By Samuel Peinado ’11, Special Alumni Contributor

NA can at times seem a dreary place. The daily and weekly repetition of Morning Meeting, classes, library sessions, club meetings, and practices can get to you after a while. Personally, I think one of the best ways to get away from all that routine and improve your days, especially in the doldrums of the winter months, is to use your school to its full potential. I don’t mean in terms of its academic resources, I mean in terms of its facilities. I can assure you that there are myriad ways to get the best out of the NA grounds. This is by no means a complete list, but here are a few of my favorites:

(Bear with me if some of these seem obvious to you. It took me my entire NA career to find out about them)

For Napping:

Either the couch in Ms. Galvin’s office (with permission) or the library, using your backpack for a pillow, among the shelves to the back right or on the couch by the periodicals.

For Quiet Studying (when the library is too full or too loud):

Either the Black Box (when there isn’t a class there) or the stage of the auditorium. The stage of the auditorium can be great because the curtains muffle the noise of anything happening in the main seating area. If you enter by the stage door (first door on your left) of the hallway next to the maintenance office, it is the perfect place to go when you have something you need to get done and you don’t want to be found.

For “Group Studying”, long talks, or hanging out privately with friends:

Either one of the two airlocks in the arts wing (there is one on each end of the hallway that extends on either side of the arts gallery), the benches outside the back of the library, or the length of grass stretching from the arts wing to the library to the back of the pool building. It’s about an 8 minute walk if you take it slowly and it’s always good to get outside.

Like too much of any good thing, NA can get to you after a while, but if you break things up by exploring and taking full advantage of the buildings and grounds, I can promise you you’ll find those dark winter days just that little bit brighter.

Editor’s Note: Please leave your favorite NA places, and the best ways to use them, in the comments below!