As we enter our box sized form room we are filled with a sense of coldness once more. The lonesome radiator at the back of the classroom is crowded as we fight for places near it. The atmosphere is dull and drowsy as our form teacher opens the door with a cheery smile on her face. Her attempt to try to bring some happiness to the class abruptly ends as she feels the bitterness of the room.
As the bell for the conclusion of first lesson sounds, the clatter and scraping of chairs fills the school.
Already the locker rooms are filled with a musty smell of wet umbrellas and dirty, mud stained gym kits. Cleaners rush around mopping the floors, trying to prevent any accidents. The corridors are filled with students and teachers alike as they make their way to their second lesson.
As break nears people begin to brace themselves for the cold and rain, as they make their way back outside to the dining room.
’20 pence please’ can be heard as students begin to purchase their break, hot cups of tea and freshly baked muffins. I can feel the taste of chocolate chip and blueberry muffins in my mouth. Friends stand in tight groups trying to warm themselves. Those who are lucky are able to stand near a radiator and congregate there. A brighter atmosphere is beginning to fill the halls and corridors as the day slowly begins to improve. I look outside. The skies are clearing and a rainbow appears shining brightly across the sky. I turn as I heard a laugh from behind, only to see the puny first year once again but this time with a beaming smile on her face a new pair of tights on and a grey box pleated skirt. I cast an eye over the hall and am greeted by smiling faces and laughter from all around. I realise then that summer is nearly here.
I glance back outside and there I see the grass and benches covered in blazers with people sitting everywhere catching some sun.
I sit and look around. People are scattered everywhere, across the grass, waiting for school to begin. The hot morning sun is already shining down on us. Blazers are being used as blankets, as people laugh and talk. A few people are even lying across the grass, doing last minute homework or revising for tests they have in the day ahead. Window polish can be smelt in the air as football marks are cleaned off the glass panes. I shield my eyes as I hear my name being called. It is difficult to see with the light of the sun. I look up to see a few of my friends walking over to join me. The atmosphere in the yards was bubbly and happy. No one has a care in the world. Excited screams can be heard as people greet friends as though they haven’t seen them in years. The smell of hot bacon fills the air as the canteen doors swing open. You can taste the salty bacon in the back of your mouth and you are instantly satisfied.
‘Ring! Ring!’ the bell is ringing to signal the start to the school day. Groans can be heard as we gather our belongings and traipse towards our classes with blazers flung over our shoulders. Every corner I turn I am greeted with a smile, whether it is a first year I meet or a sixth former. It’s amazing how the sun brightens up everyone’s day. As we enter our form room, the windows and fire doors are flung open and a pile of blazers gradually grows in the corner of the room. The room smells summery with pretty daffodils and roses in vases around the room. The sweet smell fills our lungs.
The class is loud and happy, as our teacher arrives and the register seems to take triple the time compared to a winter morning because everyone is so much happier.
As we make our way to our first lesson we stop off at the locker room, only to find it jam-packed, even more than normal. The door will hardly open. When I finally am able to enter the room, I find it is due to the fact that all the lads have just scattered their cricket bags around the room and they are causing a slight problem. However, everyone just laughs it off and climbs over them.
I enter my Spanish class to find everyone standing up and collecting their books together. Much to my glee, I am told we are having our lesson outside on the field. The happiness of us pupils has obviously spread to the teachers. We sit on our blazers, barely listening. Behind us we can hear the slight ‘buzz’ of the tractor, cutting the grass. The smell of freshly cut grass fills the air around us. We look around and see pretty pink and lilac butterflies fluttering from head to head.
Suddenly the bell rings, we look at our watches in amazement. The double lesson has flown by. We rush to the machine to buy a drink to cool ourselves down. Already I can feel the ice-cold tropical taste of my can of ‘Lilt’ sliding down the back of my throat. As I near the front of the queue, I hear all the cans are sold out. The hot weather has made the cans in more demand than usual. There were non-left.
However, my bottle of cool ‘Volvic’ did just the same job in the end.
The heat in the sports centre is unbearable. The roof is glass, so the sun is just shining through. We make a wise decision and decide to escape outside.
Once again, we join the rest of our year and spread our blazers across the grass. As I look around I realise I love summer. The sun makes the atmosphere around school so much nicer and friendlier. The puny first year then skips by with her friends and I know it is her favourite time of year too.
