Inkwell | December 2017 by Annie Wright Schools

Inkwell ANNIE WRIGHT UPPER SCHOOL

DECEMBER 2017

Letter from the editor Covering boarding life offers an opportunity to celebrate the vibrant, diverse, and loving dorm family that is so central to Annie Wright and to educate day students on aspects of their dorming classmates’ experiences. For many, friendships span across the day/residential programs. There is no doubt that many students embrace and pursue diversity. Nonetheless, there is a separation. Although not always the case, oftentimes students that speak the same language or share similar cultural backgrounds will group together. This intentionally or unintentionally creates a divide that is recognized by many students and faculty in classrooms, the dining hall, and other unstructured social spaces. There have been attempts by the administration and students to unite the student body. Last year, Head of Schools Christian Sullivan formally introduced the “Inclusive Language Policy,” and some Upper School faculty established the ninth grade “Homestay Program.” This year the Associated Student Body created the “Annie Family Program” to encourage students of all tie colors and experiences to socialize. It can be uncomfortable to have this conversation - at times it will surely be controversial and messy - but it is necessary to address the complex and confusing parts of student dynamics. Along with celebrating residential life, this issue is also an attempt to stimulate the inclusion conversation. Some parts of this issue will not accurately depict your own Annie Wright experience. One of the strengths of this school, however, is that there is not just one defining experience. Because of various academic, athletic, artistic and social opportunities, each student graduates from Annie Wright with different experiences. The result is caring, curious, thoughtful and empathetic individuals. Inkwell works to represent you. Our staff is underrepresented by boarders, and we encourage you to join our team.

Allison Fitz, Editor-in-Chief

ANNIE WRIGHT UPPER SCHOOL

Inkwell DECEMBER 2017

827 North Tacoma Avenue Tacoma, WA 98403 inkwell@aw.org | 253-272-2216 Issue 1 | Volume 56 EDITOR IN CHIEF Allison Fitz SENIOR EDITORS, STUDENT LIFE Nina Doody & Abby Givens SENIOR EDITOR, MULTIMEDIA Molly Bryant ARTS EDITOR Gabrielle Krieger NEWS EDITOR Maeve Hunt PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR Jade Cheatham SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR Julia Henning SPORTS EDITOR Kaitlin Tan Inkwell aims to provide the Annie Wright community with dependable and engaging coverage of school, community and global topics. Timely articles of all genres are published weekly at anniewrightinkwell.org. In addition, three themed news magazines are published during the school year and distributed around campus. Submissions of articles and photographs, correction requests and signed letters to the editor are most welcome. Please email the editors at inkwell@aw.org. All published submissions will receive bylines or photo credit. anniewrightinkwell.org

CONTENTS Defeating the divides

mailboxes for dormers | photo by Nina Doody

A day in the life of a dormer

Cuisine Ă la Annie

6 tips for handling homesickness

How to become a prefect

12 Cover art by Kali McCoy "This piece was created as a look into the many pieces of dorm life that have been important and influential to me over my years here. I chose to use puzzle pieces to leave behind one message: these are just the pieces that matter to me. I am one dormer and I am only able to encapsulate my experience (so far)."

17 1

Defeating the divides

by Gabrielle Krieger

The sub-communities of Annie Wright and how to move past them Annie Wright’s diverse Upper School for Girls community comes from around Washington State, the country and the world. Despite their differences, many students manage to come together to create a productive and supportive community. There are some challenges, however, that create barriers between day students, domestic and international dormers. According to senior Amber Moody, who was a day student up until this year, “Personal interests, language, and students’ tendencies to hang out with the friends they are most comfortable around impact some of the chances to get to know more of our classmates.” Several dormers echoed Moody’s response about students choosing to spend time with people who have common customs and interests. Moody also acknowledged the impact of learning in a new culture for international students. “Within the dorms, there are more chances to talk to international students,” she said. “However, I tend to try to respect that the international

