开幕日以一场烈性酒的狂欢拉开序幕

你可以听到他们在校园的每个角落欢呼. 9月9日开学那天，校董会的气氛激动不已. 3. 源源不断的汽车在威廉姆斯山上蜿蜒而上, new and returning students and their families were first greeted with smiles and waves from 365平台主任 迈尔斯·贝利94年, 宿舍生活主任拉希德和校园保安人员. 然后, as the cars reached the top of the Hill their cheers rose to a crescendo. 搁着, 穿着黑色和金色的球衣, 跳着、喊着、挥舞着、旋转着他们头顶上的彩球.

 

It was an invigorating start to 365平台’s new academic school year. 在到达校园的424名学生中, 143名是新生, 代表包括内华达州在内的14个州, 加州, 威斯康辛州, 缅因州, 北卡罗来纳州和12个国家, 包括西班牙, 沙特阿拉伯, 香港, 新加坡和乌克兰. 共有109名六年级学生和研究生, 在五年级, 112名四年级学生和83名三年级学生.

 

同行的领导人, 六年级学生和国际学生在本周早些时候返校, 但大多数学生在开学当天就到了. 一旦他们在armor学术中心完成注册, faculty members directed families to their dorms and Sixth Formers sprang into action to help carry boxes, 行李及衣物.

 

26岁的Melissa Scollans从康涅狄格州的格林威治开车过来., 和她的儿子, 康纳, and was grateful for the enthusiastic welcome at the top of Williams Hill and for the extra help from the 社区. “学生们太棒了. Just like last year I got all teary-eyed again when I saw them at the top of the hill waving and cheering,斯科隆斯说.

 

Like many students, her son, 康纳, couldn’t wait for the start of school. “He was so excited he packed the entire car himself last night,斯科隆斯说.

 

第三位来自康涅狄格州恩菲尔德的前茱莉亚·阿吉曼., 在大学的第一年有很多值得期待的事情吗, 但她最兴奋的是结交新朋友. 许多归国学生也表达了同样的观点.

 

“我很高兴看到新面孔，”第五名前A说.J. Kraus, who was reconnecting with his lacrosse teammate and roommate, Cole Callison ’26.

 

家属们在下午早些时候陆续抵达校园, most of the new and returning boarding students had settled into their rooms and were ready to reunite with classmates and meet new friends. 开幕日前, new day students and their families had head start getting acquainted during a campus picnic held Aug. 29.

 

午饭后, 学生们有充足的时间参观Brockelman 烧烤餐厅, 扔足球或者只是在巴克斯特草坪上聊天. Early in the afternoon, new families and students met with advisors and class deans. 然后, it was time for final hugs and goodbyes as students prepared for afternoon activities that included an all-school meeting on residential life, 晚餐后是形式活动和全校嘉年华.

 

正式开学第一天于9月9日星期四开始. 5. 在接下来的星期六, 校长 伊莲白 formally welcomed the entire 社区 in an assembly in Armstrong Atrium of Armour 学术中心 and Head Prefect Chip Genung ’25 addressed students prior to the traditional pin and sign-in ceremonies.

 

“我们很幸运在这里有这么多机会, 但老实说，你做什么并不重要. It matters how you do it, and it matters that you commit to it,” Genung said.

 

他花了整整一年的时间才学会了承诺, 今年的社区主题是什么. 他刚到的时候, 他很兴奋能认识新朋友, 新老师和全新的环境. “除了戴牙套，还缺了几颗牙, 我也是, 在某些方面, 太兴奋,他说,

 

结果是, 他在俱乐部博览会上报名参加了近20个俱乐部, 这是我绝对不推荐的,他说. He ended up being very busy and attending multiple meetings a day before he realized there simply wasn’t enough time to do everything. 他知道他必须承诺选择质量而不是数量, 所以他开始优先考虑那些他最喜欢的活动, 从长远来看，这对他很有好处.

 

“人们希望你在这里取得成功. We want you to do your best, which means all you have to do is find that thing. Find what you’re best at, find what you’re passionate about and commit to it. 就这么简单，”他说.

 

He also challenged seniors to leave Westminster a better place than how they found it, 提醒他们，当他们毕业时，学校不会离开他们. 他们将永远带着它.

 

在他的演讲之后, Sixth Formers led a procession toward the Sixth Form Lawn for the pin ceremony. Former 校长 Graham Cole began the practice as a way of recognizing the Sixth Form and emphasizing their responsibility as leaders to uphold the core values of character, 社区, 参与和平衡. The Sixth Form class designs its unique pin in the spring of their Fifth Form year. 这一设计也出现在六年级的校旗上, 这一做法是由前校长比尔·菲利普开始的. 这面旗帜在这一年里一直挂在学校的办公室里, 直到需要叫Hill Holiday为止. Sixth Formers wear their pins all year as a constant reminder of that responsibility.

 

别针仪式结束后, the Prefect Board led new students into Andrews Memorial 教堂 for the sign-in ceremony. Students are expected to commit themselves to do their best to live up to the 社区 standards and to embrace that commitment when they sign the school ledger, 另一个由格雷厄姆·科尔开创的传统.

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