A Boarderless Boarding House

8 April 2020Jack P, Whittall ‘20

It has been said that the quietest place on Earth is in an anechoic chamber – whatever that means.

My research shows that it is an echo-free room, with a net sound measured in negative decibels, meaning the only sounds a person is able to hear are the sounds they produce: a heart beating, a stomach gurgling, or even a vertebrae slowly creaking in the silence.

As unbelievable as such a place sounds, I have recently been informed that there is, in fact, somewhere even quieter: the eerily silent walls of Whittall House, without any boys inside. I imagine this is similar for every other boarding house on the Brentwood campus.

Considering the chamber described above was said to eventually drive people insane after 45 minutes in solitary with just the sound of their neck moving, I can only imagine the bewildering situation that Mrs Adriane Pettit, Assistant Whittall Houseparent, finds herself in. It has now been a month to the day since the usual sounds of boys mulling about last filled the now lifeless hallways, and it must be at least a little bit unsettling.

With all the students still away in light of Covid-19, “There is absolutely no sound inside,” says Mrs Pettit. No laughter. No tears. No cooking. No Happy Birthdays. No gaming. No protein shakes. No chin ups. No #1 inspection. No ‘fails’. No hugs.

All the energy that used to resonate through those hallways and into Mrs Pettit’s office – and heart – is no longer there.

Like us, the Houseparents are experiencing a loss of routine. “Behind the heart-covered gates of Brentwood, we anxiously await your return,” says Mrs Pettit. “Gratefully, we are persevering and continuing our relationships. We will be ok, because we always have each other.”

These are not easy times for anybody right now, but the Brentwood community extends way beyond those heart-covered gates. And even though you may feel like you are currently trapped in an anechoic chamber right about now, it’ll just make the return to campus that much sweeter.

Grit and joy, baby.

Jack P, Whittall ‘20