recreational use, such as informal lunch meetings. A special detail about the student center is that all staff are welcome, which represents Gunn’s approach to inclusiveness. Sometimes, even maintenance workers and other staff eat either inside the student center or in the seating area of the student center. It’s great how everyone feels welcome to use the space!
