By Anneliese Heyder, Stentorian Editor-in-Chief
With the weather turning from spring to summer, the later sunsets and the reminder that last day of classes and finals are around the corner, students in the past can be found socializing with friends whom they may not see till term, anxiously gossiping about final projects, or just enjoying the warm weather outside during the last 30 minutes before check. However, as you walk down Hill Street and past Hill Lounge, the campus is quiet; students aren’t packed together, throwing footballs with the steady stream of chatter flowing down the road. Hill Street and Hill Lounge are dark and ominous, with no student life. What has become of the beloved Happy Half tradition? Is there any way to save it, or have we accepted that some traditions die off and others must be born?
For those unaware, Happy Half is a time during the last half an hour before check at 10 pm where students can chat with friends, hang out outside, and unwind from the stress of the day. During the months when the weather is warmer, Hill Street is noisy, with lots of student chatter. Even in the colder months, students could be found congregating in Hill Lounge, playing foosball or ping pong. For students, it’s a nice thing to look forward to after classes and studying all day. However, it has quite literally “died off”. Instead of the yells of classmates to “Meet at Happy” in the library or the whispers of “I’ll tell you at Happy” during class, there is nothing.
Some seniors have opinions about why that is.
Felicity Lipchak ‘25 shared that she believes that Happy Half declined due to the Class of 2024 leaving last year, and that the current seniors didn’t protect the legacy.
Zoe MacDonald ‘25 also voiced a similar opinion and added, “The former classes would be disappointed to know that Happy Half has ceased to exist. Class of 2026, it’s up to you to bring it back before it’s gone.”
Other seniors recall some of their favorite memories from Happy Half.
Connelly Martin ‘25 shared, “Happy Half was once a place that I found lots of joy and socialization with my peers from all across the student body. And now, as I’m reaching the end of my senior year, Happy Half has transformed into something that is not attended by many. It’s slowly dying, which is sad for me to see, as it was once a place of such joy, every night.”
Lipchak shared her favorite parts of Happy Half. “I loved just going out to talk to everyone after long days, especially when we were gone for long weekends or breaks; everyone would go out for the first half we were back. There were great conversations. And that’s how a lot of like friendships were built. And now that doesn’t happen at all.”
However, when asked what the junior class thought, these were their responses.
Morgan Price ‘26 stated, “I’ve never been to Happy Half”, which adds to the point that the nightly tradition is becoming less and less popular among both the junior and senior classes.
Lilly Ferry ‘26 chimed in, saying she thinks the importance of Happy Half was relayed to the juniors, and that the junior class “were busy and didn’t care.”
When asked her favorite memory of Happy Half, she said she liked to attend and sit in the hammocks and watch the spikeball games.
There are certainly other traditions and annual events here at school. The annual watermelon run hosted by the Watermelon Club, the Holi events during the spring, senior skip day and senior sunset/sunrise, and many more. These traditions have lasted and endured, which raises the question of why Happy Half hasn’t?
So what does this mean for future classes at NCSSM? Is Happy Half gone for good? It’s up to the current juniors to decide if they want to keep the tradition alive or allow it to rest for good. If so, what new custom will they bring to the table, and what will it have in store for the rising juniors? Only time will tell…
