Lily Clark ’24
Contributor
What Happens When Students Leave Campus?
Known for their love of whispering to people who find themselves on the toilet at 3 am and their antics of stalking the basement laundry rooms around campus, the ghosts of Loomis Chaffee do not stop their fun when students depart for Thanksgiving Break.
The spirits begin to grow restless as the last students finish their final examples. They wait anxiously until each student has packed their bags and left campus. Then comes the critical moment—all the ghosts convene in the chapel to check with the Deans that every last student has left, and with that confirmation, they depart for the SNUG.
Some spirits in the notorious 3rd-floor Founders clique immediately start a competitive ping pong game. The spirits that haunt Harman, Kravis, and Warham challenge each other on the Xbox, each attempting (and failing) to input a Fatality in Modern Kombat.
The ghosts of Palmer, Flagg, and Howe all head for the Grill hoping for some spectral aura of the famously delicious Bacon, Egg, and Cheeses that remain. When they have found every last possible morsel, they depart to the Howe common room for a friendly battle on Wii Sports, having spent the past few months absorbing strategies from the ambitious students who spent their weekend nights deep in competition, trying to distract themselves from stressful deadlines.
After a busy afternoon, the spirits congregate in Hubbard to listen to their ghostly performance groups that had learnt new songs from the student ensembles. They also had fun unnerving Campus Safety with songs performed in minor keys.
The ghosts spend each night creating a ghostly version of an event they witnessed Loomis students participating in. In past years, they’ve stormed the ceramics room and knocked over their least favorite projects, splashed paint onto finished canvases, and kept Kirk the tortoise company. There have also been multiple lip-sync battles, football games, movie nights (this year, they picked Ghostbusters, though none of them had expected a horror movie), and even PSAT tests. No ghost understood why so many students did that one, but it happened each year, so they decided to try it for themselves as well.
However, each night, the ghosts all soon grow weary and wish to return to their hidey holes that they reside in for most of the year. Those who aren’t too tired decide to have a party in the Cupola, but they too retire to their dark basement corners and drafty third floor rooms after the fun’s over.
When it came time for the students to return, all the ghosts had to bid farewell to each other and retreat to their usual territories. However, the ghosts always remain excited for the three weeks following Thanksgiving Break, knowing that Winter Break is soon approaching, and with it, their massive end of the year party. This year’s party theme is A Christmas Carol.