students are learning in their second language and after school, it is nice to be able to communicate in a language that they are more fluent in. Therefore, I would say that there is a good relationship between international and domestic boarders, but there is sometimes a small gap.” Some people on the other hand don’t feel a divide between the boarders and day students. Dormer and sophomore Helen Wei discussed a connection between the groups. “I would say that it’s a very comfortable relationship. I have some day student friends that come from different backgrounds, and I love spending time with them.” Another senior, Megan Doody, described a divide between different groups within the dorms. “The biggest barrier I think is the fact that people are day students, domestic boarders and international dormers,” she said. “People within these groups just tend to stick together.” Despite differences in interests, language and culture, however, Doody said that

she values the opportunity to meet other students from around the world. “I love the fact that there are international dormers here, because I have friends from all over the world, and I love learning about the world they come from,” she said. For those looking to actively break such barriers, there are many options. One way according to sophomore Raven Chen is to simply “Attend more school activities to get to know the day students.” Wei made a suggestion on the same note for the school and student body. “It would be nice if there were more class bonding activities where everyone is required to attend and participate actively,” she said. Many others dormers shared the sentiment that making new friends outside of the divides could be as easy as attending events with an open mind for others. Moody agreed but also said that overall “It is most important to be comfortable with your social surroundings so that you can focus on academics.”

Annie Wright ambassadors enjoy an afternoon on Commencement Bay. The ambassador program brings day and boarding students together outside the classroom. Photo by Alyssa Harvey

INKWELL | DECEMBER 2017

No fob, no prob

by Abby Givens

Rules for day students in the dorms

Many day students enjoy visiting friends in the dorms, but some do not understand the protocols involved. Inkwell consulted Jeff Barber, Residential Life Director, to get the rules for day students in the dorms.

Inkwell: Can day students walk through the dorms to get to another part of the school?

JB: Try not to as much as possible, as dorm parents discourage it. However, if you do so, be quiet and respectful of the space.

Inkwell: What do day students have to do to spend time in the dorms with a dorm student?

JB: The day student should sign in, and the dorm student has to be present if they are in their room.

Inkwell: Can a day student eat breakfast or dinner at the school?

JB: Yes. The day student just has to sign in for the meal they ate on the clipboard in the dining hall.

Inkwell: How can a day student drive a dorm student somewhere?

JB: First, it needs to be made sure that the dorm student has permission from their parents to ride in cars with community members or non community members as the case may be. If the day student is driving, the dorm parents need to make sure that the student can drive with minors and get a picture of their license. With these two things, a day student can drive a dorm student.

INKWELL | DECEMBER 2017

Most boarders carry their fob on a personalized lanyard. Photo by Nina Doody

Inkwell: Are day students allowed to spend the night in the dorms?

JB: Yes, dorm parents encourage day students to spend the night in the dorms, on the weekends. To do so, the day studentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s parents have to be contacted to make sure that they know about it and allow it, and we also make sure the roommate of the dorm student having a day student over is okay with it. Day students can stay the night or longer in the dorms during the week under certain circumstances as well.

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The daily routine of a dormer is filled with activities, sports, hobbies, dorm runs and plenty of small moments in between. Here is a typical day for senior Poplar Yang, a 7-day dormer, prefect, athlete, musician and science team member.

Poplar relaxes in her dorm room with her ukelele. Photo by Nina Doody

INKWELL | DECEMBER 2017

A day in the life of Poplar Yang 7:00 am On most days, besides when she has to get up extra early to work on homework or practice her piano, Poplar starts her day by rolling out of bed, checking her phone and heading down to the cafeteria for breakfast.

8:00 to 11:00 am After spending a brief time with friends, Poplar heads to classes for the morning. She goes from class to class and rarely goes back to her dorm unless she has forgotten something. She says it's great living so close because whenever she needs to grab something from her room all she needs to do is run up the stairs in less than a minute.

