A rope swing hangs from an old white pine and most warm evenings after dinner, exhilarated voices echo across the lawn as students jump from the crook of the tree into mid-air. Some nights might find a group of students under the starlight, camping out on the lawn. The North Lawn hosts the graduation ceremony each June. A huge tent is staked across the grass and the carpet is rolled out in all senses of the word. Friends and families of the graduates gather on the lawn, either under the tent or spread out on blankets in the shade of the pines.
Children entertain themselves with improvised games of tag as the ceremony proceeds.
Some take jobs, some continue on to graduate school, and some hit the wild blue yonder, trading in their books for a map and a backpack. We'll head inside now, to the Gates Center .