Attending concerts as a boarder

Attending concerts as a boarder

Briana Murphy

By Briana Murphy

Managing Editor of Production

Going to see a performer live and in concert is something everyone looks forward to, Lake Forest Academy students included. It can be a memorable and impactful experience for highschool students, especially when going with friends.

 

Since boarders live on campus, the administration is responsible for their safety. This makes it especially important that boarding students sign out when leaving campus for any events that aren’t school-sponsored, including concerts.

 

Students are required to follow a specific procedure to verify their plans while signing out in order to ensure their safety once they are off-campus. The process to sign out is very easy and quick with few restraints. It’s imperative or students to sign out properly, especially when they’ll be missing the designated time in which they are to be checked into the dorms.

 

“We make sure we have all the information on who the student is going with, when they’ll be back, where the event is, how they’re getting there, and what dorm they live in.,” said Maura Johansson, the office clerk of the Dean of students. Ms. Johansson usually deals with all of the students’ sign-outs that are not for the weekend.

 

All the information is verified with students’ parents, teachers, and any other party involved. each concert sign out is approved on a case by case basis by Mr. Tennyson.

 

“Usually the latest you can come back is 12:00 [am], but there are exceptions,” explained Johansson.

 

It depends if the students have been responsible with check in‘s and sign outs during the past.

 

It’s better to attend concerts during the weekend since homework, sports, and club obligations take up so much of students’ time during the week, but attending weekday concerts are allowed as long as it doesn’t affect regularly scheduled classes. Still, students are more hesitant to take this approach because their schedule is more packed in the middle of the week.

 

Since the sign out system is less restrictive than that of other institutions, it’s up to the students to be trustworthy and make sensible decisions. Sometimes, concerts might coincide with practices or games and if a student is going to miss either one due to a concert it’s their obligation to inform the head of their respective after school activities that they’ll be missing a day.

 

When going out with a group of friends, it’s better to gather everyone who’s attending the concert and sign out together because this guarantees that they all give the same information and are on the same page.

 

“It’s not mandatory to sign out together, but it shows a certain level of organization and preparedness that is greatly appreciated,” noted Johansson.

 

Students who prove that they are consistently reliable will be allowed to have a less strict sign out policy.

 

The environment of a concert can be a restorative experience for students as a release from their stressful schedules.

 

“I went to a Lauv concert on the Sunday of a long weekend, but if we had classes the next day there would be no way I’d go” said Vita Cao, a junior at LFA. The way that a student’s schedule is organized makes it difficult to miss a day in the middle of the week because that’s usually when their schedule is the most packed.

 

“It was worth it because I wanted to go, it was a long weekend, so I had another day to enjoy myself” said Vita Cao. Students get to sing along to their favorite songs, bask in the elaborate lighting displays, and experience an artist’s set. Don’t be afraid to go see artists as a boarder but make sure to follow the proper protocol.