11:15 am Poplar enjoys a long lunch, which she said is actually too short for her liking even though she uses up the whole hour for eating. She mentioned that many international students are also used to longer lunches. She enjoys multiple helpings of food then heads directly back to her classes. On occasion she likes to slip some piano practice in, because with her busy schedule she is always looking for times for her passion.

12:00 to 3:00 pm Popular finishes off her classes and works during tutorial to finish as much homework as she can before she heads to activities.

INKWELL | DECEMBER 2017

by Maeve Hunt

3:00 to 4:00 pm

7:00 to 9:30 pm

Like many other students, Poplar participates in the after-school activity program, but unusually, she is a member of two activities. She is an established member of the Annie Wright science team, and she is also a part of the Choir, attending practices every Tuesday. She said she loves both activities, which is why she couldn't just choose between the two.

Poplarâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s schedule after dinner varies day to day. On occasions she likes to fit in more time to practice her piano; however with all that goes on in her life she finds little time to do so. One of her favorite places to hang out at is the Mail Lounge outside her dorm room. She said it's a great quiet space to relax and have time to herself or spend time with friends. Before bigs tests or finals she likes to go to the music room in the basement to study so she can spread all of her notes and papers out on the big tables. As a senior, Poplar also has a selfdirected study hall, when she completes homework and get things done as she pleases.

4:00 to 6:15 pm During the fall sports quarter, Poplar heads down to the gym for volleyball practice every day. She enjoys the sport and loves the outside hitter position. Most days practice runs for around two hours, but sometimes, when it is a game day, Poplar doesn't get back to the dorms until around 9:00 pm.

6:20 to 7:00 pm On many days Poplar heads straight from volleyball to dinner at 6:20 pm, with the exception of Mondays, when it is dorm family dinner. On these days she leaves volleyball early to enjoy a homey dinner with her dorm group and parent. Poplar also has to lead conversations and activities for the special dinners, which is one of her responsibilities as a prefect. She said she enjoys lunch at Annie Wright far more than dinner, so she and her friends will sometimes cook noodles or something for themselves in one of the kitchens in the dorm lounges.

9:30 to 10:30 pm Poplar heads back to her dorm room to start relaxing. She takes a shower, finishes up on any homework then goes and socialize a bit with friends. She likes to just hang out in the various lounges and talk with classmates.

10:30 pm to 12:00 am At 10:30 pm dormers have to be in their rooms, so Poplar heads to her room to relax, do any extra work or watch Netflix. (As a prefect, she has 24-hour Wi-Fi access and no lights-out requirement.) She said that she would like to get more sleep, but by the time she is ready for bed it is already around 12. Finally Poplar sleeps before another busy day filled with academics, activities and dorm life.

Take her advice

by Allison Fitz

Dorm life wisdom from a senior

Phoebe Brown (right) celebrates with fellow seniors Yuulin An and Amethyst Kettrell at the annual Thanksgiving formal dorm dinner. Photo by Kaper Greenfield

Inkwell interviewed senior Phoebe Brown to gain her advice for younger students in the dorms. Here are excerpts from the interview: Inkwell: What do you wish you knew

PB: I personally don’t really know any

as a freshman in the dorms?

teenagers outside of Annie Wright. Ask day students to take you out...you might get lucky and find a buddy to do some fun program with. I think the dormers who are able to do sports, art, or other activities outside of Annie Wright have a lot of fun and get to meet other people.

PB: As a freshman in the dorms, it is important to make connections with people outside your tie color. I personally didn’t do this as a freshman and was really lonely. I know we may seem intimidating sometimes but all of us Red Ties are super excited about living at Annie Wright and would love to be your friend!

Inkwell: Where’s the best place to do homework?

PB: Go to Starbucks to do homework. Inkwell: How do you meet other teens outside of Annie Wright?

Inkwell: What are the best ways to deal with homesickness?

