When you first brave the January cold and walk up to the roof of Carnegie Science Hall to visit  the college observatory, it feels sort of like being in a boat. Varnished wood planking, large slow-moving machinery you need to push around, and the strange feeling that the world outside your container is slowly moving around you.

The observatory houses the Stephens Telescope, given to �ֲ���ý in 1949 by a self-taught astronomer, Roscoe G. Stephens of Kennebunk, who built the Newtonian reflector telescope himself.

The observatory is a hidden gem on campus, one that the �ֲ���ý Astronomy Club is determined to share with the student body. “It’s such a great place,” said club co-president Evan Boxer-Cook ’26 of Scarborough, Maine. “I love bringing people up there for the first time. Seeing their reaction to the telescope is incredibly rewarding.”

Tonight, Boxer-Cook is guiding a group of about a dozen students to the observatory to see a close grouping of Venus, Jupiter, Mars, and the waning gibbous moon. The club usually hosts a monthly full moon viewing, but last week’s full moon viewing was thwarted by clouds, so they decided to have another session focused on the many visible planets. 

It’s no surprise that many of the visitors are first-year students. The club, revitalized in recent years by co-president Jade Pinto ’25, a double major in physics and Asian studies from the Bronx, New York, places an emphasis on inclusion. 

“One of our missions is to spread the idea that the sky is open to everyone. You don’t have to be a physics major to be involved,” says Boxer-Cook, who is a classical and medieval studies major.

Much like Roscoe Stephens himself, who was a photographer, machinist, mason, and chicken farmer in addition to his astronomy interests, Boxer-Cook’s interests are wide and varied.

In high school, he earned awards in English, Latin, and physics; at �ֲ���ý, he tutors students in Latin, serves as an officer of the Classics Club, and has worked in the Muskie Archives and Special Collection Library.

As ancient disciplines, classics and astronomy intersect in myriad ways, and one way becomes apparent when Boxer-Cook talks about hobbies, which include the history of timekeeping and navigation instruments such as astrolabes. During the visit to the observatory, he shows me one astrolabe, which looks like a palm-sized sundial, but with a lot more detail.

“The astrolabe is a two-dimensional representation of the celestial sphere,” Boxer-Cook explains. “It can model the movements of the sun, stars, and planets. Basically, when you rotate this, you can get a snapshot of your local sky at any moment in time, and you can solve all kinds of astronomical problems with that. It’s had many, many centuries of continued use.” 

The technology we use on this night holds some similarity. Before we head up to the observatory, we gather in the physics department’s seminar room, where Boxer-Cook projects an image from the website onto a screen, which displays the position of celestial objects in the sky above �ֲ���ý at this exact moment. We use what we see as a reference to show us where to point the Stephens Telescope as we look for Venus, Saturn, and Jupiter. 

Inside the observatory, students climb a ladder one by one to look through the eyepiece to view each planet and inform each other of their positions. Boxer-Cook adjusts the telescope by hand to track celestial objects as the Earth rotates. 

The telescope’s tube measures 8 feet, 8 inches. Though hand-made by a self-taught astronomer, the instrument has long been considered a marvel of engineering, particularly its 12.5-inch mirror, which took Stephens six months to grind by hand.  

Though some adjustments are made by hand, electric motors control other parts of the observatory’s operation. One motor opens the dome’s shutter to the night sky. Another operates a rack and pinion gear system that rotates the entire dome.

And another small motor, not in use tonight, drives a worm gear that moves the telescope to track planets. Its design was aided by a senior thesis in physics by Jen Brine ’00, “Motorizing the Telescope in the Carnegie Science Observatory.”

As I take my turn peering through the eyepiece, it is strange to watch the planets crawl across the lens, feeling very fast and very slow at the same time. “They look like photos in a textbook,” says Celia Horowitz ’28 of Salt Lake City, Utah.

Toward the end of the night, after everyone has had a chance to look at every planet, Boxer-Cook encourages us to come back to the observatory, either during other club events or on our own as certified telescope operators at �ֲ���ý. 

