Zebra Tales
Zebra Tales
2020-21

Allison '22

Hometown: Chicago, Shanghai

Groton activities: Circle Voice (student newspaper), orchestra, chamber music, theater, Diversity and Inclusion Committee, Maqupellas (a cappella group). Tried out volleyball and lacrosse for the first time on campus!

Most surprising when you first arrived at Groton: How confusing the Circle is at first, but also the kindness of the people at Groton. From the people who helped me navigate the Schoolhouse during my first few days to the peers and prefects of my Third Form dorm, Groton made settling into a new home much easier.

Favorite classes: It’s too hard to choose! I appreciated my Fourth Form classes allowing me to delve deeper into the subjects I was learning about: drawing resonance structures for molecules I could barely pronounce in Chemistry, delving into characters while performing Macbeth in English, or reading the original French version of the Asterix comics.

Most memorable Groton moment: Saying goodbye to the seniors on my first Prize Day. My emotions when walking down the graduation hug line made me realize the impact of the relationships I had formed—they had become my big brothers and sisters.

Favorite Dining Hall food: Salmon, tempura eggplant, outdoor grilled burgers

Favorite place to study: Cubbies in the library

List of 5 news stories.

  • Night School

    I never thought that I would be telling people that I do “night school” at age sixteen.
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  • Revisiting Chapel

    From its chilling, haunted aura on foggy evenings to its warm glow during stunning Groton sunsets, St. John’s Chapel has always been a part of my daily routine on the Circle. My usual morning consisted of inhaling my breakfast and then wobbling from the Dining Hall to the chapel (often with a bit of morning grogginess). A speech and several musical interludes later, I would stumble out; I walked out inspired or chuckling from the chapel talks, but oftentimes, my puffy eyes were the only memorable takeaway.
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  • Countdown

    You know a person in quarantine has become really desperate when they Google “countdown creator” and set a time for September 12th: their arrival date for the new school year at Groton.
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  • Looking Around

    I spent the first eight years of my life in Chicago and then moved to Shanghai. I’ve always found myself stuck in between both of my homes—these lively metropolitan cities. Living in each place is drastically different, but I love them equally. However, the past months have forced me to settle in the antithesis of my previous neighborhoods: the calm New Jersey suburbs.
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  • Musicmaking, But at a Distance

    My current makeshift practice room set-up is quite representative of the quarantine situation I’ve been subjected to: my violin case is propped up on a chair with the support of a few suitcases, my foldable wire music stand resting in the corner of the room. Music can seem especially difficult in a time like this, with performance opportunities dwindling and social distancing preventing in-person music lessons or collaboration. Strangely, in the midst of lost opportunities, quarantine improved my relationship with music.
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