Hearth, the lounge and or study space that has steadily evolved into a “senior only” area since the STEM building was completed in early 2014, is often the center of commotion during the school day. The sounds of laughter, homework discussion, and the occasional sporting event on the big screen radiate out of the room. Christmas lights dangle from the ceiling in the winter and a “Class of 2026” poster has hung on the wall since August. This is the central home of the senior class on campus. While every grade has a dedicated space at MICDS, Hearth is unique. Freshmen stand just outside the room to talk to a senior friend, not daring to step onto the carpet, and unwelcome non-seniors are asked to leave daily. Computers sit open, untouched, alongside open notebooks and pens as seniors chatter with their friends.
But, is Hearth truly a combination of a study area and a social scene?
“Not at all. I get no work done when everyone’s here,” Samson Gibli ‘26 said . His answer was blunt, but reflected similar feelings of many seniors.
“I just don’t get work done,” Steele Crissman ‘26 said. “I talk to a lot of people during the day. But in hearth, I don’t have a teacher telling me that I can’t talk, so it’s kind of just freedom to open up.”
The room, as is every other grade’s dedicated space, is supposed to be harmoniously a study and social environment for students, but a buzzing Hearth, to Gibli and Crissman, means no work will get done.
“I will get work done in my free period since not too many people are there,” Gigi Koster ‘26 said.
The challenge of completing work while Hearth is at max capacity, isn’t as much of a burden as it may seem.
“I will go to the academic center,” Laurion Nicholson ‘26 said.
Seniors work around the chaos and have found their own personal ways to get their work done.
“Teenagers increasingly seem to be able to do multiple things at the same time. The conversations you all have where you’re talking about the same unit of study, the same homework or the same thing, that is a good use of the study space,” Daniel George, Dean of the class of 2026 said. George, after having multiple senior classes and observing Hearth for nearly 10 years, appreciates Hearth’s ability to serve the kids as a social break and an academic collaborative space.
But, is the chaos and sometimes lack of work getting done a bad thing?
“A lot of my AP classes are very focused, so Hearth is where I get the majority of my social interaction,” Koster said. A school as academically challenging as MICDS, best serves their students when providing them with a space to escape the pressure. In doing so, the space steadily becomes something more.
“Hearth is perfect for senior year. It’s such a bonding experience. We’re all in the same place,” Riley Crawford, president of the class of 2026, said. “Hearth is something we all have together, even if you aren’t actively talking to everyone in the room, when we do come back in after assembly we all file in as a class and not divided.”
The unification of the class is why Hearth is so special to the students. They rally with one another. In Hearth, whether or not they’re best friends or sitting on opposite sides of the room, they’re together. The room being dedicated for a class their senior year is especially important.
“You know that everybody is gonna be there, which is nice,” Koster said. “People used to not come in early, they would get there right on time. Whereas people are more intentional about getting to school because you know you’ll have someone to talk to.”
Students, even nearing the end of their high school careers, show up to school early, whether or not they even need to. They do so for the sole purpose of connecting with their peers before their days begin.