PB: I think the best way to persevere through it is acknowledging it instead of trying to ignore it and take your mind off it. Everyone feels homesickness in a different way. For some people in the dorms, they’ve never spent time away from their parents and that is the hardest aspect of living away from home. For others, not being able to eat

food or speak the language from their homes is harder than being away from their parents. I think it would be really helpful if people were more considerate in general. Of course this is difficult, but I remember as a freshman getting pretty sad when I would hear day students or even five-day boarders complain about wanting to go home. I think if we are more aware that everyone is “suffering” differently, we can help dormers and freshmen.

Inkwell: Have you discovered any “dorm hacks?”

PB: At Annie Wright anyways, I have learned that when in doubt, ask Jeff. Also, shower shoes and a bathrobe increase quality of life greatly.

INKWELL | DECEMBER 2017

Who’s your roomie? by Julia Henning

A new year means a new roommate and a new dorm room. Every dormer’s living situation is determined by several criteria. First of all, it depends if you are a new student or returning student. New dormers are placed by dorm parents, while upperclassmen get more input into choosing their dorm room. Returning students can typically select their roommate, although a student in ESL is not allowed to room with a student of the same first language. After that, students can choose the roommate they want. Returning students may opt to change roommates or be with a new student if they wish. “We do have a pair of seniors that are also both prefects this year that stayed roommates for the past three years, and they’re sharing a room still,” said Jeff Barber, Residential Life Director. A lottery system determines where a student is placed. It is held by seniority, so the prefects choose first, then seniors,

juniors, and sophomores, respectively. The single rooms by the nurse’s office are most popular and are typically chosen first. New student placement works differently. The process uses these criteria:

✓✓ Grade: Students should be in the same class year.

✓✓ Language Group: No students in ESL may be paired with other students with the same primary language. ✓✓ Personal Requests: Students fill out a personal request form regarding personalities (introvert, extrovert, etc.) and living habits.

“It is surprising that if you just use the first two variables, how restrictive it almost automatically becomes,” said Barber. “There aren’t so many options because rooms are already used up, and some kids have asked for new roommates. You start filling those in, and there isn’t so much wiggle room.”

Sophomore Gabrielle Grandjean shares a room with fellow five-day boarder Nina Doody.

INKWELL | DECEMBER 2017

6 tips for handling homesickness by Jade Cheatham

When new students settle into the dormitories at the beginning of the school year, and the excitement of a new adventure has died down, it is natural for many of them to start feeling homesick. In the first few weeks it is difficult to adjust to the new environment. Routines are replaced with new social and academic pressures, and it is common to yearn for something that is constant and familiar. Here are some tips for coping with homesickness from Upper School Counselor Nancy Waters:

1. Video chat

Keeping in touch with your relatives and friends back home can be an important part of making you feel comfortable at school. If possible, set a regular time to connect. That way, when you are missing home you can have that time to look forward to.

2. Comforts of home

Bring specific pieces of decor or meaningful items with you from home. Whether it’s your blanket, a photo album, or your favorite poster, surrounding yourself with familiar items can help make you feel more at home.

4. Relaxation imagery

If you are feeling particularly upset, it can be helpful to “trick” your brain into thinking you are somewhere else. Imagine a place that feels comfortable and safe back home (think your bed, family room, etc). If you imagine one at a time how it looks, smells, feels on your body, and sounds like, your brain will produce the same calming chemicals as if you were actually there! Sounds hokey, but it’s based on science.

5. Keep perspective

You are choosing to engage the experience of being away from home for a reason, and keep that reason close to your heart. Personal growth is sometimes challenging, and truthfully this time in your life is short. Make the conscious choice to acknowledge the positive things about being away from home and what this experience will bring to your life long term.

6. TALK!

Talk to friends, reach out to a trusted teacher or a dorm parent. You can always Email or come to see me if you feel your homesickness is keeping you from sleeping, eating normally, or functioning in your classes or just to chat!

3. Keep your cultural and familial traditions alive

It might be more challenging to celebrate holidays and traditions while abroad, but it may help to find other groups of students that share your heritage to celebrate with. In addition, showing your cultural pride to new international friends can be a great way to celebrate instead of assimilate.

