By Kate Burgess, News Editor, and Nicole LoRusso, Editor-in-Chief

Thanks to the work of the community life council, students recently enjoyed the return of the annual school Lock-­In while the entire community got in on the fun at the school’s Family Fun Ice Skating Party.

During the Lock-­In, which took place Feb. 6-­7 in the school building, students joined in fun activities, including watching movies (such as Mean Girls, Bring It On, Devil, and Yours, Mine, and Ours), theater games and a scavenger hunt. Dinner was provided by Angelo’s Pizza in Matawan by the Sanfratello family and students brought in other food for snacks and breakfast.

“The theater games were fun to watch, even though I did not participate, and I enjoyed all of the other activities that took place during the Lock­-In,” sophomore Kelly Jennings said.

Freshman Lindsey B. comfortably enjoys some time to herself in her sleeping bag before the Lock-In activities began. Photo by Alexandria Principe

The students who planned the Lock-­In were pleased with the event. “I think it was a success,” said Olivia DeNicola, a member of the community life council. She said planning the event was hard work but felt it all paid off. “I cannot wait until next year when we will start planning much earlier on.”

“I think it went really well because everyone had a lot of fun and it went very smoothly,” said Chloe Toole, sophomore representative of the community life council.

OvFreshman Lindsey Bischoff enjoys some time to herself before the lock-in activities started by catching up on music videos Photo by Alexandria Principeerall, students expressed positive experiences at the Lock-­In, with the main complaint being lack of sleep. “I slept terribly. The ground was very hard to sleep on and get comfortable, and the temperature was too cold to fall asleep,” freshman Brigid Clifford said.

But some students seemed to catch plenty of zzzz’s. “I had a great night of sleep. I brought in an air mattress and silk sheets which could have had some effect,” sophomore Kaitlyn Vogel said.

Faculty member Kevin Polke enjoys some quality time with his son Kevie at the ice skating event. Photo courtesy of Trinity Hall’s Facebook page

While sleeping wasn’t an issue at the Family Fun Ice Skating Party, falling on the ice was a concern for some. Despite the snow days on March 5 and 6 ­ (or maybe because of them), ­there was an impressive turnout of students, faculty, family and friends for the event on March 6 at Middletown Ice World. The price of admission included dinner, dessert, skate rental and two hours of skating time just for the Trinity Hall community.Father and son Kevin and Kevie Polke enjoy some quality time together at the ice skating event. Photo courtesy of Trinity Hall’s Facebook page

“The community life council came up with this idea for an ice skating event last year but didn’t have enough time to plan it, so this year we all decided it would be a great idea to work off of,” Toole said. “The council wanted to hold this event because we knew it would appeal to everyone in the Trinity Hall community.”

“After we finalized that we were going to have the ice skating event, a few girls were interested in being on the committee. They came up with a flyer and really helped run the whole event. [Assistant Head of School] Dr. [James] Palmieri also helped us a lot by getting the rink for us and coordinating all of the aspects that went into it like food, rentals and prices. A lot of people signed up, so it ended up being a very successful night,” Toole said.

As evidenced by the crowded rink and laughter from the skaters and spectators, the party was clearly enjoyed by all. “I had a lot of fun…It was nice to be able to be with everybody at the same time, and it was a great bonding experience,” freshman Jacqueline Munro said.

Faculty member Melissa Fairchild brought her family to participate in the event, as did several of her colleagues. “It was a fun way to spend Friday night with family and friends even though I don’t skate,” Fairchild’s husband John said. Her 4-year-old daughter Lucy asked, “Can we do that everyday?” after the party was over, and 3-year-old son Tucker added, “I’m a hockey player!”

Based on the success of this first Family Fun Ice Skating Party, the community life council plans to make it an annual event.