A Letter from Your Former Editor
May 31, 2020
To our community: Re the Fiftieth Volume of The Circle Voice, 2019-20: I write, first and foremost, to congratulate the new Board on their first issue together. I am happy to see familiar and new faces take the reins and I look forward to reading more of The Circle Voice. I'm so excited for you. ...
Senior Prefects Pass the Torch
Christina Oelhafen ’21 and Sophia Wu ’21, Features Editors
May 31, 2020
Grace Mastroianni ’20 and Lwazi Bululu ’20 led the school through one of the toughest times in recent years. The virus threw unimaginable challenges at them – as Grace said, “planning a virtual ‘prize day’ when we knew that no matter what our form was going to be unhappy”. Yet, they l...
A Guide to Spring Classes: Elective Highlights
Jiacheng Kang ’22 and Elizabeth Wolfram ’23
March 7, 2020
There are many exciting electives in the spring term, and we find the ones displayed particularly unique. Some electives (such as advanced readings in a modern language) are advanced, term-courses within their given department. The electives below, however, are a few examples of beloved clas...
Holi at Groton: A Burst of Color
March 7, 2020
Warm weather this spring will breathe green back into the grass on the Circle and pink into the flowerbeds, but the biggest explosion of color will be in the Dases' backyard: teachers Nishad Das and Sravani Sen-Das will host the fifth annual Groton celebration of the Hindu festival Holi. For the many Hin...
Athlete of the Issue: Rachel McMenemy
Christina Oelhafen '21, Assistant Features Editor
February 11, 2020
In Rachel McMenemy’s first season as a zebra, she led the Groton Girls Varsity Basketball team to the NEPSAC Class B finals and brought home the championship. As captain, Rachel continues to lead the team with confidence and passion on and off the court. She contributes her knowledge and skill every d...
Ethics Students Produce Podcasts About Campus Issues
December 20, 2019
The Daily, the Moth, Radiolab, and Hidden Brain — all well-known podcasts designed to inform listeners about global stories and issues. This fall for their final project, Ethics students created similar podcasts that pertained to a more local environment: Groton. Each student, either alone or in pai...
The Circle Voice Celebrates 50th Anniversary
Cornelia Potter '21, Digital Editor
October 13, 2019
During the 1960s and 1970s, amidst the Vietnam War, America bubbled with social change and civil unrest, as did Groton students. In 1969 students created The Circle Voice to serve as the student body’s own form of expression. Fifty issues later, we peer backwards to re-examine this rich ...
A Survivor and Soldier: Luka Bakic ’15
Michelle Kim '23, Amber Gumira '23, and Zhining Zhao '23
October 11, 2019
Luka Bakic, a current Ensign in the US Navy and Groton graduate of 2015, bears a unique, war-ridden history. Born in the late 1990s in Belgrade, Serbia, Luka and his family were caught in the Kosovo War (1998-99). The Bakics eventually fled the city once the NATO began bombing Serbia in 1999 to end S...
Looking Back at Groton’s 135 Birthdays
Claire Lee '20, Features Editor
October 11, 2019
Despite many changes that have taken place, it is still Groton tradition to celebrate the school’s birthday with much pomp and grandeur. 26th of October 1885: Groton School’s first anniversary. Being the first ever celebration, the boys had no precedent of hosting birthday feasts and the da...
International Experience at the Dining Hall
February 11, 2019
Food mirrors culture, especially at Groton. Here, food makes up a large part of the Groton experience: students often look forward to meals as a way to spend time away from the rigorous academics and to catch up with peers. But Groton’s culture is predominantly American. Thus, the food may not always...
“Let’s Get This Bread!”
February 5, 2019
As temperatures drop, students seek warmth through mugs of hot chocolate, large winter coats, or the Dining Hall’s fresh bread. In the coldest winter months, the Dining Hall staff prepares various styles of warm bread every day at lunch to satisfy student cravings. The origin of this tradition is unclear. In fa...
A History of Sunday Bell Ringing
Wally Capen '22, Jack Sperling '22
February 5, 2019
Bell ringing at Groton began shortly after the chapel was built in 1900, and a club was soon established for the activity. The Bell Ringing Club has fluctuated in membership in recent years and disappeared for two years after the heads graduated in 2016. Last year, John Rogers ’22, Robin Huntington...
