It is without a doubt that winter this year has been like no other, with incredible performances from winter athletics, Urinetown, and the greatest performance of all, the snow, and the four days off it has graced us with, not once, but twice. Despite winter’s many upsides, many students report mixed feelings about this year’s winter and question whether their relationship with it still stands.
Reid Hauck (Class II) said, “I’m definitely more of a summer person, and I think that winter can be very sad, but it also can be fun.” Although it is indisputably true that warm, sunny summer days are unmatched in comparison to the winter drear we’ve had this year, students should pay extra attention to the sulk and sadness they project in the winter while longing for summer days. There may be something magical in the winter season right under their noses, but they will never realize it if they don’t stop and enjoy winter while we have it.
For instance, when talking about what his favorite winter activity is, Samora Nogueira Sanca (Class II) said, “I’m so serious, [it’s] looking forward to summer.” In Nogueira Sanca’s very serious and unfortunate case, his search ahead toward summer may be the prime example of all the winter fun he is missing in his dreams of sunnier days. In finding new winter activities, the decorative art hobby, bedazzling, which is adding rhinestones to random things, has been one that has upperclassmen completely hooked. Hauck has found herself very excited about her newfound winter hobby. She said, “[It’s] bedazzling, I’ve had lots of fun with it.” Maybe had he not been too busy daydreaming of summer, Nogueira Sanca, too, perhaps would be able to find the same joys in bedazzling as Hauck.
The winter dread infection seems to be especially persistent in the junior class. Eghosa Inomwan (Class II) said, “We’re too old for sledding.” This excuse has prevented him from living winter out to its fullest potential. The fact is, most sleds do not have an age limit. It is crucial that, during these short winter days, people find joy in things, especially in winter activities we remember having a lot of fun with when we were little, like sledding. Take this as a sign not to become a prisoner to your own beliefs, like Inomwan. Find yourself some Outing Club sleds and go sledding.
After all the inches of snow, Alec Albers (Class II) recalls the constant difficulty he has in having to come to school using the highway, and having to drive over a particular ramp that snow plows just haven’t cleared well. Albers said, “[Snow plows] didn’t clear the whole [ highway ramp] and now it’s just one long line [of cars] … Normally, it’s [the ramp] big enough where [St. Sebastian’s] people go left, we go right, but now it’s not, and it’s just bush league out of Dedham.” With this winter being the first with crazy amounts of snow unlike any other, students are actually forced to drive in real, authentic New England weather for the first time.
With the cold winter air, bundling up is another key component to having, at a bare minimum, a tolerable winter experience. However, bundling up in many layers can be difficult when you have a jacket that looks similar to most people’s, especially when nine times out of 10, they are susceptible to theft. This is often the fate for some unlucky people every year, and it was the case for Hauck this year. Hauck said, “When my coat got stolen, it definitely made it [my daily routines] harder, but I also don’t mind bundling up.” Thankfully, with her coat now returned, Hauck can enjoy bedazzling and bundling up to their best potential while warm.
Despite the gloom, despair, and all things unfair that the winter may have to bring, embracing happy moments and thinking warm thoughts will undoubtedly be the solution to get us all through Q3, as long as we continue to show up for one another and lean into the positive things that we are so fortunate enough to have at Nobles. Hauck said, “I think it’s more fun when you spend time with friends and really lean into the holidays, and it’s just fun when you actually embrace it.” So take this as your sign to think back to School Counselor Hannah Puckett’s assembly announcement: Feel gratitude that you get to experience a beautiful winter, and it will be over before you know it.
