A Day in the Life

To begin my day, I usually wake up at 7 a.m., enough time to shower, pack my backpack and walk to breakfast. Students who do manage to wake up in time for breakfast enjoy a vast array of breakfast foods. I, however, often prefer to have some yogurt and granola, especially if I’m running late.

 

A brief and brisk walk from the dining room takes me to my first class. Due to Fountain Valley’s rotating schedule, my first class is different depending on the day of the week, so at 8 a.m., I could be learning anything from the necessity of balancing chemical equations in Dr. Waldbaum’s Honors Chemistry class to the consequences of the Mexican-American War on sectional tensions within the United States in Dr. Gilbert’s AP U.S. History class. If I’m lucky, sometimes I get a free block as my first “class” of the day—meaning, I get to sleep in. Regardless, the rotating schedule helps keep each day new and fresh.

 

Next is All-School where about once a week we as a community discuss the important happenings from around campus. There are announcements, performances, senior presentations—it’s never dull.

 

Lunch is a unique time at FVS because it grants the first opportunity during the day for boarding students to enjoy the company of their day student friends outside of the classroom. Finding a place to sit in the dining room is never a problem because of the interconnectedness of the school community. For example, I often have the choice of sitting with friends from a club, friends from the hockey team, or friends I have met through a variety of other pursuits.

 

The afternoon is often a blur and classes are interesting as usual, but I am always looking forward to the end of the school day for one reason: hockey. Once classes end at 3:05 p.m., all students head to their afternoon sport or activity that typically runs from 3:30 to 5:15; however, as a hockey player, I am often subject to an alternative schedule.

We train and play five to six days per week. On days when our practice time aligns with the typical school athletic practice timeframe, we practice after school, come back for dinner, then get ready for study hall. Whenever we have a later practice that overlaps with the school's typical evening study hall time, we have a team study hall in the afternoon to make sure we have plenty of time to finish our homework. We also work out at the National Strength and Conditioning Association next to the rink. Doing dry land at NSCA provides an excellent opportunity to improve both on-ice skills and physical strength in a world-class training facility.

Dinner begins at 5:30 and provides another opportunity to spend time with friends. The time can also be used to get ahead on homework before study hall. I often try and get back to my residence hall a little early and start working on homework so that I can finish earlier in the night.

 

Students have to be back in their residence halls by 7 p.m., to begin dorm jobs, clean their rooms and prepare for study hall, which starts at 7:30. Study hall is the sanctioned time slot for everyone to do school work. From 7:30 to 9 is closed study hall where students are expected to work alone quietly and diligently in the dorm. From 9-10, we have open study hall where students are allowed to sign out to go to a classmate’s dorm to study, go to the library, seek help from faculty on duty, work collaboratively with peers within the residence hall, or—on some lucky nights—take a break where we are all allowed to go get a snack at the campus center and hang out with friends.

 

After study hall ends at 10 p.m., I usually try to get to bed as early as possible knowing I have another busy day ahead of me, but if I have not finished all my homework, upperclassmen lights-out is not until 11 p.m., so I can stay up and study, need be. But usually by 10:30, it is time to go to bed after another busy day at Fountain Valley.

 

Goodnight!