Handling the certification process is Cole Hastings, a physics and astronomy assistant in instruction who oversees the observatory and the Ladd Planetarium. 

“Not many people know that anyone can be certified,” says Boxer-Cook. “You don’t have to be in the club. They tell you that in astronomy classes, but it’s a very underutilized resource on campus, and we’re happy to be spreading the word.” 

If Kamala Harris is elected president this year, she will be the shortest president in history. Who is the other shortest president?

That’s the favorite presidential trivia question of Stephen Engel, professor of politics and associate dean of faculty. If you really want to know the answer, he’ll tell you it’s James Madison, at 5 feet, 4 inches. But as co-host of Election Trivia Night in the Den, he also makes you promise not to take any points for that question.

This year’s trivia night, held Oct. 9, marked the second round for Engel and his faculty co-host, Stephanie Kelley-Romano. The event debuted during the 2016 presidential race, and after skipping 2020 due to the pandemic, the duo brought it back for the first post-pandemic election cycle.

“In 2016 we just needed to have some fun, wanted some levity,” says Kelley-Romano, a professor of rhetoric, film, and screen studies. “And it’s fun to think of all the weird things that we end up putting in the trivia questions.”

Pre-event, Election Trivia Night already feels fun, with Kelley-Romano wearing bobcat pajama pants and receiving chicken bites from a student worker at the Den, while students pour into the room, separating into teams of three or four. They head to Engel, who is busy opening boxes of mini whiteboard erasers, to tell him their team names.

A half-dozen teams square off in the event, some with politically clever names, like “Pokemon Go to the Polls,” a name that plays off then-candidate Hillary Clinton’s awkward Pokemon joke from 2016.

The team El Gatos (“the Cats”), meanwhile, call out “Cinco!” when asked how many presidents they think went to NESCAC schools (it’s actually tres: Coolidge went to Amherst, Pierce to Bowdoin, and Garfield to Williams). The two-person team called “The Republicans” laugh with surprise when they are able to name the most Republican candidates from the 2024 primaries (nine!).

Leah Belber ’26 of Washington, D.C., makes an appearance fully in character as U.S. Sen. Claire Bennett, one of two candidates running mock presidential campaigns this fall as part of Kelley-Romano’s course “Presidential Campaign Rhetoric.”

Working the room as candidate Bennett, Belber takes a photo for her campaign’s social media feed. Shifting back to her student identity for the trivia competition, her team, named “Kingdom of Hawaii” as a nod to teammate Hugh Piper ’25 of Honolulu, Hawaii, finishes third.

It’s clear that many of the students at the event are there because of Kelley-Romano, whether they are part of her presidential campaign rhetoric course, which has 17 students, or they know her outside of class.

They approach her, waving and laughing as they arrive, and she circles the tables while they answer, commenting on their responses without giving anything away. Engel balances her energy by standing at the front of the room, reading the questions. When asked who is better at trivia, each points to the other and they both laugh.

Last summer, Engel and Kelley-Romano were part of a working group that developed a wide-ranging slate of pre-election programming, which includes debate watch parties, talks by �ֲ���ý faculty as well as visiting scholars, experts, and information nights. The program complements the �ֲ���ý Votes initiative focused on voter education, registration, and mobilization.

“Our goal with the whole series was to be very proactive during what we see as a very challenging campaign season,” says Engel. “So there are a lot of things we’re building into this series to help students, but also faculty and staff can take advantage of learning more, and just so they feel like they have a place to come to ask questions.”

We asked Engel how a trivia night fits into helping students navigate a difficult election season. “It’s an event where we’re not really engaging with the election, but it keeps the election front of mind. And it’s an event where students feel free to ask questions about registration, accessing the vote, and other ways they can be engaged,” Engel says.

It’s also about helping students gain a larger sense of familiarity with politics, opening up a dialogue, and creating community.

“I find that a lot of students at �ֲ���ý want to be politically engaged and but don’t know how: Don’t know how to find their information, don’t know how to have these conversations. So this is a super low stakes way to laugh and learn stuff, like about the electoral college,” says Kelley-Romano.