A New Face at the Bagel Cafe
Eunice Cho '20 and Julia Lin '22
February 5, 2019
Since the departure of Cheryl, who was endearingly known as the “bagel lady,” Suki Johnson has taken over at the Schoolhouse cafe, and is quickly mastering the art of running the bagel stand. Since the cafe in the Forum opened four years ago, students in all forms have been taking advantage of this...
Alumni Spotlight on Elizabeth Dickson ’15
Grace Oh '21
February 5, 2019
Elizabeth Dickson ’15 was a small girl with big dreams growing up in New Jersey. As a child, she was fortunate enough to go to see Broadway plays such as The Lion King, and “sat in awe” watching the actors perform on stage. Hoping to become an actress herself, she performed whenever she had the chance, put...
Word on the Circle
Finn Lynch '19, Photographer
November 10, 2018
“I love exercising! The fresh air helps me clear my mind to prepare for the upcoming challenges.” - Lucy Gund ’19 “Ordering food and hanging out with my friends as well as occasionally watching movies,” - Wally Capen ’22 “Destressing a stress ball!” - Derek Hu ’22...
Recap of Fall Spirit Week
November 10, 2018
Spirit Week brought in its wake red, black, and white in the schoolroom, zebra stripes around the circle, and strange, impressive, and witty costumes throughout Groton’s hallways. This fall, Spirit Week was packed with energy and enthusiasm building up to St. Mark’s Day, which honors Groton’s lo...
Counseling’s New Yoga Initiative
November 10, 2018
As the yellow light of the side room in the wellness center turned off, eight people sat cross-legged on soft blocks, breathing softly while stretching their hands over their heads. Groton held its first yoga and meditation session of the year on October 24. As the calendar turns its page to November, ...
Friendly Puppers Roam the Circle
Eunice Cho '20, Assistant Features Editor
November 10, 2018
Whether energetic poodles or nervous Havanese, dogs are a familiar sight at Groton. Many Groton students have come to appreciate these on-campus dogs, since merely seeing them can be comforting during a tough day. Paula Marks has always had dogs in her family, and Darcy is her third dog. She commented...
A Refreshing Boarding School Perspective
November 10, 2018
Boarding school is an interesting concept. A few hundred teenagers are thrown onto a campus, often in the middle of nowhere, who are then expected to make friends with everyone else, get enough sleep, and excel in all their classes and sports. Boarding schools have existed for hundreds of years, and...
Upper Schoolers Tackle Fall FSAs
October 19, 2018
Golf Andrej Klema ’21, a long time golfer, spends his afternoons improving his technique at the Groton Country Club. He hopes that this experience will aid him in setting a new personal record. Golfing also provides a distraction from work related anxiety, he said, adding that golfing is a “m...
Halloweekend
October 19, 2018
As the trees change from green to red and pumpkin spice lattés make a reappearance, teens all over America begin to shift their attention to Halloween. Typically, most Americans spend the eerie night showcasing their costumes and going door to door trick-or-treating at houses decked out with spiderwebs,...
Prefects Have Fun with Dorm Themes
October 19, 2018
From Greek mythology to carnivals, Groton’s dorm themes this year bring a combination of creativity, humor, and inspiration to the living spaces on the Circle. While some adopt a more serious focus of empowering their residents, others aim to provide a temporary distraction from the notorious Groton...
Spotlight on Dining Hall Members
Sophia Wu '21 and Elena Junkala '21
October 19, 2018
Groton students are all familiar with the sight of apron-clad dining hall staff bustling in and out of the kitchen, yet most students walk up the spiral stairs, eat, and leave without a word to these members of our community. Though it is difficult to pull time out of our hectic schedules to get to know...
Meet Your New Senior and House Prefects
Katie Reveno '20, Assistant Features Editor
September 13, 2018
As we return for another year on the Circle, we are confronted with a version of Groton that is identical to and yet changed from the one we left in June. The physical features are all here, but the senior class, a defining feature of the Groton student body, has been filled with a fresh set of face...
What’s in Store for the SAC
Eleanor Dunn '20
September 13, 2018
As we enter this coming school year, it’s easy for anxiety to bring back memories of work imposed all-nighters, early Saturday mornings, and painful exams. However, let me suggest that instead your attention is turned to the many fun events planned for this fall. Groton’s Student Activities Committee, o...
Spotlight on New Dorm Heads
Eunice Cho '20, Assistant Features Editor
September 13, 2018
Every spring, Groton students look forward to finding out the dorm arrangements for the coming year. Due to teachers either returning from sabbatical or leaving, many dorm buildings will acquire new leadership and accompanying names in the following school year. For this school year, there were a number of...
