On Thursday, Feb. 17, at 8:00 a.m., the development office organized a breakfast for the senior class in the cafeteria to celebrate 100 days until graduation.
According to Form 6 Dean and English teacher David Hild, the 100-day breakfast has been a tradition at KO for the last 20 or so years. “It is a fun event to officially recognize that the time the seniors have left being a student at KO is short,” Mr. Hild said.
An alumni speaker is always invited to share the impact that KO had on them, and this year the alumni speaker was Bomani Brown, who graduated as a member of the KO Class of 2006. Mr. Brown graduated from Wesleyan University in 2010 and currently lives in West Hartford. “He talked to the class about how important the relationships he made at KO continue to be in his life,” Mr. Hild said. “Once a Wyvern, always a Wyvern.”
Senior Arie Lang really enjoyed Bomani’s message that KO is a place where he made his most memorable and meaningful friends who he still continues to see and talk to. “He told us that we should not take for granted the time left we have together and, instead, we should make the most of it,” Arie said.
Senior Olivia Kittleman thought that Bomani’s speech was very moving. “It made me think about how these are all of our ‘lasts,’ like our last 100 days left, and then we will be adults in the real world,” Olivia said.
Senior Emma Levinbook agreed. “The message that I took from him was to really cherish the last 100 or so days that I have left with my class and to not take anything for granted as my experience as a student at KO comes to an end,” she said.
At the event, there were balloons decorating the cafeteria and a great variety of breakfast foods. It was overall a memorable and delicious way to celebrate the class of 2022. “Sage Dining had an omelet bar and a bunch of yummy breakfast foods,” Olivia said.
Emma thought that it was really great to be able to have breakfast with all of her friends and peers to commemorate their last 100 days as KO students. “The dining staff and administration did an amazing job with the food, the decorations, and overall with setting everything up,” Emma said. “The food was absolutely delicious; they served pastries like scones and muffins, set up an omelet bar, had bacon, French toast, sausage, and potatoes, and also served fruit,” she said. Overall, she thought it was a really nice morning.
Not only was this a huge celebration, but the development team also introduced the seniors to the idea of their soon becoming graduates by inviting them to choose a class gift to the school. They ultimately decided on giving the school weather-proof benches to be placed all around campus.
The seniors were each given a mug with “100 days of school left” written on it, as well as letters to write to themselves about their own personal memories that they have made at KO to be read in five years at their five-year class reunion.
Arie thought that the breakfast was a great way to get the whole class together and celebrate their short time left together. Senior Allie Wildstein agreed, saying that, overall, it was a really nice event. “The message I took away was that Kingswood Oxford had been a huge part of my life,” Allie said, “and while I may be leaving in a few short months, I will always have a home here.”
Mr. Hild thought that it was a great way to celebrate the seniors and was so glad to be a part of it. “It was lots of fun and a positive event for the kids and the school,” Mr. Hild said. “It was kind of a kickoff to their graduation celebration events.”
Senior Sam Merkatz really enjoyed the event and felt that it meant so much to him. “It had a pretty big impact on me, to be honest,” Sam said. “It made me realize how little time here I have remaining.”
The event meant a lot to Emma, as she is someone who has spent the past seven years at KO. “It was a time to commemorate the start of a new chapter and to look back on the experiences I have had since Upper Prep,” Emma said. “It made me excited for what’s to come but also nostalgic about the times I have had at KO.”
Olivia loves the tradition of the 100-day breakfast at KO and thinks it marks the first of her class’ senior events and the many fun activities they have coming up as a class. “I really just took in the moment during this breakfast and reflected on my last five years at KO and how much I’ve grown academically and personally and what I’ve been through throughout high school with online learning and everything,” Olivia said. “I think this last year our grade has grown closer, as we’ve all realized this is our last year together and that we should let all past drama or grudges stay in the past, which I love and is one of the best parts of KO.”
