Once a Brentonian

9 March 2011Indre S

Folks from Finland are no doubt dissimilar to the people of Peru. Humans from Hungary unlike individuals from Iceland, but while Brentwood may be full of students from various lands, being a Brentonian unifies us all. The Brentwood culture, when seen from afar, is no different than the broad range of people that it seems to be. At a closer look, however, odd habits can be observed: students lock themselves indoors at 7:15 every evening, stand whenever a teacher enters a classroom, take off shoes before they enter a house, and do many other puzzling things. There is even a distinct dialect, a jargon, unique to the school. Even the boys wear ‘theatre dress.’ We’re all part of the ‘tripartite’ program. No one wants to be ‘on the book.’ Brentonians are a small group of students who uniformly follow routines, raising a quizzical eyebrow on the face of an outsider.

A student may not realize that they have, in fact, turned into a Brentonian until they are in the presence of those from outside the Brentwood bubble. For example, at first impulse, students on break may turn down offers to see friends on Friday night. Many Brentonians are oblivious to the idea that outside of Brentwood, a weekend is two days long and does not involve Saturday classes. A look of surprise can be seen, similarly, when a student realizes they do not need to put their phone in the communal phone bin in the evening; texting between 7:30 and 9:30 is a privilege they are not accustomed to. Then there is the strange wave of hunger that rumbles in a Brentonian’s belly at 11 o’clock am sharp. This is ‘cookie break’, where milk and cookies are served to nourish fatiguing minds in between classes. The classic combo of cookies and milk may seem like a treat for toddlers, but is actually the remedy for a case of mid-morning lethargy. Will I always be fed fresh cookies at 11:00? Which university will provide that luxury?

The most out-of-the-ordinary habit, however, is the infamous ‘number one-ing’ of rooms. Every Saturday morning students dust, vacuum, and polish their rooms. Yes, even the underwear drawers are folded to perfection. This detoxification of rooms, the effects of which rarely lasting past Saturday night, is a foreign phenomenon to other teenagers. Another abnormality are the migration patterns; every student knows when it is time to eat, and knows when it is time to be inside, or outside of their house. Even more remarkable, students bundle up their laundry in bags and carry them to Crooks Hall on designated days. These routines are imprinted into the minds of students, molding each and every one into a Brentonian. Who will launder my clothes next year Grad 2011 asks?

Like one cannot erase their past, these habits do not easily fade. Graduates perpetually provide stories of instances where tendencies from their boarding school days kept with them throughout their later years. Whether it is standing up when a professor enters the room at a university lecture, or wondering why no one has come to check whether lights are out past 11 pm on a school night, adjusting to lifestyles outside of Brentwood can be arduous. These adaptations may never fully occur, for even a year at Brentwood modifies one’s DNA. Once a Brentonian, always a Brentonian.

Where Students Choose To Be