Elm Tree Press: Boarding at LA

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By Kevin Weaver ’20

When I first knew I was coming to Lawrence Academy, my biggest worry was boarding.

Throughout my life, I had never spent a lot of time away from my family, so living on appropriately accommodatedcampus for the next four school years seemed like it would be the toughest thing I would ever have to do in my life.

But this big change of living in an entirely new environment quickly became one of my favorite things about Lawrence Academy. On the first weekend on campus, I remember making some of my closest friends and haven’t worried about boarding since…

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Whenever someone asks me about weekends at Lawrence Academy, I always tell them there is never a dull weekend on campus. Every week, Lawrence Academy creates a packed lineup of activities that spread across a wide range of offerings.

Some of my favorite activities from my past three years have been: football and snacks in MacNeil lounge – always a great way to decompress on Sundays; mall trips – where I have made some of my favorite memories; movie trips – it’s always great to see the latest movies with friends; and open houses in the dorms – it’s so much fun to make new friends in another dorm.

And these are just four of the many activities that make weekends at LA seem like endless fun.

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One of the best part about boarding is that Lawrence Academy really makes sure that boarding students are accommodated properly.

In the past, whenever I have needed anything on or off campus, faculty members have done all they could to help me. This includes times as simple as when my advisor drove me to CVS or the grocery store.

However, few times have been as memorable as when my doorknob stopped working.

It was my sophomore year, and my doorknob wouldn’t turn all the way, so unless I left my door open, I was locked out of my room. When I told Mr. Gagnon, the faculty member on duty that night, he said to me that he’d help when he was done checking people in.

So, when he was done, he came down to my room to see what he could do to help.

When we realized that this was something we couldn’t just solve with our bare hands, we borrowed a screwdriver from a friend and began to take apart the doorknob. While lead by a YouTube video, we ended up taking the doorknob off completely before realizing that there wasn’t much more we could do, and the smart move was to notify our Building and Grounds team.

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Even though we walked away unsuccessful, I remember thinking about how fortunate I am to be part of a community where people will do whatever they can to help me, even if it means getting back to their wife and kids past midnight.

That’s the kind of community I love being a part of…