Dana Hall. Dana Hell.

Did you know they call us the dana call girls–What’s a call girl? The girl ya call when ya lonely, gurl.

Tradition. Extraditions.

Did you see Alicia’s Facebook post–of her suspension holiday in France? Rich white girls can enjoy anything. What was it for? I dunno, to show off and get likes right. I mean the suspension? Oh she brought a guy into the dorms.

Traditions play an important role in life at Dana Hall School, serving not only as symbols of the past, but also staples in the present.

Have you heard someone was trafficked into prostitution right behind Wheeler, like in the 80s? That’s insane. Someone was raped on the stairs in Wheeler too, like around that time. Yeah that one right by the proctor’s room. Everyone could hear it and nobody did anything.

Harbor cruise. Harbor Bruise.

Are they checking dress-code for Harbor Cruise? Yeah, before we get on the bus. It’s so unfair my arms are long. Anything summery is “shorter than my longest finger”.

I hear they’re lenient on seniors tho. we’ve earned it. Umm but Zoe’s skirt flew up when she was doing the ring tap.

Why do we have dress codes anyways? Like it’s all girls, who are we here to offend? Some of the male faculty say they are uncomfortable. Uncomfortable.

Have you seen Mr. Cook running in his shorts? Ewww. Men shouldn’t wear shorts that short.

Senior-Sophomore. See who can spend more.

Kat spent 200 dollars on candies. WTF. Isn’t there a limit to how much you can spend? That’s just for the poster candies. You can stuff as much candy into the locker as you want.

 

Mr. Eric Goodson:

“You guys have no idea what senior sophomore means–

when there was 10-12th grade only the sopho-mores are the youngest.

The girls are away from home for

the first time they see older,

smart, talented, beautiful, athletic,

seniors they write letter of affection

and seniors write back if they reciprocate

feeling on one weekend they sneak into the room of the younger girl and

cover it in candies.”

Revels. Rebels

I’m stealing as many crystal centerpieces as possible.

Midwinter, or S.P.R.E.A.D.  

Meredith’s mother, Ms. Julian: “What? You don’t even know how to kneel? During my time, they have the girls kneel on the floor like this if they recited the song wrong. I had to kneel like this all the way to lunch.”

shhhhhhhhhh

shhhhhhhhhhhh

shhhhhhhhh

The lacrosse team seniors took all the juniors on a car and drove them around campus last night. And nobody stopped them? Well yeah cuz they’re white day students. Didn’t they suspend the Korean girls? What did they do again? They told juniors to stand outside Whiteway until they can recite all the songs.

I’m taking this one to the grave.

Dancing in the moonlight

Chloe is watching.

Ms. Hanig:”The school has trouble finding teachers to drive the students from Shipley to the tunnel because everyone is afraid they’re going to end up in court one day and testify they were part of this.”

like a bridge over troubled water

silver sisters

Snitches got snitches

Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh           Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh            Shhhhhhhhhhhh

Shhhhhhhhhh close your eyes and put your hand on the shoulders in front of you. Shhhhhh hold your breath as we scream into your ear in an dark endless tunnel. Shhhh catch your name in a fishbowl of names. Shh recite the poem or sit here

Stand up. Close your eyes. Don’t trip.

Shhhhhhhhhh walk over this table. Shhhhhh someone will hug you and crown you with a garland of rose. Shh it’s impolite to ask questions at the dinner table. Now we sing and recite the poem from many years ago. You’d think it’s beautiful.

Shhhh you think this is over? Shhhhhh now pretend to watch this movie while we stare at you Shhh walk to Bardwell following my dark dress and clinky heel. Be faced with your “friend” who pretends to not know you and recite! recite that poem written many years ago and have your eyes be blindfold.

SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Open your eyes, accept your rose and then close it again.

shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Open your eyes and see your senior kneeling in front of you with a box and in it your class ring glitter like gold because it is 200 dollars of gold.

She put the ring on your fingers and embrace you and you sit next to each other  watch a play she falls asleep on your shoulders

Now walk to the gym together sing on the way lie next to each other but not too close

Welcome to the sisterhood.

shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

 

Can’t I opt-out of this? Nah, you can’t just do anything after getting into college.

shhhhhhhhh it’s your time to shhhhhhhhhh

You might not want it but your Junior has been waiting for it! I know Sophia. She’s too smart for this. Okay let’s be real we gotta do it cuz we went through it too.

Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

As a senior, you’re allowed to use the archives now. Mr. Goodson can guide you through it.

Mr. Eric Goodson:

“SPREAD stands for Seniors Present

Rings, Entertainment, And Dinner.

When the younger girl grow no longer too young

In the middle of the winter

before spring comes and one must graduate and share a ring

with a man, the seniors abduct the younger girl

off-campus with bottles of alcohol and

kneel with a ring and a rose

while the singles

will put on a not so lady-like show and cook

for the first time in their lifetime:

that’s why your dinner had to be pasta and tomato sauce.”

 

All guests must be hosted by a current student and they are expected to observe all Dana Hall rules, including rules prohibiting sexual activity of any kind on campus. We acknowledge that

same gender relationships that go beyond friendship exist,

and we place a certain degree of trust in our students. Any failure to respect these guidelines may result in disciplinary action.

 

https://www.danahall.org/student-life/traditions

Notes:

In all earnest, I chose this topic because I am short on time. Allison’s post inspired me. Even though much of my interest in social justice is shaped by high school, there’s an insistence on not examining, especially not writing about it. I also felt comfortable writing on this tradition because I’ve done research during high school, and feel more comfortable writing about something I lived through myself.

My biggest frustration is to make this piece coherent rather than a jumbled string of pieces. There are two things I am trying to achieve at the same time, namely recounting my experience and reinterpreting the language of official school website, as well as the student handbook. Now I realize perhaps I do want to write a traditional exposè that a friend of mine once planned to draft and send to her “contacts at the NYTimes”, to throw a grenade of vengeance belatedly detonated.