Loomis Chaffee is a school with nonstop energy—finding peace on this campus is like finding a space to sit at 12:30 on Wednesdays after school in the cafeteria. Privacy is unheard of even in the supposed holy sanctuary of your room. One moment you have a beautiful stash of snacks, great for the late night after the dining hall closes. Seconds later, the word of you having food spreads across the dorm, and in a few seconds your room turns into an all-you-can-eat buffet. Uninvited guests swarm the “snack stash” with the efficiency of me eating a BEC before class starts. By the time you chase them all out, the only thing left is a lonely cup of ramen, sitting in the middle, having lost all its compatriots.
Attending this school isn’t all about academics—it's a high-stakes survival game where you have to be a strategist, snack securer, and caffeine-fueled warrior. Amidst the chaos of physically being on campus, there exists a single sacred refuge where you are not bothered, where you are alone with your thoughts and can truly find your inner peace: the hoodie.
The moment your hood goes up, the outside world is gone. They’re literally noise-canceling headphones. With your hood on, you are untouchable. Outside of your hoodie, you hear chaotic sounds of frantic writing, gossip, and the teacher explaining a concept you swear you learned in class before. A hoodie over your head makes you enter the “realm of zen,” a barrier over your brain where no stress can enter.
The hoodie, made of silk and fabric, may not look like much, but like armor, keeps you protected from the hustle and bustle of daily life. You are not simply a student with your hoodie on; you are a vigilante figure observing the classroom and other people from the shadows. You are a Batman who is looking over Gotham (except Gotham is a student who is running on 3 caffeine shots and blind optimism). During class, the teacher might assume you are pondering and deep in thought. In reality, however, you have transcended to heaven. You found inner peace. You found Zen. On this campus, the only real thing you need is your hoodie.
