Darlington’s annual community dinner, a mandatory dinner for residential students and faculty was held On December 10 in the dining hall to strengthen the community and celebrate upcoming holidays.

For the dinner, students and staff were assigned to tables with students from all grade levels and countries to meet new people. Doing this brings students together who would otherwise not meet and allows students to create new friendships. However, not only does it help individual bonds, but it also strengthens an overall sense of community within the school. Moreover, it is a way to recognize the upcoming winter holidays for students and faculty to look forward to.

“The community dinner is a great way to bring everyone, boarding students and residential families, together,” faculty member Kim Bell said.

The community dinner also gave students a chance to talk with faculty. Throughout standard school days, students often do not speak with faculty apart from greetings, so there is usually a wall between them. However, this allows students to form deeper bonds with faculty and residential families, especially those not in the dorms.

“I enjoyed my time,” freshman Joseph Qiu said. “The faculty I stayed with were very nice and we had very good conversations.”

People not previously close were able to meet through the community dinner, and it is not only fun for students, but also important for the community. It creates lasting friendships that will continue beyond the assigned day of the dinner.

“I had a good time with Nixon, who I hadn’t met before,” sophomore Cinja Riemer said. “I see the importance of the dinner, and it’s good to come together and meet new people in the school community.”