The day started with a chapel talk by Catherine Walker-Jacks, who graduated in 2013. Hearing her mention her fondest memories in class with teachers I’ve been taught by as well–Mr Capen and Mr. Lyons–was so cool! I found myself forgetting she was not a senior at some parts in her talk because of how similar her experience was to ours (even ten years apart). In a way, we live in a sacred globe, where traditions will not leave unless they hurt.
We ended the service by singing the Groton School Hymn. Singing in the Chapel has been a (w)holy experience although if I’m not standing next to the Choir elites, my tune sometimes finds itself diverging and sounds slightly off. Yet no matter whether they’re heads of the Maqupellas (the a cappella group on campus) or only ever sing in their heads, most students will sing in the Chapel, especially since the organ (played by Mr Moriarty) is so loud.
After classes and a great day out on the water (see images of the beautiful foliage down at the Nashua River for the rowing FSA I’m a part of), the whole school headed to the AC for the formal dinner. We sat by advisory, which was a nice time to catch up with everyone.
Then the best part of the day arrived. Seniors made their way up to the track that surrounds the gym around 5 meters up, and yelled out, in perfect unison, “We want Blue Bottles!”
Since we had practiced a few days before, all the Fifth Formers (myself included) got up and took their places on the bleachers that stood in the gym. Mr Bannard, with his gigantic knife, conducted us through the repetitive, quickening tune.
After wondering for too long why there was knife, Blue bottles, or why Mr Bannard, instead of Mr. Moriarty (organ player and choir teacher), was directing us, I decided to conduct a quick Google search, and to my surprise, I found a 2015 article by the Circle Voice (our student newspaper). All my questions were quickly and satisfactorily answered. As Annie Colloredo-Mansfeld '18 wrote, “‘Blue Bottles’ is a tradition that has been upheld since 1899, when there were only fifteen Blue Bottles hangin’ on the wall to symbolize the age of the school. After dinner, faculty member Sherrard Billings picked up the carving knife that he had used to carve the meat.” Even though Mr Bannard did not cut the meat (to my knowledge), he still confidently brandished the knife in the air.
Since Billings, there have only been about five conductors, all graduates of the school who have returned to teach. Mr Bannard himself graduated in 2001!
At the end of the sole practice round we’d had two days prior to the dinner, Mr, Bannard had wished us good luck as it was our “only chance to sing the best Blue Bottles Groton School has ever sung.”
The song itself progresses from "138 (it’s Groton’s 138th birthday!) blue bottles hanging on the wall, 138 blue bottles hanging on the wall, take 38 blue bottles from the bottles on the wall, leaving 100 blue bottles hanging on the wall” decreasing all the way until the last ten, where the tune starts to speed up. The fastening pace, stomping feet, and frenzy made us speed up too fast and we found ourselves singing the last six rounds at the same super fast rate. We were all out of breath, but the tune had done its magic to one more class, imprinting in our minds permanently.