As I sit here typing this, the Moser House lounge has taken on a new energy. We have rounded out the year and are coming upon our last two months of school -- next year's leadership positions being named in chapel just 30 hours ago.
I am extremely proud to announce that Arturo King and I will be leading Moser House next year as prefects, he as head resident and myself as head day, under the guidance of Head of House Kyle Colavita. With this new responsibility will come all sorts of challenges, that much is guaranteed; however, there is much to be learned and so much fun that will be ours for the taking.
I can't possibly begin to explain what it was like to hear my name called out in chapel -- what this position means to me -- but the closest I can come to giving justice is this: Moser House is a home for me. Sure, not in the way that it is a home for the resident students; I could never imagine what it must be like to live here 24/7 and this being your literal house, but for me this is a place where I can feel like one of the guys.
There is something about Moser House that makes all the nights of sleeping on floors (no, it's not as comfortable as you're thinking) worth it. Even in the beginning of the year, when I was sleeping in rooms where I barely knew the students, that seems so worth it now. I will be honest, it was scary at first, as it is for any day student in the dorm world or vice versa, but putting my neck out on the line and risking my (nonexistent) "coolness" paid off. I am now the head day prefect of Moser House for 2013-14.
To be honest, I didn't expect to write this post at all. I had a free period and figured, "Hey, might as well head up to Moser." What inspired me to write this post was what happened when I came up here. Most of the guys have class right about now so it's almost completely empty. I walked up and down the hall once. Then again. Then again. But this was a different kind of pace down the hall than I had at the beginning of this year; this wasn't the awkward-new-Moser-kid-who-barely-knows-any-of-the-guys walk. This was the new-head-day-prefect, I-worked-for-this walk. And yeah, I grinned bigger than I did when they said my name in chapel.
Because the title isn't the special thing about becoming a prefect. Sure, it looks good to colleges, but as this year's head day prefect, Jesse Cook has reminded me all year, "Head day prefect is what you make it. You are only as good as the effort you put in." The real secret about becoming prefect, which may just be the best kept secret about the job, is the sense of belonging that comes with it.
Earlier in the year, when I was one of the very few day students who spent the night (and, I promise, that's going to change next year), there were a lot of people who asked me, "Why are you here? You aren't the prefect." Some people asked if I was a new boarding student (to which I responded, "Haha, I wish.") The reason why I smiled on that pace-of-triumph down the hall, the reason why this position makes me so happy, is because I officially belong in Moser House. I officially have that right to spend however much time I want here without any questions asked... until my parents make me come home because they miss me.
Anyways, enough with the sappy stuff. The new list of head day and resident prefects is chock full of amazing people, and I can honestly say I am very much so looking forward to working with each and every one of them. Here are the new leaders of Darlington School for the 2013-14 school year:
Summerbell House
Day: Marshall McCann
Dorm: Luke Sikinyi
Cooper House
Day: Mary Grayson Spence
Dorm: Kia Sims
Regester House
Day: Emily Thurmond
Dorm: Jil Reimann
Moser House
Day: Abraham Johnson (Me!!)
Dorm: Arturo King (Super Awesome!)
Thornwood House
Day: Sarah Beth Cline
Dorm: Tyler Favors-Wood
Neville House
Day: Wil Taylor
Dorm: Ian Winder