“Creating an opportunity for students to come together in a heated moment in a way that lowers the temperature a little bit and maybe builds community, so that when we do have a disagreement with another student, you can fall back on, ‘But we hung out the night before,’” Engel says.

“So when things do get tense — because politics can get tense — you have that prior connection. And it’s events like this that build those connections.”

Nov. 12 is fast becoming the coldest night of the young school year. By sunset, it’s 24 degrees. The wet snow that fell earlier in the day has iced over, turning parts of campus into a Slip ’N Slide.

Not the best conditions for a bike ride around campus. Yet neither snow nor rain nor icy sidewalks stay the Bobcat Den Delivery team from their appointed rounds: bringing bags of hot french fries and mozzarella sticks to hungry students across campus.

Founded in 2013 by Matt Perejda ’14, Bobcat Den Delivery is a student-run food delivery service. As evidenced by its loyal customers, who altogether place around 20 orders per night every Sunday through Thursday, it’s one of the most beloved institutions on campus, perhaps second only to the Den itself.

Grace Warder ’20 of New York City is this year’s owner/operator of Bobcat Den Delivery LLC. (Phyllis Graber Jensen/�ֲ���ý College)

With Grace Warder ’20 of New York, N.Y., as the company’s current owner/operator, Den Delivery is a staple for many a hungry student craving Den food during late-night study sessions, TV watch parties, or simply to round out their evening meal — perhaps with mozzarella sticks and a milkshake.

By 9 p.m. sharp (by now it’s 15 degrees), the night’s BDD workers have set up shop in the Den at the table closest to where Den workers hand over finished food orders.

Sitting next to Warder are Olivia Kranefuss ’22 of Madison, N.J., and Moud Yousry ’20 of Cairo, who are watching their laptops for new orders to appear on a Google Doc that’s the temporary replacement for their delivery app (more on that later!).

The three are among the 21 students on the BDD roster. While Kranefuss and Yousry both work at least once a week, other employees work more sporadically, sometimes every other week.

Working a shift for Bobcat Den Delivery on Nov. 19, Elly Beckerman ’22 of Washington, D.C., keeps an eye on student food orders flowing into the BDD Google Doc. (Phyllis Graber Jensen/�ֲ���ý College)

Kranefuss and Yousry both like the job for the social aspect. “If your friends don’t know that you work, it’s fun to surprise them at the door,” says Kranefuss, a new BDD employee. “Seeing people throughout the night is really fun.”

This is Yousry’s sixth semester with BDD. As a former Den cook, he enjoys the chance to hang out with Den staff on the job. “I’ve created relationships with a lot of them,” he says. “It’s also fun to see new faces every shift and see where people live and what they’re up to.”

About 10 minutes after 9 p.m., the first of many orders comes in. Yousry takes this one, placing an order at the counter under the name “Bobcat,” which signifies the order is in fact for BDD (as opposed to any other Bobcat).

Surrounded by the tools of their business — computer, phone, and condiments — Grace Warder and Elly Beckerman review incoming orders on Nov. 19. (Phyllis Graber Jensen/�ֲ���ý College)

On a busy night like this, he waits for three or four orders to come in before stapling them in brown paper bags which he loads onto the Den Delivery bicycle. After throwing on a winter jacket, he’s off into the night, en route to the first of many deliveries.

It’s dropped another 2 degrees, but the Den deliverers know how to prepare for the cold. “We all wear Buffs,” says Kranefuss, referencing the brand of multifunctional headwear that can be worn around the head or neck as an extra cozy layer.

“When you’re biking, your body tends to heat up pretty quickly,” adds Kranefuss. She isn’t particularly fazed by the weather, despite this being her first semester on the job.

On Nov. 19, Bobcat Den worker Roman Hudgins ’21 of Winchester, Mass., hands over a Den Delivery food order to Olivia Kranefuss ’22 of Madison, N.J. (Phyllis Graber Jensen/�ֲ���ý College)

As the 2019–20 BDD owner/operator, Warder is in charge of the business side of things. BDD is a limited liability company, or LLC. “We’re a company recognized nationally and by the state. So we pay state taxes, we pay federal taxes,” she says.

