September 03, 2024
I love the energy of the start of the school year. SMPA goes from quiet and calm to loud and chaotic in an instant. The start of the semester is a reminder that SMPA is a living, breathing thing.
I like to walk the halls of SMPA. I turn off lights in empty rooms, pick up stray litter, and check out the posters for events and organizations. Over the summer I look at empty classrooms, watch crews update technology or paint. I see spaces waiting to be occupied. With everyone back, I look at the life that fills the classrooms and I listen to the sounds that fill the halls.
Sometimes I stop to chat with students sitting on the sofas or working at the tables in the first floor lobby. Whenever I can, I talk to Ernest who keeps the building running and Maria who keeps it clean. In June, July and most of August, conversations are far and few between. During the semester the conversations are non-stop. We go from calm and quiet to cacophonous overnight.
Laughter is the sound I appreciate the most. When we are laughing together, our community is alive. Laughter says that in spite of frustrations, arguments, stress, and all the rest, we find joy in being together.
Keep bringing the noise (within limits), keep bringing the laughter (without limits), and keep finding joy in each other and our community.