After two years, the ninth grade lounge returns in full swing

By Defne Alpay ‘20

The Upper School student body woke up on Monday, Sept. 16 to an email in their inboxes from Catlin Gabel Student Association (CGSA) president Arjun Jain officially reinstating the ninth grade class lounge in the Dant House.

Entitled “Dant Lounge Reserved for 9th Graders,” Jain’s email explained that the lounge would provide much needed opportunities for the ninth graders to connect and meet new students. 

Students interacting in the ninth grade lounge. Photo by Defne Alpay

“It was a really simple decision to have the ninth graders be the only people allowed in the lounge to build community,” Jain noted.

Due to lack of cleanliness in fall 2017, the Dant lounge moved from being known as the “freshman lounge” reserved exclusively for the ninth grade class to a lounge open to students from all grade levels. 

While the student body received the email from Jain during the second week of school this year, conversations about reinstating the lounge took place over the summer during a conversation about the annual student experience survey feedback from June 2019. While the survey didn’t specifically ask about reinstating the ninth grade class lounge, Jain, CGSA Vice President Annika Holliday, Dean of Students Brandon Woods, and Upper School Division Head Aline Garcia-Rubio discussed the possibility of limiting the Dant lounge access to ninth graders in hopes of building community.

“When I first came to Catlin, I felt like I was only interacting with the new kids and not the old kids because they sort of had their own group. But having the freshman lounge allowed me to interact with everyone,” Jain explained.

Just one week after sending the email announcement, Jain has already seen ninth graders talking to and enjoying one another’s company in the lounge. He hopes that the space can contribute to a tight-knit ninth grade class that will grow closer in the year to follow in the Upper School.