Now in its seventh year, the BDD’s sustainability gratifies Perejda, its founder. “There are so many failed and struggling concerns in the food delivery space,” he notes. “But BDD has endured and thrived because it’s by the students and for the students. There is a real connection to the �ֲ���ý community and the Bobcat Den.”

The BDD is structured so that each year’s owner/operator selects and trains their successor. What has proven key to the business’s ongoing success, Perejda says, is that each owner/operator has full control — “skin in the game,” as he puts it. “For the business to continue to thrive, someone must always bear the full burden of ownership — and the full reward that comes with it, too.”

The final step before a Bobcat Den Delivery order gets shipped: stapling it shut. (Phyllis Graber Jensen/�ֲ���ý College)

Managing a small business might seem daunting, especially on top of being a full-time student, but Warder appreciates the experience it’s given her. “It’s definitely worth it, and it’s the only place that I can really do this. Plus, it’s fun to work with these guys,” she says.

Much of Warden’s job this year has involved issues with the BDD app. Since an app crash forced BDD to move their ordering system to Google Docs, Warden and the team have been working to create a new app.

With the help of Leo Crossman ’20, who pitched an app idea to Warder and has subsequently spent the past two months designing it, a new BDD app is on the way to the App Store.

“Leo’s been working tirelessly on this for us,” Warder says.

Passing through the Library Arcade, Olivia Kranefuss bikes to her first delivery, at Parker Hall. (Phyllis Graber Jensen/�ֲ���ý College)

She adds, “You never know what this job is going to throw at you.” But when she’s not working on accounting or helping to submit their new app, Warder enjoys hanging around the Den with the night’s delivery crew.

“We all work so hard on it and it is student-run, so everybody cares about it a lot,” she says.

By now — getting close to midnight, BDD’s closing time — it’s down to 10 degrees. But never mind: It’s time for another delivery. As Warder shares her appreciation, the two Den Deliverers agree with her, staple paper bags of food shut, don their Buffs, and get ready to head out into the night.

At 8:30 p.m. on a recent Thursday in the Benjamin Mays Center, there’s a calm before the concert. Only a few tables are occupied. People trickle in, grab some chai and cookies, and talk with friends.

By 8:55, the center is packed. Students crowd around the tables, cluster on the steps near the back, and sit on the window sills lining the curved walls of the building. Tabletops are crowded with mugs and stickered water bottles, and even a textbook or two.

They’ve come for a special edition of the Village Club Series, a weekly performance of music, poetry, or comedy sponsored by the Campus Life Office.

It’s standing room only for the Village Club Series Student Showcase on Oct. 10. (Theophil Syslo/�ֲ���ý College)

A staple of campus entertainment since 1993 (before any of today’s students were born), the VCS usually features outside performers. This week, however, is the once-a-semester Student Showcase edition — an all-student lineup that draws performers’ friends from the library and labs and into the Ben Mays Center’s welcoming interior.

“These are one of my favorite shows,” says audience member Ella Westerfield ’20 of Denver. She sits with friends who’ve come to see their fellow members of TakeNote, a campus a cappella group, perform in a band.

Alongside students who’ve come to see friends are VCS regulars who come every week. Kaylah Johnson ’21 and Keirston Johnson ’21, twin sisters from Tampa, Fla., frequent VCS for a weekly Thursday-night study break.

Alex Platt ’22 of Groton, Mass., plays guitar with the band Exit 80. (Theophil Syslo/�ֲ���ý College)

How does the showcase compare to an ordinary Thursday night performance? “It’s nice to see the talent on campus. I see a whole lot of people who I didn’t know played an instrument or read poetry,” Keirston says.

It’s not just students who gather to see their friends perform. At a table near the stage are economics professors Lynne Lewis, Julieta Yung, and Luke Chicoine. They’re here to see for the first time one of their students, Maddie Sirois ’21, play in her band.

“We’re here to see the rock-star side of her,” says Lewis.

