Hedy Gutfreund Staff Writer Convocation: the day when we dress up and have a special schedule in order to take a trip to the Moody Bible Church. Each year, some of the returning students get tired of Convocation, and new students are still unsure about what it is. The question remains, to many students, was this year’s Convocation different, and does it really bring together the Latin community? This year’s Convocation, on Friday, September 17, had a theme of Memories Through Latin. Many returning students were surprised to see that a large number of the speakers were from the Lower School, who mainly talked about their favorite memories. This gave those who went through Lower School a chance to reflect on these memories, and it gave new students at Latin a sense of what the Lower School was like. As returning freshman Emily Salzman put it, “It was cool to hear the Lower Schoolers talk about their memories. It brought back my memories from [back] then. That made it a lot better than previous years.” Returning sophomore Meghna Patiath agrees, saying, “It went a lot smoother than last year.” Hearing the Lower School students talk about their experiences gave Convocation a new light, especially to those who have attended a number of Convocations. Others, however, are still uncertain about whether it fulfills the goal of bringing together the community. A new freshman to Latin who wishes to remain anonymous expressed, “I just didn’t understand what the point of it was.” Even though Convocation is the one time of the year where the entire school comes together, many people fall asleep, text, or space out during the program. “It seems to me that Convocation doesn’t affect the students’ view on the community,” says freshman Vic Bruene. Freshman Jake Orlin echoes Vic’s thoughts, saying, “I don’t think that Convocation unifies the school all that much.” In the end, no matter anyone’s opinion, Convocation is a Latin tradition that marks the beginning of every school year, and it will continue to be a tradition for many years ahead.]]>