Dormitories Celebrate at Spring Teas

By: LAUREN KIM and CALISTA LEE

Every spring at the Academy, students don their Sunday best in the warm weather and spend quality time with their dormmates. Most dorms hold their ‘teas’ around May. They have become a cherished tradition and opportunity for students to dress-up according to a theme, and take pictures among the blooming spring foliage. 

Two dorms held their teas on May 1: Cilley Hall and Gould House. With the gorgeous weather, these two dorms implemented themes, props, and games to give their students a much-needed break, and connect with their friends. 

In prior years, Gould had issues funding their tea. “Last year was fun, but we ran out of money by the time we had it,” upper and Gould proctor Alysha Lai said. “When you’re so big, you can buy things in bulk, which is cheaper. But in a house, it’s like ten people and we can’t really do that,” she explained. “This year, we needed a budget. That’s why we could purchase a lot of the stuff that we wanted,” Lai continued. 

This year, the house’s tea had a specific spring-related theme. Hosted on their lawn, each resident and their guests were given flower crowns, and dressed up in an assigned color. This colored-theme made every outfit a statement. “Everyone stood out because springtime tea dresses are just so gorgeous,” Lai said. “Everyone looked amazing, especially because they had their own color.”

Cilley Hall, on the other hand, gave their residents more freedom with what they chose to wear, opting for a dorm survey in which residents had the opportunity to vote on topics like theme and dress code.

Cilley Hall dorm representative and upper Yifei Zhao described the questionnaire. “We had a poll several days before the tea asking whether we wanted a casual party or a semi-formal party. Most people voted for a semi-formal party, with semi-formal attire,” he said. “We knew about this tea around two weeks in advance. So, we had plenty of time to plan and think about who we wanted to bring.”

This was also the dorm’s first tea in a few years, making it the first Cilley tea for many students. Lower Aidan Ting reflected on his experiences. “I think the highlights of the tea were the food and the nice weather. This is actually the first Cilley tea I’ve ever been to and I took lots of photos.”

Many dorms held their teas the following weekend, with Wheelwright, Merrill, Dunbar, Amen ,and Soule all celebrating despite the storms. 

In Wheelwright, old proctors planned the event. Before the tea, senior Audrey Aslani-Far described the organizing process. “We plan for it to be outside, and for there to be lots of finger food and drinks. The theme will be about flowers.” Aslani-Far continued, “I am very excited for this event and for the warm weather!”

Fellow proctor and senior Coco Lipe added on, “I can’t wait to make pink Arnold Palmers with the iced tea and lemonade. I’m looking forward to this tea a lot.”

Merrill Hall took a different approach to tea planning. Instead of the senior proctors organizing the event, they decided to give the upcoming upper proctors a chance to show their skills. Upper Bronwyn Hall described the events the new team planned, “There are some lawn games, music, and student activities in the works.”

Aside from the activities, Merrill also had an assortment of good food. “I’m really looking forward to the food, especially the fruit,” Hall said before the event, noting the menu of salads, cupcakes, and fruit. 

The theme, also chosen by the uppers, was very different from last year’s. “We went with a pretty basic spring floral theme,” upper Sanisha Mahendra-Rajah explained. “Last year, we did more of an upscale Met Gala party and now we wanted to give everyone a more typical tea experience.” 

A big part of every tea is the outfits and dressing up. Many students love to shop for clothes to show off at tea. Lower Sophia Descalzi was particularly excited for this aspect of tea. “I’m looking forward to my dress the most. I spent six hours picking it out and I’m very proud of it. I’m also excited to see everyone else get dressed up,” Descalzi said.

Students also enjoyed the social aspect of dressing up, fondly noting the time they spent getting ready with friends. Senior Sophie Fernandez said, “I had fun straightening my friend’s hair when we were getting ready.” 

“The atmosphere was fun and I had a great time getting ready with friends,” lower Addison Brannon added, regarding getting ready for Wheelwright tea. “We all were trying on outfits and doing each other’s hair.”

This year’s teas, both concluded and to come, are a success once again. With many teas occurring on the same date, students have made memories and enjoyed the weather. A highlight of every spring, teas are “a way of having pure joy,” Zhao concluded.