What do John F. Kennedy, Lana del Rey, and I have in common? We all attended boarding school in some sort of fashion. Kennedy attended Choate Boarding School, Lana Del Rey attended Kent School, and I graduated from Massanutten Military Academy. The impression that boarding schools have left on American minds is that these institutions are punishments, rather than the enjoyment that they actually are.
So, here are 12 reasons of why I believe boarding school was one of the greatest times in my life.
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1. Waking Up to your BFF EVERYDAY
Remember in elementary school how you never wanted your best friend to leave, and you constantly begged your parents to be around each other 24/7? Well, now that is a thing of the past! You’re going to be sleeping, eating, and doing everything else with your best friend until the day you graduate, and trust me, it’ll have its ups and downs but its always good to know that there’s someone who knows when to break out the pudding cups and when to pop in "Pretty Little Liars" to binge watch.
2. Every adult at school is officially your new mom/dad
From the cooks who give you that extra dollop of sour cream to the custodial staff to who get you Taco Bell after a tough exam, they're all there for you. Even the guy who volunteers to rake leaves every weekend instantly became your parents away from your parents. Whether they know it or not, the little things they do to comfort you go a long way.
3. You know everything about everyone (whether you would like to or not)
You start to know every little intimate detail about everyone, from their horrifying story of becoming potty trained to the time they accidentally threw up on their first date. Trust me, you’ll start to feel like you’ve known these people for your entire life, and then you go home and realize you’ve only been around these people for three months.
4. Guy Code/Girl Code is thrown out of the window (because everyone has dated everyone)
Remember how the biggest taboo we learned growing up is NEVER ever date someone your friend has? Well, say goodbye to that rule because everyone has dated everyone at boarding school. So the good news is that cute boy who is in your math class is single and you can date him. On the other hand, the bad news is that every girl and your roommate has had a turn dating him too. Yikes!
5. The bells: greatest friend or worst enemy
I don’t know about all boarding schools, but I know at Massanutten if it was important there was bell. Reveile was her name and she was the bugle that woke me up every week day at 6 a.m. sharp and expected me right on company street in full Class B’s, gray over gray, garrison cap and all, and wide awake. Sometimes she was greeted with a smile and an optimistic view about the day, other days she was greeted with a half awake slur of colorful words. She was normally greeted with the latter of the two.
6. BONDINGS HAPPEN EVERYWHERE
Bondings happen constantly! From raking leaves to just sitting behind a desk for two hours waiting for the secret password, everyone will have heartfelt moments with everyone.
7. The replaying of "Grease," "Mean Girls," and "The Notebook" (EVERY WEEKEND)
My first year of boarding school, there were only three movies that all the girls agreed on: "Grease," "Mean Girls," and "The Notebook." So every weekend we watched them over and over to the point where we all were fighting over who was the real Gretchen Weiners and duping anyone to be Karen Smith.
8. Good or bad roommates will make or break you
Ultimately some of my lowest and highest moments have been shared with my roommates. Some of them I loved so much and I considered them my sisters, and the others, well, I didn't know the devil goes to boarding school.
9. School Dances
This was the time of year where the dorms smelled like hairspray, and everyone was freaking out over dates, and almost no one cared about the actual dance; the only part that didn’t matter was the dance itself.
10. Senior Pranks
This was my favorite thing. Senior pranks were so much fun because every senior class tried to outdo the last class. My contribution to senior pranks was printing off hundreds of copies of my teachers doing embarrassing things that included dressing up for comic con and taking selfies too close to their faces. (Sorry Dr. Spurgin, and Mr. and Mrs. Regan.)
11. Graduation (a.k.a saddest day of your life)
This was the day I wanted to happen so quickly and, as soon as it did, I was heartbroken. It’s one thing to graduate from high school with people, but for these people to see you get dropped off and learn the ropes to finally see you become a young adult going into the world.
12. All these people are your new family
Like I said before, the entire school is your community. You love them, you hate them, you wish you never met them, it doesn’t mean anything, these people will have impacted your life in ways you can never imagine. From the mess hall ladies to even the dorm supervisors, they will all be there for you when you fall and decide to get back up again. Without the experiences I have gained from attending MMA, I truly do not believe that without it I would be the person I am today.