INKWELL | DECEMBER 2017

DORM PARENT TRADING CARDS

Jeff Barber

Ian Corey-Boulet

Dorm group: Cetus Years as an AWS dorm parent: 9

Dorm group: Orion Years as an AWS dorm parent: 4

Krista Keithly

Amy Lynn

Charlotte Scott

Dorm group: Pegasus Years as an AWS dorm parent: 9

Dorm group: Aquila Years as an AWS dorm parent: 4

Dorm group: Andromeda Years as an AWS dorm parent: 4

Courtney Stowe

Jeremy Stubbs

Sarah Wenzlick

Dorm group: Ursa Years as an AWS dorm parent: 3

Dorm group: Phoenix Years as an AWS dorm parent: 2

Dorm group: Hydra Years as an AWS dorm parent: 2

Collect 'em all! by Julia Henning

INKWELL | DECEMBER 2017

Ian

Jeff

Typical day: "I teach English classes in the morning, work in the Learning Center in the afternoon, and, if it’s a Tuesday night, continue working in the dorm. Throughout the day, I tackle grading and lesson planning, and I also work with students one-on-one. (I edit a lot of essays. Come and see me if you ever need help!) In the dorm, I usually end up driving people to their appointments and helping to run study hall. But there’s always variety, and it’s always fun."

Favorite part of being a dorm parent: "Hanging out with students. It’s the easiest part, it’s the most fun part, and it’s never tedious."

Favorite part of being a dorm parent: "Getting to know so many amazing Annie Wright students. It’s a big responsibility to be involved in their lives. It’s also a lot of fun."

Most memorable moment in the dorm: "It’s in those moments when students forget they’re students, dorm parents forget they’re dorm parents and they’re just doing something fun. You’re hanging out with students, and you just have an unexpected conversation or you’re doing an off-campus activity or playing a game and it’s just about that thing. It stops being about “Well, I’m supervising you and you’re living in my dorm,” and it’s just about getting along and doing whatever that thing is."

Back row: Ian Corey-Boulet, Amy Lynn, Charlotte Scott, Jeff Barber and Jeremy Stubbs. Front row: Courtney Stowe, Krista Keithly and Sarah Wenzlick. Photo by Kaper Greenfield

Charlotte

Amy

Kiki

Typical day: "I wake up really early because I have two cats who wake me up at 6:30 am for food, but I like to get out in the morning and go work out, and I started volunteering at a pet shelter in Puyallup. Depending on the day I come in any time between noon and 1:30...It can start out kind of slow, but someone will come in and say 'Hey, can I talk to you?' Or there's a game and we’ll go down to watch."

Most memorable moment in the dorm: "We do a formal dinner for the Lunar New Year and it's a big thing, and the Chinese culture club puts on a big variety show and it's really cool. Last year Christine Leung and Zoe Zheng secretly contacted all the parents of the students who celebrate Lunar Year and got them to send messages of love to their kids. Lunar New Year's a big deal; it's like Christmas for some students, and they don't get to go home for that. We’re all eating dinner and then this video pops up and it's all of these parents wishing a happy New Year to their kids, and the girls all started crying, and it was really a sweet moment."

Most memorable moment in the dorm: "One year I was living upstairs where Charlotte lives now in the studio and it was my first year here and I was nervous and I didn't really know a lot of people, and I was spooked about the fourth floor hallway because at that time it was super creepy. Two of the dorm parents snuck a poster of Edward from Twilight, a flat cutout of him, and they climbed up the fire escape stairs all the way to the fourth floor and propped it outside the window so that when I came into my apartment it was like this man peering into the window. That was a funny prank that I remember."

Sarah

Jeremy

Courtney

How she became a dorm parent: "I had been a dorm parent at a previous school. I worked there for four years and really liked it. Then when I was looking for jobs in Washington, I saw that Annie Wright had an open Spanish and boarding position and I thought, 'This is the perfect job!'"

