Lawrenceville School’s Ancient Wonders

          On the hallowed grounds of the Lawrenceville School, where students have trod since the dawn of time in 1810, there are certain relics on campus since the dark ages. Although the students and faculty are perennial, most other aspects of the campus are enduring. It is doubtful that any Lawrentians would want to know how many other people have slept on their beds, worn their sports uniforms, or drank from the same water fountain they use on daily. Well, that is part of the charm of Lawrenceville—the lives of our Lawrenceville ancestors can be traced back through the centuries through the ancient artifacts that have been part of Lawrenceville. Even as some of these items have planned to retire—looking back, their tenures were fantastic.

          One such tenured part of campus is the Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) in Woods Memorial Hall. An HVAC system is crucial for the livelihoods of every student on campus, especially during grueling in-class essays and mentally draining tests, but the sounds that escape it are confusing, frightening, and quite unusual. The experience of hearing an odd sound in the middle of English class and thinking for a moment that a classmate whothat had a bad burrito for lunch is to blame, but soon realizing it is just the HVAC system growling is probably not uncommon. Other times, one may hear a sharp rattling noise and think there is a ghost lives inside the walls, trying to break free. Either Woods Memorial Hall needs to go on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition to specifically make over the HVAC, or needs to very politely plead to the HVAC to finally retire and give it a check for personal development. 

          Lawrenceville has invested an exceptional amount of money into improving its campus, most notably through the Tsai Field House. The community will obviously benefit from the new athletic and dining complex. Although there may be a new facility where sports practices and competitions take place, everyone will still be wearing the same uniforms that have been worn since dinosaurs were the School’s neighbors instead of the TJs store. Blood, sweat, and tears have been shed into these athletics uniforms again and again. Often used for more than one season in a single year, the turmoil the uniforms have been through is certainly great, but maybe, just maybe, it is time to break that cycle. These uniforms have been worn by students who have achieved impressive athletic accomplishments, which is something they should be proud of. However, all good things must come to an end and it is sadly time for some of the outdated Lawrenceville uniforms to say goodbye and retire. 

          The chairs in Noyes History Center with their arms repeatedly falling off, the ancient headphones in the Father’s Building language lab, and the cracking tennis courts, are just some more of the tenured items on campus. Oftentimes, when objects are looking as though they need to retire soon, they are neglected. People will make fun of them and call them names, but that behavior is never appropriate. Although the things around campus may have too much wear and tear and be in desperate need of retirement, they are what have fortified Lawrenceville through centuries.