The pandemic means that most traditional Deerfield weekend activities can’t happen. But through some trial-and-error, the school and the Student Planning Committee have come up with some fun events . . . and some not-so-fun ones. Here’s a definitive ranking of recent weekend activities.
Last and least is Jackbox Gaming. If you haven’t played Jackbox before, it’s a series of party games you can play with your friends. It’s fun, but unless you created an account earlier in the school year you’ll only have access to the first game, which is lackluster compared to the others. Plus, due to the nature of the game, you’ll either need to be together in a room(which you can only realistically do with your squad) or apart in your own rooms. This is a good option if one of your friends is in quarantine or remote, or if you’re playing this after curfew with your hall. Otherwise, stay away.
Next is the dodgeball tournament. There’s been multiple tournaments, and earlier in the year they were very disorganized. Teams didn’t show up to their matches, rules changed on the fly, and no one knew which courts they were on. This has improved a little, though. The brackets are clearer and teams are required to check in at the beginning of the tournament. Still, this is something you need to sign up for with your squad. If you’re the only one who wants to do it, you’re out of luck. If you can wrangle a team together, go for it.
Bubble soccer is next up. It does also require you to sign up by squad, but it ranks higher than dodgeball simply because of the exhilarating activity that is running around slamming into people in a massive plastic ball.
The Athletics Complex is a great place to go if you like activities that leave plenty of room for meeting people, talking with friends, and focusing more on socializing than the task at hand. They have plenty of fun board games, ping-pong, and video games like Mario Kart. If you want to stay warm and talk with friends while still doing something other than just sitting around, this is for you.
Taking the bronze medal is snow tubing/sledding. This is a classic winter activity that is made more fun by the gigantic hill that the Deerfield campus provides. What’s more fun than hurtling down a hill with friends? Unfortunately though, some people have gotten hurt while sledding so if you do this, be sure to be safe and watch out for your friends. Plus there aren’t that many sleds, so you should pick a time when the hill isn’t too busy.
In second place is the Greer. Everyone’s favorite place to hang out on the weekend, the recent re-opening of the Greer was highly anticipated. It would come in first place, if not for a couple of things. First, you couldn’t hang out in the Greer itself. If there were a couple of tables to sit and eat at, this would be much better. Second, the line was incredibly long. If you’re planning to get food, go early or be prepared to wait for a while.
In first place is the Next Level Gaming Experience! This was so much fun. Whether you like playing Mario Kart or Call of Duty, there was plenty of opportunity to hang out with friends and play some games. There was a massive crowd of people following along with the Just Dance screen, which had over five hundred songs to choose from. This should definitely be brought back, perhaps with another Just Dance screen and some more chairs for spectators.
Overall, the school has done a great job of providing fun opportunities for the weekends. There are definitely things that could change, but let’s just give a big thank you to everyone who was involved. And hopefully you agree with this ranking and try something new next weekend!