Favorite part of being a dorm parent: "Those random interactions with kids. I'm walking back from wherever and this group of kids is hanging out on the second floor or in the dorm parent office and we're laughing. I feel so lucky to be hanging out with these awesome kids and I don't have to just be their teacher."

How she became a dorm parent: My husband was friends with Jeff who's the Residential Life Director and [now] my boss. I came in and interviewed and got to meet the prefects; they were Green Ties that year, and they were amazing kids.

Favorite part of being a dorm parent: "I really enjoy the events we get to put on for kids. It's fun to host dorm group events and get kids’ input, but I also enjoy getting to know these kids in a way I just didn't always get to know kids when I was teaching."

Favorite part of being a dorm parent: "I get to know the kids as more than just students. Not only do I see them as a more whole person, but I think the students see us more as whole people also. Just getting to know people in such a better way through boarding, I think that's probably my favorite part of being a dorm parent."

Most memorable moment in the dorm: There's definitely all dorm fun, but for me what’s very memorable and meaningful is when a student emailed 'Hey, are you around?', and I said, 'Sure,' and the student really was just sharing about her life and what she was struggling with, and I was really honored that I was the adult that she went to."

Most memorable moment in the dorm: The first year that I was here, Kali McCoy (Class of ‘18) was a freshman. So we invented a game called the “Box Game” and we had found this big refrigerator-sized box that we would take down to the Great Hall between 9:30 and 10:30. You would put it on on your head and you would have to stay on the carpet and just try to run and tag somebody, but you couldn’t see. It was really funny.

INKWELL | DECEMBER 2017

During the school day, Annie Wright Upper Schoolers are mostly limited to their own classrooms, the dining hall, the lounge, Great Hall, or their dorm rooms. With five-minute passing periods and mandatory spaces during tutorial and study hall, there is little time to explore the historic building. Dormers, however, have more time and access to discover special spaces in the building. Several have found their own niche amongst all of the possibilities. Here are four examples of dormers’ favorite hangout spaces. Junior Kelsey Seo finds quiet in the Middle School lounge. Photo by Allison Fitz

Dormers find their happy places by Molly Bryant & Allison Fitz

Xiomara ChotoMueller: Alcove next to art room

Amethyst Kettrell: Dorm Parent Office

Leah Petee: Upper School art room

Kelsey Seo: Middle School Lounge

“I like it there because it has a window that can be opened, and it is a quiet place to study that is tucked away.”

“I like to hang out there because it's a place where a lot of dormers go if they want to get a snack or talk to the dorm parents, which provides a lot of opportunities to talk with everyone who walks in. It's also a very comfortable area and a lot of fun activities happen there.”

“It’s always great to sit in there to have a quiet work environment and also to see other students’ work in the making. I actually proctor in the art room on Mondays.”

“It’s quiet and no one bothers me. I usually go to the Middle School area, and the lounge is the closest, but if any of the classrooms is open I will go there. It’s a big space so I can play music out loud, rather than through headphones. I study, hang out, and do my work there. Sometimes I just sit there for a while.”

INKWELL | DECEMBER 2017

Cuisine à la Annie by Kaitlin Tan

Unlike day students, boarding students are provided with all three meals - breakfast, lunch and dinner - as well as snacks at Annie Wright. Many also supplement the food provided by the Annie Wright kitchen with their own store-bought snacks, cooking and eating out. When asked their favorite meal, the answer was unanimous: lunch. Sophomore Jessy Li said that she feels there is more variety at lunch. “We have sandwiches, hot meals, ice cream and salad,” she said. “We only have hot meals at breakfast and dinner.” Aside from the three main meals, snacks play a major role in the dormers’ day. Many dormers stock up on snacks to put in their fridges, because the kitchen serves brunch on the weekends starting at 12:00 pm. Typical places to get snacks are the bookstore, vending machine, Stadium Thriftway and Korea Town.