While most people show up 10 or so minutes before showtime, several students have been working since around 5:30 to set everything up and make sure all the performances run smoothly.

VCS crew member Cyan Hunte ’22 of Brooklyn, N.Y., helps out before each show, setting up equipment, preparing the space near the stage that serves as a green room, and making the bands comfortable before their performances. “The Student Showcase is a little more work for us,” Hunt says.

Anthony Anzora ’20 of Oakland, Calif., leans into the mic during a set that included “Fools” by Troy Sivan and “Lovely” by Billie Eilish. (Theophil Syslo/�ֲ���ý College)

Erick Ramos ’22 of San Diego, one of two VCS student managers along with Lillian Chang ’20 of Wilton, Conn., agrees. “It’s basically a continuous sound check,” he says. Setting up equipment and getting a good balance of sound for a show, especially with multiple acts, can stretch on for hours and keep the VCS crew working until mere minutes before showtime.

The night’s lineup, a mix of first-time performers and returning acts, opens with Exit 80, which takes its name from the turnpike exit that the band members take to get to �ֲ���ý. A freshly formed cover group, it features singer Esme Goldfinger ’21 of Portland, Maine, drummer Daniel Tepler ’21 of Bridgeport, Conn., guitarist Alex Platt ’20 of Groton, Mass., and the econ professors’ favorite, bassist Sirois of Maplewood, N.J.

At first, says Sirois, “we were really nervous. But then we kinda got into our rhythm.” She’s wanted to perform since her first year at �ֲ���ý, and the showcase is her campus debut. Her bandmates, after talking over the summer, decided to get together this semester and have a go at being a cover band.

“Next stop is original music,” says Sirois.

Brady Chilson ’23 of Carlisle, Mass., makes his musical �ֲ���ý debut at the showcase. (Theophil Syslo/�ֲ���ý College)

The second act is Robyn Moss ’20 of White Plains, N.Y., who sings and plays guitar to cheers from the crowd. Moss, who is on the board of college radio station WRBC, is no stranger to the VCS student showcase, having performed multiple times.

A new face emerges as the third act. Brady Chilson ’23 of Carlisle, Mass., sings and plays the keyboard for his first �ֲ���ý performance. His renditions of “Your Song” by Elton John and “New York State of Mind” by Billy Joel draw applause, making his debut an undeniable success.

In a break from music, Justice Geddes ’20, does a standup routine centering on his queer identity and growing up in Bozeman, Mont. A VCS veteran, Geddes almost instantly draws laughs.

 Anthony Anzora ’20 of Oakland, Calif., follows Geddes with another round of covers, singing “Fools” by Troy Sivan and “Lovely” by Billie Eilish.

Justice Geddes ‘20 of Bozeman, Mont., is a regular Village Club Series performer. (Theophil Syslo/�ֲ���ý College)

The night’s sixth and final act is the all-senior band Shoes on the Rug.

Named for one member’s former roommate who insisted on a “no shoes on the rug” rule in their dorm room, the band features Becca Kraft of Newton Center, Mass., on vocals and guitar; Ben Skiest of Longmeadow, Mass., on keyboard; David Maffly-Kip of St. Louis on guitar; Will Weeks ‘20 of Portland, Maine on vocals and bass guitar; Drew Collins ‘20 of Piedmont, Calif. on guitar, Julien Cook ‘20 of Beersel, Belgium on drums, and Tanner Stallbaumer ‘20 of New York City on bass guitar.

The Shoes step out to cheers and shouts of “Where’s the rug?” and “Take your socks off!” 

The band is well-seasoned, having played their first set their sophomore year, and the confidence shows. “We’re gonna start off with a song we put together two hours ago,” says Kraft. 

After several songs, the band closes the night with an upbeat “Valerie” by Amy Winehouse.

Surrounded by Shoes on the Rug bandmates, Becca Kraft of Newton Center, Mass., responds to the audience toward the end of the Village Club Series showcase. (Theophil Syslo/�ֲ���ý College)

“It went even better than we thought it would,” says Kraft afterward. “We sounded so much better than we did sophomore year.”

