Traditionally, to kick off the school year with a memorable bonding experience, the school brings together an exciting trip for the incoming fresh meat — The Nine. However, due to extensive COVID-19 restrictions, the long-awaited event was cancelled last minute, inciting a series of reactions from the ninth graders.

On behalf of the student body, I decided to interview a few students regarding their reactions and opinions on the cutoff.

Q: As a student who has studied at SAS for a while now, what did you see as the purpose of the Nine?

Cas Clysner, ‘25: I think it’s a great bonding experience between friends – and new kids especially to get to know others better.

Q: What about you, personally?

Clysner: It’s just fun; no school!

Similarly, new students, who were also looking forward to the trip, felt bummed to hear the news. Madison Liu, ‘25, exclaimed: “I was kind of heartbroken, because I realized, oh, I have to go to school now.” School trips are always exciting, especially when students step into the stress-filled atmosphere of high school, with demanding school work and social pressure to manage – it’s a great chance to take a quick breather.

To dive deeper into the behind-the-scenes works of this trip, I reached out to Mr. Matthew Clapp, who planned each detail of the Nine with thought and care.

Q: The Nine is definitely an anticipated event among students, what is the intention of planning such a function?

A: The purpose of the trip is really to give students, or the ninth grade as a whole, to come together and bond at the beginning of the year. Like previous years, we had around 25 students who were brand new to SAS, and the trip provides a structure and space where students can come together, really making a difference.

Q: As we all know, a lot of effort and time was put behind planning the trip. Was there a specific event that would have been a great highlight?

A: We had definitely looked forward to sleeping in the aquarium, I think that would have been pretty cool. Staying at the hotel, too, and having the opportunity to share a room with some friends, and hangout – those are really the moments that create that bonding atmosphere. The hotel we had chosen had a big open space, with a gym too, and that would have been the part where the students probably had the most amount of fun, and learned the most about themselves and others.

Just like the students, teachers, including Mr. Clapp, learned about the cancellation just a few days before the event. “Yeah, I was gutted,” Mr. Clapp states, “it’s really unfortunate. The work put into organizing it is one thing, but that’s my job. I’m more disappointed by the fact that ninth grade students couldn’t experience something as a grade level. With the previous boat dance cancellation, and finally the opportunity for a trip, the most disappointing part is definitely for the students.”

On a brighter note, the trip has been confirmed as postponed, and not cancelled, in hopes to do something further down the road. With more information to be anticipated, students will be the first to know.