A Day in the Life of a BH Boarding Student
Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be a BH Boarding Student? Well, we got a special opportunity to interview two Branksome Hall boarding students to get to know what their life is like on a daily basis.
Roommates and what they do after school
These two Branksome boarders do not talk as often as other roommates might, as they both like different things. After school, the boarders can go to their clubs. When they don’t have clubs, one roommate likes to stay alone and do her homework, while the other one likes to hang out with her friends. They also do not do the same things when they get home from school, causing them to not spend that much time with each other. One border likes to read and rest once they get back from school, while the other likes to go to her other friends’ rooms to watch TV and play video games.
Homework
If boarders are having trouble with their homework, they can book study sessions in the AWC to get help. Teachers can organize time for students to get a study buddy who is often an older boarder between grades 9-10. However, some boarders choose to ask their friends for learning support instead of booking a study session.
Food
For breakfast, the boarders almost always have potatoes and sausages with their meal. There is also cereal which they love. “My favorite cereal is Rice Krispies,” says one of the boarders. There are also lots of pancakes and waffles. On the weekends, the boarders usually have brunch instead of lunch which takes place at 11:00am. “There is a make-your-own smoothie bar and really good croissants,” says the boarders. When it is dinner time, the boarders usually have some sort of protein like chicken or salmon with rice. One of these boarders favorite meals is rice and salmon. After dinner there is dessert, and the boarders usually have cake, cookies, and ice cream.
Weekends
On the weekends, the boarders are allowed to sign-out of the boarding house and go to different places. “My friends and I usually go to Starbucks, McDonalds, Popeyes, Rexall, and lots of other places,” said one of the boarders. There are also different activities planned at the boarding house. For example, one boarder said, “This upcoming weekend, there is a talent show. Last weekend, we did paper quilling. This is when you use paper to make art.”. They can also order food to the boarding house. “My favorite snack to order is drinks from different stores, like boba,” she says.
Special events
The boarders celebrate birthdays by buying each other presents and eating lots of cake! At the end of the month, there is a big cake with the names of people’s birthdays from that month on it. Additionally, there is a birthday box in the boarding house filled with supplies to celebrate. The boarding house also celebrates holidays like the Mid Autumn Festival. “The food was amazing!” said one border. “Everyone got mooncakes,” said the other boarder. For halloween, the boarding staff take the boarders out to go trick-or-treating. They are also allowed to sign-out to trick or treat with a non-boarder friend.
Fun activities with friends
Over time, all the boarders get to know each other. One of these boarders loves to watch horror movies and eat lots of snacks with her friends. “We also love having sleepovers in each other’s rooms,” she says.
The boarding house during school times
They close the boarding house during the school day as they don’t want students going into the dorms during school. The staff deactivates the boarders key cards so they do not work on the door during school hours. “If we forget something, we can’t go back into the building because it is closed,” she states.
Sleep Time
At night, the boarders are only allowed to have their phones in their dorm room until 10:00pm. “At 10:00pm, they take our phones because they don’t want us on them all night.”
We are so incredibly lucky to have been able to interview two Branksome Hall boarders to learn about how they live and what they do in an everyday lifestyle.