Our Home Away From Home

Our exams are finished. Scantrons collected, uniforms closeted, and suitcases packed. It’s time to go home. Brimming with excitement, you tightly clutch the armrest on your plane seat feeling the wheels of your jet home leave the Victoria tarmac and begin to travel towards your destination. Regardless of your actual means of physical transportation, we will all be away from our school for over three weeks. What does this mean? For me it means the happy times of no more science tests, math quizzes, and a general time of utter relaxation. No more late-night studies, no more early morning panic attacks about WHAT A PARABOLA IS I JUST DON’T UNDERSTAND, and no more worrying about grades. We have completed 1st term, and we all deserve a break. Having said this, being away from Brentwood is not what we strive for. When I asked my fellow students why they felt sad about leaving Brentwood, although the odd few mentioned a specific class they will miss greatly, almost everyone talked about the people they will miss. Because our 360 boarders come from all over the world, it is rare to bump into one’s classmates over break, and this means separation from some of our closest friends. I cannot quote the myriad people who spoke of missing their friends, classmates, and teachers – there are simply too many. I would like to share one quote from a surprisingly philosophical Jordan R, Privett ’15, “On our break we may forget the Brentwood campus, but we will not forget the Brentwood people.” As our planes ascend, boats depart, and buses roll to the innumerable locations of our respective families, Brentwood may recede in distance, but not from our hearts. Soon we will be sitting at home with family, lounging comfortably under our own roof by a warm fire. Damian M, Privett ‘15, will be sprawled on the back of life-sized manatee, an animal (named Theo) that he displays proudly in his living room, a permanent trophy of his brief stint in amateur taxidermy. Soon the presents will be unwrapped, Christmas dinners eaten, and tickets bought for a return trip. Not just a trip back to school, but a trip back to Brentwood. Your home away from home. Toby CH, Privett ‘15