About every other Thursday, dorm parent Kiki hosts a snack night. She, with the help of dormers, will make snacks like french fries, nachos, chocolate dip, and brownies. During this night, dormers gather around in a circle, eat snacks and talk. Dormers also cook in the dorms: “There’s a prefect lounge and there are always people cooking in there, like noodles and stuff,” said Junior Simran Rakhra. There are, however, some general rules when dormers do choose to cook, the main one being to clean up. Many dormers also like the freedom to eat out at restaurants. Some places that are popular among the dormers include Indo Asian Street Eatery, The Spar, Shake Shake Shake, Starbucks, East & West Proctor, and Korea Town.

INKWELL | DECEMBER 2017

A Vision for meals at Annie Wright Scott Melillo, Director of Dining Services, explained some of his objectives for meals at Annie Wright.

Breakfast: Provide something more sustainable for the dormers to get through the morning.

Lunch: Implement a variety

of foods, reduce the carbon footprint (for example by reducing beef), incorporate seasonal fruits and vegetables, continue to make the food fresh daily from scratch, and ensure one type of grain and seasonal offerings are available.

Dinner: Meet with a group

of dormers at the beginning of the year and after winter break to go over the more popular foods; make appropriate changes. Top: Yusef, son of dorm parent and Assistant Residential Life Director Krista Keithly, often joins boarders for meals. Middle: Boarders eat, socialize and relax at dorm dinner. Bottom: Jose Luis Espinoza, a new member of the FLIK dining service team at Annie Wright, works evenings and weekends. All photos by Nina Doody

INKWELL | DECEMBER 2017

Brunch: Start at 12:00 pm

to make sure that students do not have to wake up early for breakfast on the weekends, but still serve some breakfast foods along with lunch offerings. 1

A dorm run memory My friends and I were in the dorms one weekend and wanted to go out to get ice cream. We asked the dorm parent if she would be free to take us if we found six people, and we got the okay to go. Finding enough people, however, was a challenge. We first started by asking everyone who was in the hallways if they wanted to go. That did not go so well. Being the arguably annoying freshmen that we were, we went to the Dorm Parent Office and got a megaphone. With that megaphone, we proceeded to go through the hallways again loudly announcing we wanted to go get ice cream and needed more people to go with us. We picked up a few fellow boarders with that method and finally got six people rallied together to go get ice cream. The six of us hopped in the Annie Wright van and headed off to a local favorite, Ice Cream Social. To this day it is still one of my favorite memories from freshman year. - Nina Doody

Dorm Runs Ideas Point Ruston Proctor District Tacoma Mall Ice Cream Social Korea Town Nail Salon 14

Scan this QR code or visit anniewrightinkwell.org to see a video of how 7-day boarder An Nguyen likes to spend her free time at school.

INKWELL | DECEMBER 2017

From left: residential students Demi Wang and Jade Cao relax in their dorm room, cereal dispensers at brunch and a typical dorm hallway. Photos by Gabrielle Krieger

A weekend in the life of a boarder

by Gabrielle Krieger

During the weekends at Annie Wright, the deserted hallways begin to flood with boarding students at 12:00 pm. Many students typically sleep until then, rising just in time for brunch, the first meal of the day. All dormers are expected to be at brunch no later than 12:20 pm for morning announcements and the chance to sign up for dorm runs, which need a minimum of five people. Brunch options include fruit, make-your-own waffles, cereals, hot foods such as bacon and eggs, and various toppings and condiments. Following brunch, dormers have some options. Depending on the size of the group, advance planning, and time available, students go on dorm runs, driven by dorm parents, to anywhere from the local Target to University Village outdoor shopping mall in Seattle.

INKWELL | DECEMBER 2017

Another choice is to walk, bike or take a bus or taxi to a local destination without a dorm parent. Freshmen and sophomores are required to go out with a buddy, while juniors and seniors can go on their own. Many choose to walk to Starbucks, which is about a half mile away.

