“You know it really just hits you like a wrecking ball,” Joe Zec ‘15 said.
Growing up with siblings is not even close to uncommon among Staples students. But as the years go on and they transition into becoming upperclassmen, the youngest siblings are forced into a goodbye with their older brothers and sisters.
Zec ‘15, whose brother recently started as a Freshman at Berklee School of Music, said that when his brother first left it was really strange around the house – it seemed empty.
And although it has only been a month or two since students went off to college, things are beginning to become normal again in the homes that at first seemed to be missing something substantial. However simultaneously, the first big opportunity to visit is arriving.
“Family Weekend” is scheduled by each college for the parents and siblings of the students to visit and spend time together. Depending on the school, family weekend could take place any time in the fall.
Many high school students who go to visit their siblings also try to get information about the school, just in case they might be interested in going there. When Bridget van Dorsten visits her sister at George Washington University, she plans to learn more about the school. “I’ll probably visit the track coach of the college and have her give me a tour,” van Dorsten ‘15 said, who is very interested in Track and Field.
And even though there are personal gains from these visits, many teenagers go solely for catching up with their sibling. Sophie Mafilios ‘15 is one of those students. Her sister is now a Junior in college and although they went to Family Weekend for her Freshman and Sophomore years, unfortunately they are not visiting her anytime soon this year.
“We usually go out to dinner and go to the parents weekend events they hold. We also help her organize her room and sometimes we go shopping as a bonding thing to do.” Mafilios ‘15 said.
With all of these activities crammed into one weekend, let’s just hope that the teachers here at Staples and away at college give out a light load of homework.
