Camping Trip

Strange, exuberant, ukulele-playing man in a Hawaiian shirt who comes and sings hippie songs.’ That’s all the information that I had gathered from various people regarding the legendary Nick Page and his iconic annual performance. Frankly, I was scared. Walking to the Rec. Hall, I really didn’t have any idea what to expect other than the whole school breaking out in song. I didn’t expect that we’d be clapping our hands like maniacs while smiling like the Cheshire Cat. I didn’t expect to laugh like hyenas from the Lion King or that I’d learn that much or feel that much a part of a Waring tradition. Singing and laughing and crying and smiling as a school, a school that I was so nervous to get to be a part of but has this huge sense of overwhelming community. It felt like I finally belonged. Thank you, Nick Page, for helping create a night of making me smile until my cheeks hurt, of making me expose my ugly laugh, of making me clap until my hands turned red, of making me walk in circles singing from my heart, of making me feel a little more like I’m in a place I belong in.

Camille, Class of 2023