Another choice is to walk, bike or take a bus or taxi to a local destination without a dorm parent. Some boarders take advantage of optional outings organized by dorm parents. These may include hiking, skiing, performances, museums, sporting events and more.

watching shows with friends and eating snacks from the bookstore or Target. Others go to the school gym in the Kemper Center to work out, or practice outside for Dance Team. Dorm parents also organize informal activities such as baking, games and crafts. Later in the weekend dormers focus on finishing their homework, despite the fact there is no official study hall. They also make sure to wash their uniforms. As the laundry room is extremely busy, some make it a point to start as early as 6:00 am. At 6:00 pm on Sundays, dormers head down for dinner and begin the winddown process. By 10:30 pm dormers must be in their rooms and ready for the week ahead.

The last option is to stay at school. Many choose to hang out in their rooms,

Traveling home

The experience of traveling home varies widely for boarders. Five-day boarders go home on weekends; seven-day domestic boarders usually go home for the major breaks; and many seven-day international boarders only go home for summer and winter breaks. Modes of transport include car, bus, train, and plane. Below are a few traveling experiences of five dormers:

Lina Bouzekri Alami, who is from Paris, France, and Casablanca, Morocco, is a seven-day international boarder. During the breaks in which she does go home, it takes her 24-26 hours, considering one or two stops. It usually takes her about four days to get rid of jetlag if she keeps a habit of sleeping at the right time and staying hydrated.

by Kaitlin Tan

Phoebe Brown, who is from Utah,

Emily Muehlenkamp, who is from

is a seven-day domestic boarder and goes home for the longer breaks like Thanksgiving and spring break in addition to summer and winter breaks. She had a brief scare at the airport when she was traveling home. Even though she had arrived almost three hours early for her flight, she ended up having to sprint to her gate because the gates had changed when she wasn’t paying attention.

Portland, Oregon, is a five-day boarder. It takes her approximately three hours to get home on the weekends. During that time she listens to music in the car with her family. At first, the drive felt very long, but she has gotten used to it and really enjoys the time with her family.

Amethyst Kettrell, who is from Seattle, Washington, is a five-day boarder. One of the more hectic experiences traveling home was when she had to take the train for the first time. Once she got off the train in downtown Seattle, she didn’t know where to go next. Luckily, a friend picked her up and was able to drop her off close to her home.

Tiffany Wang, who is from Tianjin, China, is a seven-day international boarder. When she goes home during the summer and winter breaks, it takes her 10 hours by plane, plus an extra four hours spent at the airport. Before leaving, she always communicates with her parents. Last year, when traveling back home for the first time, she packed too many things. She left China with two suitcases and came back with four.

A map of home

Annie Wright boarders come from across the world. Graphic by Nina Doody

INKWELL | DECEMBER 2017

Prefects: the down low

by Jade Cheatham

Prefects are seniors who serve a vital leadership role in the dorming community.

Prefect responsibilities 1. Act as a bridge between the dormers and the dorm parents and give an insight and understanding to both sides. 2. Plan dorm group activities and dorm events and take an essential role in the development of dorm life. 3. Guide younger dormers by being a trustworthy role model and friend. 4. Help the dorm parents keep the community safe and happy. 5. Talk and listen to other dormers; be there for them.

How to become a prefect 1. To become a prefect a student must show initiative and leadership, be a hard worker, demonstrate care for the betterment of the dorming community and school, and follow the honor code. 2. A written application is followed by an interview process, as well as several training seminars and a week-long dorm prep and training session. Prefects are appointed by the dorm parents and other boarders.

The prefects bond on a Mt. Rainier camping trip before school started in the fall. Photo courtesy of Harmeet Dhami

Honor code

Live honorably. Act responsibly. Accept and learn from my mistakes. Help my friends should they do otherwise. INKWELL | DECEMBER 2017

COURAGE

APPRECIATION BALANCE INTEGRITY

COMPASSION

RESPONSIBILITY

SISTERHOOD

RESPECT by Molly Bryant, artwork by Marilyn Fisher

Can you match the dorm parents to their dorm values and dorm group constellations? (answers on the bottom of page)

Dorm group mix & match