We Had Fun, and There Were Games

6 September 2013Jackson H

Photos by Brynn A, Hope ’15 Orientation, the first flailing of anxious wings, is something endured with overwhelming emotions: joy, uncertainty, and worries encase brains already bulging with a plethora of schedules, names, and times. The last, and most important night of orientation, is a release of those qualms – a final night before the advent of the returning students, still sheltered in the new, yet vaguely familiar school soon to be identified as a second home. “Fun and Games Night” is a convergence of eight houses, or 4 separate unions of “brother and sister houses”, temporarily divided by the competitiveness that exceeds any Olympic event. The arrival of the four different colours (Blue, Green, Red, and Orange) each representing one of the four teams, into a gym relentlessly reverberatingevery decibel that could be mustered from the scorched throats of hollering patriots, was met with friendly banter and an ear-deafening performance from a quartet of rusty voices. As the oxygen became depleted, Mr. Rodriguez’s voice, the voice of the host, overtook the fading shouts and initiated the night’s competition, starting with “Strut your stuff,” which is a combination of dance and skill intended as rising action for “Musical Chairs.” An audience favorite, “Musical Chairs,” was enthusiastically, and, of course, loudly supported as the number of contestants, who were plastered in their house colour, dwindled. “Anthems” was next as each contestant took to the spotlight with the reassurance of their fellow teammates as their doubly amazing, pre-spectacle written chant was performed, the only interjection being “Brentwood Trivia” and the end of each “Anthem.” “Simon Says”, “5 man ski-race”, and “Huckle Buckle”, a Brentwood classic, were all completed by contestants enticed by the glory, and envy, from rival teams, that the victors would be entitled too. The main event, however, was saved for last. An unprecedented game of “Rock, Paper, Scissors”, one of epic proportions, put the cherry on top of a truly memorable night: Privett, with the advantageous combination with Hope, was victorious. Unfortunately for Privett/Hope, the winner was decided with an accumulation of points collected from each event. Miraculously, Whittall/Alex had left with the melliferous taste of victory residing on their tongues. Not far behind were Rogers/Allard, Privett/Hope, and Ellis/Mack. Looking beyond the scoreboard, every student, returning or new, left with great memories and a few more names to match to what used to be unfamiliar faces. Bleeding Blue, Jackson H, Privett ‘15

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