The performing done, the showcase ends as it began — quietly, with friends congregating around the room, congratulating their performing peers, and lining up for final cups of chai.

No one waffles when it comes to Waffle Night, a finals-week tradition held on Monday. “My favorite part is watching everyone interact and just relax,” says Miranda Padilla ’19 of Midland, Texas.

Padilla, a student fellow with the Office of Intercultural Education, the event’s sponsor, helped manage the waffle-creation stations this time around. “There are always so many smiles and laughs,” she says. “That makes the work worth it!”

In the midst of finals pressure, Waffle Night is “something that students look forward to,” says Charlene Holmes, assistant dean for first-generation student support. “It’s also an opportunity for the entire student body to come to the OIE to break bread together.”

Moments from the OIE Waffle Night on Dec. 10, 2018. (Theophil Syslo/�ֲ���ý College)

As Jade Zhang '21 of Hefei, China, pours a cup of batter onto the griddle, Keirston Johnson '21, an OIE fellow from Tampa, Fla., holds open the waffle iron. (Theophil Syslo/�ֲ���ý College)

Dawrin Silfa '21 (center) of New York City sprays cooking oil on the griddle. (Theophil Syslo/�ֲ���ý College)

It's prep time for Waffle Night on Dec. 10. Charlene Holmes, assistant dean for first-generation student support, and Lebanos Mengistu '21 of Somerville, Mass., work with the batter. (Theophil Syslo/�ֲ���ý College)

Shortly before 10 p.m., Waffle Night is in full swing. (Theophil Syslo/�ֲ���ý College)

Another OIE fellow, Malik Velmar ‘21 of Yorktown, Va., helped direct traffic through the waffle line. The busy event was “a rush,” says Velmar, a member of the men’s varsity basketball team.

“I didn’t know that there was going to be that many people: Friends from my dorm were here, and some friends from the basketball team came through,” he adds. “There was a lot of different people from different cultures who came together in this one space to have some fun, have a waffle, and take a break from studying.

“It was pretty cool.”

Sophia Ball '21, Cassidy Martin '19, and Olivia McCulloch '21 prepare backstage before Martin walks the Trashion Show runway. (Theophil Syslo/�ֲ���ý College)

Backstage, Essie Martin '21 of Newscastle, Maine, adjusts a hair ornament made of plastic straws. (Theophil Syslo/�ֲ���ý College)

A moment from the Trashion Show on Nov. 14, 2018.

Outfit designer Michael Somkuti '19 of Ambler, Pa., and model T.J. Emmerman '21 of New York City walk the runway at the end of the Trashion Show. (Theophil Syslo/�ֲ���ý College)

A moment from the Trashion Show on Nov. 14, 2018.

“Which means there were 35,000 of these disposable thunder stick noisemakers. Who knows what happened to them afterwards?”

It’s 3:30 p.m. Tuesday in Commons, and your senses are on high alert as Dining Services prepares the evening meal.

There’s the smell of baked goods. The sting in your eyes from freshly diced onions. The flicker of flame inside the brick oven. And all around, quick conversations as staff glide past one another.

Before you realize it, an hour has passed, the doors open, the students flood in.

Dinner, and your taste buds, are now served.

Students patiently wait in line at the grill to dig into General Tso's chicken and rice.

A room with a view: Commons seen from Central Avenue.

Dining Services diverts more than 80 percent of its waste to composting, local pig farmers, and recycling, a major reason �ֲ���ý has a Gold rating from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education.

First cook Tim Reynolds and third cook Jake Morse pose for a portrait before slinging pies at the brick oven.

Sous chef Michael Staffenski peels an onion as he works through an entire bushel, all without shedding a tear.

“Food is nourishment. It makes you whole,” says Michael Staffenski, Dining Services sous chef.

The “whole” in this sense also means the whole �ֲ���ý community, which comes together in the college’s single dining hall.

“The students live here, so this is their home, this is their kitchen,” Staffenski continues. “It’s our mission to provide all the things that their kitchen at home does, whether it’s an ear to listen or the comfort of warm soup when you’re not feeling well. It’s support: a little bit of everything.”

