From left: Jenny Woodsum; David Etzel; Sam Zajac; and Hannah McDonell relax in the Fishbowl during a free period. (Photos by Lisa Aciukewicz)
Webster’s New World Dictionary defines “fishbowl” like this: a transparent vessel in which live fish are kept.
Yet, at Bromfield, this term has a completely different meaning.
Imagine a rectangular-shaped room. Two of the walls are solid and the other two are plate glass. Painted on one of the solid walls is an exact replica of the Patagonia outdoor clothing company logo. The black area at the bottom is a chalkboard, covered with a scattering of handwritten notes, messages and drawings posted by senior classmen. On the wall facing the blackboard is a meticulous and one-of-a-kind mural of a postage stamp. The stamp reads: “Greetings from Bromfield Class of 2014.” The letters of the word “Bromfield” are rendered as large bubbles, each containing a depiction of a Harvard scene. Underneath, it reads, “No kid like a Bromfield kid.”
A room of their own
This is the room known as “the Fishbowl” at Bromfield, a room awarded to seniors as a privilege, a place to call their own. Seniors (and only seniors) are allowed to paint, furnish, and personalize it however they choose for an entire year. Like a bedroom, it’s a space of senior comfort, enjoyment, and bonding.
This year’s Fishbowl is bubbling with artistic talent and creativity. It represents the blossoming of a class of seniors and their journey together. The head designer and painter for the project was Bromfield senior Emily Hadorn, chosen for her endless imagination. Hadorn commented, “I wanted my design to represent Bromfield and the town of Harvard, as well as all the great memories I have of our time here… This mural was a team effort—hopefully it makes an impression and is something our class is remembered for.”
The colorful, one-of-a-kind door to the Fishbowl.
On any given school day, a passerby is likely to find a myriad of seniors between the two walls, spread out across couches, tables, and chairs. They chat, do homework, snap photos, listen to music, and just enjoy each other’s company during free periods and lunches. Smells of food and perfume mingle with the murmur of voices from both inside and outside the small rectangular room.
In 1998, the Bromfield School (then housing grades 7 through 12) underwent a large renovation. With new hallways and classroom additions, the school was in bits and pieces. Many areas were closed to students, including the senior locker area, a space traditionally reserved for seniors only. As compensation, the seniors were given a different space to call their own. Formerly a conference room, the Fishbowl gained its name from its appearance: a room with two facing glass walls. One wall is adjacent to the cafeteria, allowing cafeteria-goers to peek in and those inside to peek out. The opposite facing wall is also glass and connects to the main hallway through a side door. Its use was a privilege that seniors had earned through their six years of hard work. But by the time construction was complete, the Fishbowl had emerged as an iconic feature of the school.
The Fishbowl hasn’t always been such a hub of activity and creativity, though. It was first painted in 2003, with a basic design intended to jazz up its bland walls. From black chalkboard paint, introduced in 2008, to the very fitting inside of a fishbowl, to Dr. Seuss, to graffiti, the room has had many faces. Each year, seniors donate their time, creativity, and furniture to making their space spectacular.
A room with a view
The Fishbowl is open to seniors anytime during the day, whether that be lunch time, a free period, or before and after school. It functions as a study room, a game room, a social room, an exclusive cafeteria, or for an exhausted student, a bedroom! “I looked forward to a place during a study or lunch to be with my friends in a relaxed environment. It was only for seniors and was looked at as an exclusive place to be,” remembered 2010 graduate Mina Rae Beckman on a recent visit to the school.
You never know what might turn up on the walls of the Fishbowl.
Because Bromfield now has grades six through 12, seniors are more than ever role models for the 12-year-olds entering the school. Underclassmen gaze into the Fishbowl with envy and awe. “Something that underclassmen crave in their adolescent days,” said 2012 graduate Brenton Stoddard. “It’s six years and lots of hard work until one finally becomes a senior.”
Harriet Hill, a 2011 graduate, added, “The Fishbowl represented a reward deserved by (finally!) reaching senior year. It was a kind of status symbol that had to be earned by making it through your underclassman years.”
Along with “painting the rock,” parking in the senior lot, and the coveted 990 (leaving the building during study halls), the Fishbowl is a senior privilege that must be earned. “It is an acknowledgement of trust and responsibility to have their own space and take care of it,” Assistant Principal Scott Hoffman told the Press. 2009 graduate Kristina Kronauer agreed. “I think by giving seniors a space to call their own it shows a level of trust and respect on the part of faculty and administration. It…signifies that these young men and women are old enough to take care of themselves and can be unattended,” she said.
But how unattended are they? Because the Fishbowl enjoys a unique location in the center of the main school hallway and because two of its walls are made of glass, the space is always under observation. This not only gives underclassmen a peek at the future, it gives faculty and school administrators a first-hand picture of what is going on inside. Clearly, then, life in the Fishbowl has virtues for everyone!
Exclusively inclusive
The Fishbowl sets Bromfield apart from other schools. Senior students have a unique opportunity to bond with their class in their own space, which at other schools they may not have. Lifelong relationships are formed and fond memories are made. It fosters closer relationships than those developed in casual hallway encounters. 2008 graduate Henley Siegrist said, “The Fishbowl provided a place for everyone to come together. While it is considered exclusive, it is incredibly inclusive to the entire senior class. It gives the seniors a place to become whole and united.”
The Fishbowl really is the perfect space for Bromfield’s “big fish.”
Emily Erdos is a junior at the Bromfield School.
