Lifers’ Dinner

There comes a time when a very select few Brentonians get invited to a special dinner at the end of May. All the students have one thing in common: they've lived through four (Lifers) or five (Super Lifers) years at Brentwood. 

These Lifers / Super Lifers are students who have spent their entire high school career at Brentwood, and lucky for me, I am one of them. This dinner commemorates our accomplishments and our journey through the school. 

This evening is kind of a big deal at Brentwood. I mean, I started hearing about it all the way back in September. From murmurs about the food to talk about who will make the famous speeches - where tears are shed trying to sum up four, or five,  years here. Now, you may think these are just some one-off speeches, but you would be wrong. Mrs Hedquist, my Houseparent, talked to me about doing one of these speeches in February, and how it “needed to encapsulate the vibe of your entire group”. That’s no small feat. 

The evening consisted of a photo opp, some words from the Head of the School, the dinner, those aforementioned speeches from a student from each house, a slide show - thanks Yearbook Captain Maggie Z, Hope ‘23 - and finally some toasts to finish the night. And in between that a whole bunch of tears - and laughter at Mr Cowies' truly confusing jokes. But the highlight of the night was just spending time with a group of people I've grown up with. As Florence T, Hope ‘24 put it, “It was perfect.” I couldn't agree more. 

A shout out to event organizer Mrs Tammie Ramsey, who told me that the Lifers Dinner was “one her favourite events to put on” and it shows. It was a truly amazing night. Also thanks to Mr Cowie, who was our fantastic host for the evening, the Food Services Team for the amazing food, our Advisors and Houseparents who shared the evening (and many years) with us, and finally, all the students who made speeches: you all did so well. 

This night was so much fun. I cannot think of a better way to wrap up four, or five, great years at Brentwood. 

Inara W, Hope ‘24