Study Hall Shenanigans | Haley
Hey y’all, today I’m gonna tell y’all how FUN study hall is. Not only is it a time to do homework, it is also time to spend with your peers. You can eat some snacks while studying. You can also do fun dance videos AFTER you’re done with your assignments. Even though you probably will be struggling to get work done, this activates your brain to think harder. Your peers will see you through your rough times but also through your good times. Take in all the experiences no matter what. If you ever need help on your assignments make sure you ask either the FOD or the AOD they will most likely help you. Don’t be like me and struggle until you cannot bear the pressure. I’m not going to sugar coat so I will be straight forward. It is a lot of homework and it will be stressful but the experiences you gain will all be worth it in the end.
Watch out for camels!! | Paila
I’ve never ever seen so much sand in my whole life! We piled into the buses on Sunday, September 20th for our weekend activity. We drove a total of 6 hours round trip and spent 3 hours at the dunes. It’s the most mind boggling thing because we are driving through the rocky mountains then all the sudden there’s miles and miles of sand. It looks pretty out of place. It’s incredible that so much sand got blown there. We climbed up pretty high onto the tippy top of a dune and could see sand in all directions and the mountains in the distance. These silly strangers blew bubbles on us and said, “Watch out for Camels!” After we flicked up (on Ethan’s selfie stick btw) and took in the beauty, we jumped all the way back down to all the HMI homies. We were getting so much air it was like we were flying! Then we buried each other in the sand and surfed around on Lou’s surfboard. There is still sand EVERYWHERE—so much came back to the HMI campus!
An Epidemic of Baldness | Fletcher
A plague has broken out.
Clots of hair
cross your path like tumbleweeds
you would think the coyote,
and roadrunner would
be soon to arrive.
I can’t sleep
it fills my ears, now uncovered
the mice and the birds
cheer all night,
reveling in their newfound
materials of nest.
Those clippers
goddamn you Wahl,
and all your ungodly teeth
if only
you were left at home.
I run my hands over my head
as do the others,
that freshly seeded grass
and all I can think about
is the forest
that once sat atop my noggin.
A plague has broken out.
wind touching our scalp,
hair in our hands
we look at the flame scarred hills above,
touch our massacred scalps and wonder,
who will be
the next victim.
BIG 17 ≽^•⩊•^≼ | Cristina
It has been a month since being at HMI (aka my birthday)! It was a huge thing for me because it’s my first birthday without my family and friends. On the Friday before my birthday, I was feeling homesick because I couldn’t believe it’s been a month and I knew my birthday was going to be different this year. However, everyone here was so excited to celebrate my birthday with me, so it made me feel special and grateful to celebrate my first birthday without my family. The night before my birthday, everyone was trying to find the cutest and pinkilishest outfit ever to dress up for my birthday, since that afternoon we had announced to everyone to wear pink or Hello Kitty clothes. Therefore, every guy was wearing a pink shirt or pants from the girls’ clothes. IT WAS HILARIOUS. They were wearing pink tank tops, crop tops, and really tight clothes. It was amazing, everyone was getting into it, and were so excited to wear pink. It was the best excuse to wear pink. My roommates woke me up that morning by singing happy birthday to me, which felt so much like home. The best part of my birthday was breakfast where everyone sang happy birthday to me, but also I got to see everyone wear pink and Hello Kitty clothes I let them borrow. I never thought that having a birthday at HMI would be so special.
Larpin’ | Luc
During this AB we learned to LARP (Live Action Role Play). I was taught to kill, to die, how to be ruthless against my enemies, and to pretend that foam swords are 30 pounds of steel. At first we fought in the “death circle” where one man has to challenge another to a battle, and continue until everyone is gone but him. I saw the most ruthless and horrific fights of people that I had grown to love. Next we participated in the system of Capitalism where each man (and Agnes) could pick up one of four swords on the ground until only one was left alive. I picked up a sword everyone else seemed to ignore and then got stabbed right after. I watched as everyone went and killed one and other and then, out of nowhere, came Colin, who then picked up a sword and bested the last two people on the battlefield. Afterward, we shifted into Socialism, where anyone can pick up a sword, but can only kill people with swords—but anyone without a sword can politely ask to take a weapon from anyone with one. I initially tried to stay out of the conflict, but when the opportunity came to politely ask to take Aden’s sword, I took it. Sadly, though, I was killed right after and watched the rest of the battle unfold. Finally, we fought in Communism, where each person had to join a team of four, and each person had to put a hand on one sword given to the team, and fight everyone else undertaking the same challenge. Our group of four at first attempted to take out a team that had been focusing on another battle, and hit them from behind. Unfortunately for us, they turned around and began to fight us. We tried our best to even hit them once, but it’s really hard to coordinate four different people to try to hit the same place with a sword. A team of only one remaining massacred our whole team.