Seniors Take on Fall Tutorials
Robin Huntington '22
September 13, 2018
Tutorials are student-led, in-depth courses that allow sixth formers to explore an area not usually offered by the school without the constraints of a larger class size or a rigid syllabus. This fall, three sixth form groups will pursue tutorials of varying topics: organometallics, solo acting, and special relati...
A History of Senior Pranks
Robin Huntington '22 and Amelia Lee '22
June 2, 2018
As Prize Day looms near, seniors indulge in the infamous “senior spring,” where they have less work, and therefore more time to dwell on their upcoming departures. What better way to make the last few weeks special than to pull off an unforgettable prank? Senior pranks generally happen in mid to lat...
Students Tackle Ovid, Molecular Modeling in Tutorials
May 30, 2018
Differential Equations: Ben Cardinal ’18 and Catherine Qiao ’18 meet with math teacher Jon Creamer every week and work with complex math equations involving derivatives of functions. Infinite Jest: A revolutionary novel published by David Foster Wallace in 1996, Infinite Jest – called “still a challen...
From Botswana to Thailand for Summer Grant Recipients
May 30, 2018
Every summer, Groton gives students the opportunity to apply for various grants directed towards service projects. These grants—the Lawrence Fund, the Dwight Fund, the (Groton Opportunity for Leadership Development) G.O.L.D. Fund, and the Parents’ Independent School Network (PIN) Grant—are all a...
With 17 Days Until Prize Day, Seniors Reflect
May 30, 2018
Alex Waxman ’18 Now a senior, Alex Waxman ’18 has a wide plethora of accomplishments under his belt. Whether as an actor in the latest play, or as a member of the crew team, Alex is an active member of the community. Reflecting on his four years at Groton, Alex says that his favorite aspect ab...
Hospital to Horseback Riding: Spring FSAs
May 30, 2018
Rugby: One of Groton’s longest lasting and most popular FSA’s, the rugby FSA treats the sport like any other Groton sport, with daily practices and the occasional match. Madame Stanton sponsors Greg Segal ‘18, Faiz Malik ‘19, Sammy Malhotra ‘18, Filip Engstrom ‘20, Yan Davidoff ‘18, Theo...
Zebra Unmasked: Behind Groton’s New Athletic Logo
May 30, 2018
Recently, after a lengthy March break, a familiar yet unknown face greeted students returning back to campus. Whether in the school store, in classrooms, or on the athletic field, a new zebra logo, with sharp mane and pensive eyes, can be spotted throughout the school. The question on everyone’s mi...
What to Look Forward to in Spring
May 30, 2018
Spring Fling One of the students’ most anticipated events of the spring term is Spring Fling. This school-wide competition pits all dorms against each other. Prizes include the title of best girls dorm or best boys dorm with the promise of feeds. Planned by the fifth-form Events Committee, Sprin...
The Traditions We Left Behind
Elizabeth Girian '20 and Caroline Wilcox '20
March 2, 2018
When thinking of Groton, the traditions that come to mind include Roll Call, Parlor, Chapel, and surprise holiday. These are the constants in our Groton careers – but what were the traditions before our time? How have Groton traditions changed over the decades? For one, there were chapel talks given from ...
Greece to the Ganges: 2018 Global Education Trips
March 2, 2018
This year, the Global Education program will run trips to India, Greece, China, and Tanzania. The majority of travel opportunities will happen this spring break, with Tanzania being the only summer trip. From March 4 to March 19, faculty members Tom Lamont and Monika Andersson will lead...
A History of Groton’s Model UN Club
March 2, 2018
This year, on January 25, twelve students departed for a three-day conference in Boston, to attend the Harvard Model United Nations Conference. Since its founding in 1986, this event annually attracts students from regions as far away as South America and Africa. The conference, run entirely by current Harvard...
The Social Significance of Cabaret
March 2, 2018
This winter, Groton’s theater program will be producing Cabaret. The show follows Sally Bowles (Lily Cratsley ‘19), an ignorant expatriate, on her quest for fame in the tawdry Kit Kat Klub as well as her relationship with Cliff Bradshaw (Christian Carson ‘18), a visiting American novelist. Mea...
Breaking the Other Barrier: Students with English as a Second Language
March 2, 2018
For many students, the transition to Groton and boarding school life is uniquely challenging. New friends, teachers, subjects, and surroundings on the Circle are daunting, even to the most outgoing student. Some students have yet another variable to juggle: language. Approximately eight percent of the student b...