And there’s fun in the kitchen, too, For Daisy Taylor, bakery supervisor, the fun comes “when I get to be adventurous.”

Sure, she and her colleagues turn out the beloved cookies and muffins. “That’s pretty cookie-cutter,” she says, pun intended. But when a catering order comes in, “I get to put my own little spin on things. I definitely like that, and I think people appreciate what we put out. It’s a good feeling.”

Ricky Michalak, a Dining Services first cook, was handling the vegan station Tuesday night. One approach he uses is to “take meals that I like personally and see how I can make them vegan.“

One of his favorite creations is the Thai lettuce wrap made with fried tempeh. “They’re really sweet, really good. Even non-adventurous eaters will love it.”

And he doesn’t mind if students, famous for their ad hoc creations, don’t use the wrap as a wrap, “instead sprinkling it on their own salad or doing whatever with it. It all works out very well.

“It’s a busy station. Fun and challenging,” he adds. “I feel like everyone should be challenged at whatever they do.”

At 8:33 on a recent Thursday night, a few miles from campus, a white butane lighter ignited some kindling, and soon flames illuminated smiles on faces gathered around a campfire.

As the burning wood snapped and popped, and smoke mixed with incoming fog, students who’d traded dorm rooms for sleeping bags and stars began to toast s’mores at the �ֲ���ý Outing Club Lean-to.

Light the marshmallow on fire for the toasted look, or go for the slow, golden brown? "I'm a slow roaster, but I usually end up burning it due to impatience," says Megan Detels '20 of Marblehead, Mass. (Theophil Syslo/�ֲ���ý College)

Chandler Ryan '19 of Delmar, N.Y., creates an assembly line for s'mores: a marshmallow (to be toasted) and chocolate sandwiched between graham crackers. (Theophil Syslo/�ֲ���ý College)

Build the fire teepee-style or like a log cabin? They choose log cabin. (Theophil Syslo/�ֲ���ý College)

Matthew Berdon '19 of Hartsdale, N.Y., chops kindling while others forage for dry deadwood. (Theophil Syslo/�ֲ���ý College)

Wearing headlamps, students roll out sleeping bags before starting the campfire. (Theophil Syslo/�ֲ���ý College)

“There is something very satisfying about building a fire,” said Megan Detels ’20 of Marblehead, Mass. “I love smelling like campfire all the next day. When I smell my hair throughout the day it reminds me that I woke up outside, to the rising sun.”

“Something simple like spending a night in the lean-to breaks up our very scheduled lives,” said Nellie Breen ’21 of Pasadena, Calif. “It reminds us to appreciate the bigger picture.”

It was Breen’s first trip to the lean-to, and a very intentional one. “I wanted to push outside my comfort zone and embrace the uncertainty of meeting new people,” she said. “We’re lucky to be part of a community where people are so welcoming and supportive of new experiences.”

“Life at �ֲ���ý can get pretty hectic,” said Chandler Ryan ’19 of Delmar, N.Y. “It can be such a reprieve to spend a night not worrying about schoolwork and just focus on building a fire and eating s’mores and getting a good night’s sleep.”

Built in 1999 as a Short Term project by �ֲ���ý students — including Ben Ayers ‘99, who now does economic sustainability work in Nepal — the 10-by-17 lean-to sits within the Marden-Chittick Refuge, 200 acres of land that Judy Marden ’66 gave to the Androscoggin Land Trust as a conservation easement.

“I hope by providing the space for the lean-to, I’m doing some part to bring more kids outdoors,” said Marden, whose long and active involvement with the BOC dates to her college days when, she recalled, BOC leaders “led me up Tumbledown Mountain the first weekend of my freshman year. They changed my life — for the good!”

“I think the most important task for the BOC is to get people out on trips who might not otherwise go on them,” Ryan agreed. As a first-year, she was “definitely nervous about going on trips. The solid, approachable leadership of some strong women at the helm of the Outing Club encouraged me to get involved.”