Hines, Allende, and a Group of New Roads Students

The lives, experiences, and world of staying late on the New Roads Upper School campus.

Think Hines or Allende after dark: What do you see? Is it a dimly lit room, empty from the ebbs and flows of students throughout the day? A dismal, possibly desolate space? In reality, it’s more like a warmly lit English classroom, or an LED-adorned blue space with 5-to-6 people flowing in and out on a regular day. These are the ones who stay late — making up an alternate-universe Breakfast Club. They’ve created a culture of their own that reflects the ideals of New Roads in its truest form. You can preach about acceptance, community, and collaboration all day, or you can be introduced to the New Roads campus after 4PM.

If you’re at all acquainted with the ins and outs of the campus, you know that there are certain spaces that are more populated than others. Eden — the green space outdoors — is an obvious locational candidate for spending time after school, but what happens when there’s an inclination to go inside? There are, of course, more choices than the rooms that those who stay late end up picking for the day. As reasons were revealed, it became apparent that there is definitively a pattern of gravitating towards certain rooms, and a sense of connection that can only be found through them and the intimacy that a certain enclosed space brings.

Some reasons include habit: “I started going to Hines because, whenever it was raining outside…[the school] always told us just to go there, so that became out of habit,” says junior Martin Martin. “But [I’ve been] going to Allende more, because of the light [that] made it easier on my eyes.” Habit definitely exists in this context, but also in being accustomed to smaller, more intimate spaces as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic; the level of comfort in Allende or Hines is also attributed to this dynamic, to a certain extent.

Some include aesthetic preferences: “I’ll answer for Allende because I know that room more: Bill’s room looks really cool with the lights off,” says sophomore Isaiah Brody.

Others include a combination of the two: “For me, it’s kind of like a habit [to go to those rooms], just because it started out that Hines was the only room really open after school to stay in, besides just being outside…but then we found out Allende was [always open] this year, so we’ve been spending some time in there too, and both rooms just have a nice atmosphere,” explains junior Dylan Nilsson.

(Photo by Paige Homer / The Jaguardian)

The blue lights of Allende, “really cool with the lights off.”

But there’s more to it than a comparison to The Breakfast Club — the result of these preferences creates a culture of students who converse deeply, are able to relax from the stresses of the day, and connect with each other in ways that don’t often occur during the arranged breaks on campus.

“I feel like the culture of it just kind of comes from the fact that we all are a lot closer to each other [after school] emotionally,” Nilsson explains, citing that there’s “not as much things going on” in comparison to the school day that allows for deeper, more introspective moments. Music consistently flows in the background, conversations land on topics that aren’t as easily explored during the day — mostly due to the length and structure of daily breaks — and an atmosphere of intimacy is present, akin to staying at a close friends’ house.

That culture is certainly there, and it’s based on “everyone supporting each other,” where “being more one-on-one creates a stronger bond with anyone who’s staying after school,” adds Martin.

“[When it’s] a day after school, everyone’s too tired to keep their guard up and try to act cool…everybody’s just kind of themselves in a really honest way,” Brody says. When there’s an arranged break, on the other hand, students may (rightfully) not feel up to engaging that deeply, nor is there necessarily enough time given to do so.

Coupled with the calming intimacy of Hines or Allende, it’s evident that staying after school has benefits related to work, which is frequently a factor contributing to these bonds. After school, Martin says, students can “help each other and make up for the differences in learning.” Although this kind of support does exist during the day, it can be hard to access when the school day is filled with classes and relatively short breaks.

The scheduled regiment of these breaks is in sharp contrast to the alternative approach to staying after school. To occupy these small, interior spaces with such intimacy — the action itself carries the values of the school without being persuaded to do so by adhering to the proposed “pillars” that we are obliged to acknowledge. These small spaces allow for immense freedom, especially in becoming better acquainted with other students, and offer a new way to feel comfortable after isolation from quarantine.

Staying after school has “really [been helping] me get to know my friends better…I’ve [been growing] a lot of different relationships that I wouldn’t have normally found [if not for staying] after school,” Nilsson says.

The consistency of the culture after school is seeing people for who they are, rather than the ways they wind up filtering themselves during the school day. It’s an important time — especially coming out of quarantine — and helpful that these connections can be cultivated simply through a shared space on the New Roads campus. Whether it’s in Allende or Hines, staying after school is, by all accounts, a true community of its own.