When skits finished, we were instructed to encircle the gathering space (an aptly named commons area of the LAB) and, curiously, everyone went about it very silently. I had no idea what was going on. Like a good little lemming, I just followed suit.
Two seniors, the Student Leadership Committee (SLC) leaders, took their place in the center of the circle. Joseph and Iana took their role very seriously, as any respectful person would. They asked that all the underclassman were respectful and reminded us that it was an emotional moment for the seniors, but I didn't need to be asked or told. I was emotional, too. Happy is an emotion, last I checked, and I had plenty of that.
With that done, we began with a rain song. Following their lead, we progressed from rubbing our hands to snapping fingers to patting our thighs, stomping our feet, and back down to silence. If someone had asked before that night, I would have said that there could be no romanticism in a bunch of high schoolers stomping their feet together, but then I witnessed a rain storm that had never been. I have never been so wrong.
The staff began the candlelight walk. At the base of the stairs, they lit a simple, white candle and ascended the stairs. Outside, they lined the sides of the bridge that connected the LAB to the student path, arching over a small ravine. Seniors, juniors, then sophomores followed suit, leaving us at the bottom of the stairs. The freshman class together for the first time.
It was our turn, then. We took our candles and climbed the stairs. With my trusty guitar on my back, I walked past the candlelit faces of my peers, my soon-to-be best of friends. As I shielded the flickering flame from the wind, I couldn't help smiling. The journey had begun.
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Two seniors, the Student Leadership Committee (SLC) leaders, took their place in the center of the circle. Joseph and Iana took their role very seriously, as any respectful person would. They asked that all the underclassman were respectful and reminded us that it was an emotional moment for the seniors, but I didn't need to be asked or told. I was emotional, too. Happy is an emotion, last I checked, and I had plenty of that.
With that done, we began with a rain song. Following their lead, we progressed from rubbing our hands to snapping fingers to patting our thighs, stomping our feet, and back down to silence. If someone had asked before that night, I would have said that there could be no romanticism in a bunch of high schoolers stomping their feet together, but then I witnessed a rain storm that had never been. I have never been so wrong.
The staff began the candlelight walk. At the base of the stairs, they lit a simple, white candle and ascended the stairs. Outside, they lined the sides of the bridge that connected the LAB to the student path, arching over a small ravine. Seniors, juniors, then sophomores followed suit, leaving us at the bottom of the stairs. The freshman class together for the first time.
It was our turn, then. We took our candles and climbed the stairs. With my trusty guitar on my back, I walked past the candlelit faces of my peers, my soon-to-be best of friends. As I shielded the flickering flame from the wind, I couldn't help smiling. The journey had begun.
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