Returning to The Hill after a weekend, a summer, or a decade offers you a moment to think about where you are. Yes, the campus is a dazzling place these days, but you'll probably think about more than bricks and mortar when you get here.
When you see the Ball Building, you'll think of Ms. Kit's copious candy jars. Or maybe you'll remember the letter that your 6th grade self sent to Mr. Gioia with all your hopes and dreams for your time at MBA.
Catching sight of the Massey Building could spark memories of Mrs. Christeson imparting Cicero's wisdom to you. Or will you think of Mr. Russell teaching you how to write? Or will you remember Mrs. Roberts' never ending supply of unbelievable (but true) stories? Or do you remember that you are back on campus because you're still serving demerits Coach Anderson gave you?
The Ingram Science Building is where Mr. Barclay or Dr. Crowell untangled the laws of physics for you. It's where Mr. Spiegl and Dr. Creamer helped you build rockets and rocket cars. It's where Mr. Hannon choreographed a chemistry lesson with some Muppet accompaniment.
The Davis Building hits you with memories of Ms. Hollifield coaching you all the way through Studio Art AP as you discovered and honed hidden talents. In the hallways you swear you can still hear Mr. Rundberg singing along with the jazz band.
The Carter Building might call out to you in Mr. Paolicchi's clarion Español. Or maybe you hear Rammstein rumbling from Herr Dougherty's room. Madame O'Connell's warmth and wisdom is still hovering around here as well.
The Dining Hall means Ms. Susan is almost certainly waiting for you with some chocolate chip cookies.
The Lowry Building, while relatively new on campus, has its legendary namesake to nudge your nostalgia. In a kind of English-teachery line of apostolic succession, the likes of Dr. Kinch, Mr. Moxley, and Mr. Klausner never settled for less than your best, and their red ink flowed freely in the meantime.
Memories of Currey Gym now reside in the newest addition to The Hill, the Burkholder Wellness Center (aka The Burk). Here you recall that Coach Owen expected you to bring that brain you'd been training all day. Here you learned that Coach Lanier's geometry lessons lived on the soccer field as well as in the classroom. Here you might remember Scott Dalton '12 leading student sections that swayed and cheered in distracting unison.
Seeing all of this when you return to campus, you realize that your thoughts have dwelled mostly on the people who were here for you. The bricks in the quad and the bell in the tower mean nothing without the people. And, because you were a person the last time you checked, you might just have what it takes to make some other part of the world a better place.
But first you have to serve those demerits...