January 23rd to the 27th marked the first full week of school since early December, when the cold bit at our ears every morning. Students were shells of human beings, trudging through the courtyard to get to math, and falling asleep on friends’ shoulders during assembly. No major events happened during this week; trying to adjust back to normal already felt like a demanding task. But, if we searched hard enough, we could find little pockets of amusement showered throughout this week.
The X-Block period of Monday was scheduled to determine the student representatives for the second semester. Students bravely stood in front of their grades to present their speeches, peeling back layers of their personalities, and making ambitious promises. It was an entertaining time, and at the end of the period, Dean Chabon emailed a google form to vote which decided the grade representatives. Congratulations to Jonathan Woo, Noah Beltran, Olivia Falk, Araddhya Tibrewall, and the continuing Sia Sakhrani, Aarushi Bhandari, Olivia Harris, and Tara Valeti.
Wednesday, we were all excited for the Lunar New Year potluck of bunny-shaped custard buns, dan dan noodles, and fried rice, but we were surprised by a flash mob from the Mandarin students. Lunar New Year at College Prep was an exciting celebration where we got to enjoy our peers’ family recipes, snack on the Hi-Chews beetling from the poles of buildings, watch our friends’ amusing dance, and learn about cultures celebrating the joyous holiday.
The stillness of the College Prep community this week gave me the time and energy to explore campus and Rockridge which still felt like alien grounds. I spent a lot of time organizing comparisons in a document in my notes app, deciding that the best spot to eat lunch is in the courtyard because over there the sun is so friendly that it feels like summer, Philz is the best place for iced coffee, and Highwire is the best for hot (especially their mochas and cappuccinos), and the best place to read is underneath the tree between Hill and Scott-the bark peels in horizontal strips, a perfect mold for my back. I also took advantage of the scant bulk of homework to organize myself for school. I prepared my binders for the fat collection of worksheets I am expecting this semester and downloaded a motivating app called Study Bunny where you mark your studying time to purchase outfits for your bunny and maintain its happiness. I felt like Christiane Amanpour finding the small jewels of campus: the trail of lavender up the staircase to the library, the charming lemon trees on Ocean View Drive, and my peers’ love for white cable knit sweaters. I collected these thoughts and moments like they were seashells in the sand. As we scratch more Xs off of the days on our calendars, from the seniors’ snow trip, CPS day, and Intraterm, College Prep is integrating back into its chaos, but I think I am going to miss the quietness that this week brought.