Sports are over, dinner is done, and the lawn outside Ford is packed with students having fun. It’s the only time of day that students have no commitments, and some Williston students are making lifelong memories in the short time before study hall.
Dinner runs from 5:15-7:00 p.m. every night, with study hall following soon after at 7:45. Once students are done with their dinner, they have that time, until study hall starts, to simply hang out. Different students like to spend this time playing games outside, chilling in their dorm, taking a quick walk to get ice cream at Mt. Tom’s, or any number of ways. Now that spring is here, campus is filled with students outside enjoying their last few weeks.
The most popular place on campus after dinner is always outside Ford. Music is playing, and all of the lawn is packed with students enjoying their time with their friends.
Barrett Clark, a senior boarder from Alberta, Canada, loves to be active playing games with his friends.
“My favorite game is defiantly cornhole,” he said. “I played a lot more this year than I did last year. Its super fun especially playing with teams.”
Activities like cornhole, Spikeball, and hacky sack are always seen out on the lawn. More recently this spring, cornhole and hacky sack have been the more popular activities.
Many students gathering outside together allows for great friendships to be made among all grades.
Owen Converse, senior boarder from Massena N.Y., likes the fact that this time gives him the experience to meet more students in the Williston community.
“Some of the best memories have been playing Spikeball and cornhole,” he said. “I play with new people everyday, and I get to learn more about my peers. I am usually out front of Ford and I like to play games and sit and chill, whatever I feel that day.”
Outside the majority of the dorms are solo stoves and Adirondack chairs. This has provided students with opportunities to sit back and relax. In the evening, especially as the weather gets warmer, it is common to see students building a fire and roasting smores.
Back in 2020, solo stoves were placed outside dorms as a way for students to socialize while social distancing. Since then, they have been used weekly and are what most students say are a favorite weekend activity.
Francesca Gionfriddo, a senior boarder from Glastonbury Conn., spends this time differently day to day, but ultimately believes that her most fond memories are made right on campus.
“My sophomore and junior year, my friends and I went out to eat often,” she said. “So that time was extended in a way. We ventured into town to get ice cream at Mt. Tom’s or go to Kisara with a big group.”
“Some of my core Williston memories have been just on the quad playing Spikeball, sitting by a bonfire, playing hacky sack as of late,” she added. “Just those sweet nothings of playing games on the quad are some of my favorite memories.”
