The Real Competition Is On The Dance Floor

8 April 2022Neve M, Hope ‘23; Photo by Will P, Whittall '22

Brentwood offers a plethora of intriguing social events throughout the year. Ranging from volunteer groups, sports teams, and spirited gatherings around the campus, social ventures remain significant at Brentwood. Though the tripartite program of arts, academics, and athletics usually surmounts social life, some events always live in the minds of students and staff everywhere. Those events are Open Houses.

Arguably more imperative than the whole tripartite program itself, each Open House is a night to remember. There are eight each year, one for each boarding residence. Every house selects a theme that dictates the clothing and decorations for the night. These themes are then announced at assemblies via humorous and enjoyable videos made by the Grade 12s. We spend weeks in preparation for the special night and when it finally arrives, an abundance of students mill through the front doors of the lucky dorm.

After a year of no open houses due to the pandemic, Rogers was the first to open its doors on October 2nd. The 90s hip hop theme was revealed with a fantastic rap video, in which the Grade 12s repeated the word “Rogers” endlessly. When the exciting night finally rolled around, the whole school flocked to Rogers, to the first Brentwood open house. The insanity of mosh pits was soon discovered by all the students, as well as a deep love for these events. “The mosh pit was crazy at Rogers. It was a great start for the year” exclaimed Aiden A, Rogers ‘23.

Next on the list was Hope: as it took place on October 30th, the theme had to be Hallowe’en. The video premiered at an assembly and was accompanied by amused laughs from the audience. Hope was decorated in accordance with the theme, cobwebs draped from the ceiling, tombstones were pinned to the walls, and trick or treat baskets floated around the halls. Though in lieu of Rogers, Hope found some challenges associated with the levels of excitement. “The mosh pit was challenging. Perhaps the music wasn’t right or people just weren’t entirely into it. We had a lot of great moments, but it definitely took some work to usher people toward the dance floor” explained Alex H, Hope ‘24. It seemed the first big bang of the open house season left some room for fatigue in round two.

Soon followed Mack and Whittall, all joining the vigorous competition for the ‘most energetic moshpit’ the school has ever seen. Students danced and socialized through both nights, ignoring the obstacles that the pandemic pressed upon the events. Masks in the houses and outdoor mosh pits couldn’t stop the rowdy students.

Ms Hedquist spoke on the challenges of having the whole school crowd the halls of Hope during the pandemic. “The nervousness of so many people and having to supervise mask wearing in the crowded, dark halls were both challenging. The outdoor dancing was a great change, compared to previous years, in terms of covid and sweat”.

Coming up tomorrow, Saturday, April 9th, is Allard Open House, the theme was announced Thursday, April 7th, and everyone has started planning their outfits. It will be a fantastic start to the warm season, getting everyone outside dancing and pumped for the abundance of social events that third term brings.

I hope Allard is ready to bring their energy and spirit to the dance floor to take part in the friendly competition that open houses encourage.

Neve M, Hope ‘23

Where Students Choose To Be