At the Table

written by Anna Dickey, class of 2023

No day at Saint James School is ever really the same, but one variable still manages to remain constant: lunch. Each day at around 12:55 PM all the high school students flock to The Commons for a reprieve from classes and a chance to grab some food and talk with friends. This day-to-day assembly hundreds of hungry teenagers is where the beating heart of the high school can really be felt. There are dozens of tables positioned all around the Commons, and at each one there is a unique environment made up of all different types of people who participate in widely varying activities around the school. Personally, lunch is one of my favorite parts of each day for this exact reason. During lunch I get to see many friends who I don’t have any classes with, who I don’t see after school, and who I wouldn’t otherwise see if we didn’t meet for lunch each day. It can be hard to find time to meet with friends who participate in different activities and have different interests than I do, but lunch in the Commons always provides the perfect opportunity. The table I sit at everyday with five of my friends is a great example of this. We each take part in a wide range of varying hobbies and extracurriculars here at school. I myself participate in speech and debate, performing arts, choir, and youth in government. Like me, Lizzy Dickens participates in performing arts and choir, and Brooke Bender partakes in youth and government. But while some people at my table participate in the same activities as me, others do completely different ones. For example, Kaelyn Morgan is a sports superstar, playing on both the school’s soccer and basketball teams, while also representing the school in marching band. Then there are Selina Sun and Kelsey Shaffer, who, while both representing the school in math competitions and excelling in their academics, pursue the artistic ventures of music and visual arts, respectively. A day at our lunch table typically consists of hearing about Kaelyn’s grueling practice last week, cramming for tests with Kelsey’s help, Brooke hilariously rating the daily soup, Selina disagreeing with everything she says, and hearing Lizzy sing every type of song you can imagine under her breath. Some could describe our table as chaotic because of all the different things happening at once, but I like to think of it as a beautiful harmony. We may not all sing the same note or participate in all the same activities, but when we come together, we create a breathtaking melody. Due to COVID-19, last year that melody was stifled, but this year, with The Commons open to students again, the sound of people coming together can be heard all around campus. And during those precious forty-three minutes between 12:55 and 1:38 PM, there is no place I would rather be than at the table.