Zebra Tales
2021-22
Robin '22
Hometown: Starksboro, VT
Groton activities: Geography Club, Sustainability Committee, Euro Challenge, Envirothon, Rocket Club, Chapel bell-ringing, varsity crew, JV ice hockey,
Most surprising when you first arrived at Groton: How quickly everyone got to know each other and how quickly we settled in. I came in Second Form, so as a smaller group we got to know each other pretty fast, but even learning about and meeting older students happened faster than I could have expected. Whether in the dorm, in clubs, or in class, everyone is exceptionally welcoming! Even the next year when our form tripled in size, people seemed to settle in and we all got to know each other pretty fast.
Favorite class: Electricity and Magnetism. Walking into that room every day was electrifying. This class stands out to me not only because all ten of us were focused and excited to tackle each day's discussion, but also because of how each unit built on the last. We started off with a short unit about gravitational fields (technically a review from physics mechanics the year before) to refamiliarize us with fields, but as the year went on we moved further and further away from all that I had learned in the past about either electricity or magnetism. Finally, in the last unit or two we learned about inductance and how these two types of fields can actually influence each other! Even though it was built off of mathematics and material we had learned all year long, this was astounding. What a fascinating conclusion.
Most memorable Groton moment: Walking back to the dorms after study hall one night in Lower School. Everyone was chatting on the way, but I had hung back a little to turn off some lights in the Schoolhouse. And so I walked with Mr. Gnozzio, who was the study hall proctor and my math teacher that year. I always looked for the stars (and Orion) on those walks back, and they were pretty bright that night, but what I remember most is when Mr. Gnozzio told me that Chaos Theory was centered around creating chaos—not finding order from chaos. I love concepts such as absolute truth and perfect knowledge, so I had built up a sort of reverence for the ideas of finding order—predictability—from chaos in my head, but what Mr. Gnozzio told me opened my eyes to a whole new question: how do you even begin to make true chaos?
Favorite Dining Hall food: Broccoli-and-cheddar soup bread bowls. They have this about once a year in the beginning of the winter term—it's an amazing feeling to sit down with one of these in a warm Dining Hall after a freezing walk around the Circle.
Favorite place to study: The benches outside the Schoolhouse!
List of 6 news stories.
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"Our Sole Goal Is to Have a Blast"
Read MoreYes. It was time. The first game of the season, and the first one since COVID. I could tell, just from the bus ride over, that it was gonna be a good one. -
Happy Coincidences
Read MoreI’m quite lucky with my classes this term because they are all electives. -
You'll be "Havana" Good Time
Read MoreConGO to Geo Club . . .You'll be HAVANA good time…It'd SER-BI-Awesome…BoGOtá Geo Club… -
The plants never join our discussion . . .
Most Saturday nights this year, I’ve found myself at home in a classroom, ringed with printed quotes, a typewriter, and many potted plants.Read More -
Gobi and the Beautiful Canoe
Read MoreThe pond is speckled with a hundred leaves; like stars, they flow across the water. It’s a windy evening—about 7 o’clock—and I’m paddling my dog Gobi in our old red canoe. Gusts of wind draw tree branches back, and the sun is setting into the mountains. -
Holes
Read MoreA few months ago my friend lent me The Fifth Season, the first book in The Broken Earth series by N.K. Jemisin. The writing was beautiful; the chronology, fascinating. Jemisin’s world-building was woven into the story smoothly. Turns out, a lot of other people agree: Jemisin was the first author to win three consecutive Hugo Awards (2016, 2017, 2018) for this trilogy.
