Class Note 2015
Issue
May - Jun 2018
After receiving such meaningful responses for the last column about the importance of the Ravine Lodge in the lives of students across classes, I have the privilege to share more stories in this space. Thank you to those who took the time to put their memories into words.
“There’s no denying that the lodge reconstruction process was a painful one for many of us. You know a place is special when so many people in the community feel the life in the building itself. I have a lot of faith in the community to continue fostering a space where people will truly find a sense of place, form relationships that last a lifetime and maybe even learn something deep about their own nature. But it is worth acknowledging that though we gained a beautiful new building and the community remains strong, we did sustain a loss. My hope is that as we all learn to love the new lodge, we remember that there was something unique and powerful in those old spruce logs,” says Carly Wynn.
“For me, the lodge was all about taking a little hiatus from the day-to-day and enjoying some time either with close friends or getting to meet new people. Its welcoming, open and friendly culture was contagious. I’ll also remember hoping the lodge floor wouldn’t cave in from people breaking it down too hard on the dance floor,” says Matt Stanton.
There is a strong history of trail and lodge “Croo” pranking each other, sometimes worse than others. We came back from Croo day to discover that trail Croo had covered the entirety of Croo quarters, even up to the loft, with cups of water. Lodge Croo (a few summers later, in retaliation to a different prank) moved the entire front room of McKinney cabin outdoors, complete with a screen door tied to a tree.
The kitchen porch of the old lodge was a magical place to watch weather. The most spectacular thunderstorms took place around Moosilauke or would vanish into fog. There were beautiful sunsets on autumn leaves. It’s one of the few public places that people would actively stop to admire and comment on the weather for more than small talk.
At one point during the 2014 freshman trips, the power went totally out just before the dinner show. There was no water or electricity. Scrambling for solutions, the Croo discovered that we had members who could play piano and guitar. The entire show was put on a cappella, and we used the gas oven to turn out hot food. The lodge has a wonderful way of bringing out the talent and resourcefulness of the people there.
“The lodge is my favorite place in the world, and my true home at Dartmouth. I’m grateful for the people and experiences (silly and serious) that it brings together!” says Anna Miller ’16.
Finally, in classmate news, Marc Sasso recently got engaged to Andrea Del Conte, a 2015 Harvard graduate.
—Samantha Webster, 665 Washington St., Apt. 711, Boston, MA 02111; (484) 356-3678; samwweb15@gmail.com
“There’s no denying that the lodge reconstruction process was a painful one for many of us. You know a place is special when so many people in the community feel the life in the building itself. I have a lot of faith in the community to continue fostering a space where people will truly find a sense of place, form relationships that last a lifetime and maybe even learn something deep about their own nature. But it is worth acknowledging that though we gained a beautiful new building and the community remains strong, we did sustain a loss. My hope is that as we all learn to love the new lodge, we remember that there was something unique and powerful in those old spruce logs,” says Carly Wynn.
“For me, the lodge was all about taking a little hiatus from the day-to-day and enjoying some time either with close friends or getting to meet new people. Its welcoming, open and friendly culture was contagious. I’ll also remember hoping the lodge floor wouldn’t cave in from people breaking it down too hard on the dance floor,” says Matt Stanton.
There is a strong history of trail and lodge “Croo” pranking each other, sometimes worse than others. We came back from Croo day to discover that trail Croo had covered the entirety of Croo quarters, even up to the loft, with cups of water. Lodge Croo (a few summers later, in retaliation to a different prank) moved the entire front room of McKinney cabin outdoors, complete with a screen door tied to a tree.
The kitchen porch of the old lodge was a magical place to watch weather. The most spectacular thunderstorms took place around Moosilauke or would vanish into fog. There were beautiful sunsets on autumn leaves. It’s one of the few public places that people would actively stop to admire and comment on the weather for more than small talk.
At one point during the 2014 freshman trips, the power went totally out just before the dinner show. There was no water or electricity. Scrambling for solutions, the Croo discovered that we had members who could play piano and guitar. The entire show was put on a cappella, and we used the gas oven to turn out hot food. The lodge has a wonderful way of bringing out the talent and resourcefulness of the people there.
“The lodge is my favorite place in the world, and my true home at Dartmouth. I’m grateful for the people and experiences (silly and serious) that it brings together!” says Anna Miller ’16.
Finally, in classmate news, Marc Sasso recently got engaged to Andrea Del Conte, a 2015 Harvard graduate.
—Samantha Webster, 665 Washington St., Apt. 711, Boston, MA 02111; (484) 356-3678; samwweb15@gmail.com