Monterey Fall Meetup
This fall, OHSers who were in the NorCal area attended a weekend-long meetup in Monterey. The event, which happened on the same weekend as Homecoming, served as an additional option for students to socialize. The attendance of the event varied; grades ranged from middle schoolers to juniors. Additionally, Dr. Lamont, an English instructor and the assistant head of OHS, was able to make a special faculty appearance! To help narrate the weekend, Maxwell Palance (‘26), a student who attended the meetup, was interviewed about his valuable experience.
For Maxwell, the event started by driving to Monterey for two hours, then stopping at the aquarium where everyone first met for the day. After what he fondly recalls as “enthusiastic fish sightings,” the group drove to Old Fisherman’s Wharf, where they had dinner and later visited various candy shops across the wharf. To conclude the night, the group hung out in the hotel lobby and watched movies. The next morning, he met everyone at a crêpe shop for breakfast, then drove to an escape room. Next, they walked all over the plaza next to one of the hotels and stopped by a pretzel shop which “we all enjoyed heavily.” Then, a parent raffle at Gianni’s PIzza for the OHS annual fund took place with an appearance from Dr. Lamont. By the end of the day, everyone returned to the hotel for card games before resting for a hike the next day. The next day, Maxwell drove to Bird Rock, where they had a “very chilly but an incredibly fun trip!” As for their last event of the weekend, the students met at a donut shop to say their goodbyes—a great way to wrap up the meetup!
In general, there was a lot of flexibility in the organization of the event. Although Maxwell stayed in a separate hotel for the weekend, most people stayed at the same hotel. Some students were even able to drive everyday to the meetup! Moreover, students were able to select which events they wanted to attend each day. For instance, Maxwell’s favorites were the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Gianni’s Pizza, and the Bird Rock Hike. He was able to make cherished memories at Gianni’s Pizza, which was a “highlight of the entire meetup for me!”
Overall, the weekend was a success—as Maxwell expresses, the main word to describe it would be “connection.” The event allowed students like Maxwell to connect with new students and build strong bonds across the weekend. In comparison to Homecoming 2021, which was hosted in the same hotel, Maxwell points out that the main difference was in the freedom of different activities. Rather than an assigned schedule by OHS, this meetup, “everything was very student and parent-driven which was amazing.” However, as Maxwell joyfully concludes, “Based on my time at Boston Hoco in 2022, I felt ours lived up to that same standard, and was a blast for everyone involved! The main purpose of the meetup was to allow NorCal students who couldn’t fly to Hoco this year an opportunity to have fun during that time of the school year. I felt like it absolutely succeeded at that, and I’m very grateful for the parents who organized it!”
With regards to the meetup as a potential future tradition, Maxwell contends, “I know I and many others (including the parents), would adore to do this again next year—or even another weekend-themed meetup in the Spring semester!” As a final note for his interview, Maxwell gratefully adds, “I have to thank all the fantastic mom organizers yet again for doing such a fantastic job!” We thank Maxwell as well for his meaningful reflections, which underscored the event’s success!
Evidently, this meetup served as a vibrant event that provided OHS students with lasting connections—it is a testament to the strength of our community. In the future, we’re certain that more events like this will continue to foster a sense of connection!