After a summer of being apart, the seniors were back to their old antics, kicking off their reunion with an excursion to GT Lanes late last Tuesday. With socks in hand, bowling teams scrambled to board the yellow school buses outside of Goen Hall in the sweltering heat of the ending day. As per MSMS norms the buses defied the odds by being hotter on the inside than the outside, but as they pulled away the energy of the students seemed to make it more bearable.

The neon lights of Columbus greeted the students as the Friendly City closed in around them, welcoming the seniors into the bowling alley where they promptly scared away all the other bowlers. In a last fleeting attempt to regain control of the alley, one unlucky bowling employee placed himself in harm’s way when he bent over the bowling pins. At the same time, some particularly eager MSMS bowlers attempted to make a strike; luckily the poor soul got out in time.

However, besides the initial chaos–and on a more serious note–senior bowling night was phenomenal for quite a few seniors in terms of personal growth.

“Senior bowling night was possibly my best comeback story of my entire life,” senior Ryley Fallon said. “I scored a straight zero for the first three rounds. I was mortified. Then, I discovered my lucky neon orange ball. I finished the game in second place and with three strikes.”

Another comeback story was Josiah “JoJo” Kaler, who said he started off strong but the game had other things in mind. “I bowled really well for the first part and then I got overconfident and had a really bad round. However, I came back and ended up tying against my teammate.” Kaler also said that the bowling night was a lot of fun and a good way to start off the year, which is hopefully an accurate foreshadowing for the rest of senior year.

The supportive atmosphere within the bowling alley was especially empowering, with teammates cheering on anyone who even swung a bowling ball, whether they actually hit anything or not. Friends bowled against and beside friends, and roommates were on the same teams, making the event feel like a proper reunion for the MSMS family of 2020. Even the residence hall staff formed a killer team, with Goen Hall Director LaToya Bledsoe leading the squad.

Senior Reggie Zheng emphasized the community aspect of the senior outing, saying it was a great way to bring together the senior class and take one last pause before school really kicks in.

“Everyone is always stressed about school so it was a chance for us to take a break,” Zheng said. The bowling night was definitely a stress reliever for many seniors and a chance to reconnect before being swamped with schoolwork and college apps.

“I loved eating nachos and having fun and being silly with all my friends,” senior Megan Bryant said, echoing Zheng’s sentiments of reconnecting and relaxing before the school year starts.

As the evening got darker and the games wore on, time seemed to run just a little faster until it was time for students to leave. As the buses pulled out of the emptying parking lot and the swampy air rushed to fill the lungs of still-energized seniors, the comfortable relief of being back at MSMS settled in.