Although students and faculty strive to get to school on time, they often face various unforeseeable obstacles. From sudden traffic to delayed trains, there is almost always something that gets in their way. For members of the Concord Academy community who commute to school, these obstacles can cause stress and frustration, and even impact their entire schedule.
Students and faculty who commute to CA by car can face sudden problems such as traffic, car accidents, road work, or a parent or guardians’ conflicting schedule, even if they plan ahead. For example, my morning commute takes around ten minutes without traffic, however, school buses and heavy traffic can almost double the time it takes for me to arrive at CA. Audrey Mason ’28 shared a similar experience, commenting, “I carpool with a friend and we’re occasionally late because of bad traffic or [because] we’re stuck behind a bus.”
Science teacher and Academic Support Center tutor Kim Kopelman P’26 also drives to school. In order to arrive on time to the class she teaches on Friday mornings, she has to leave at least forty-five minutes before it starts.“[I have to leave] really an hour [before school starts] particularly on Friday because I want to go into the classroom and make sure everything is ready. If I’m late and I don’t have that morning prep time, it’s really disorienting and impacts how I’m teaching in that class,” Kopelman said.
Students who take the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) to school also face various issues due to the train frequently running behind schedule. “They don’t give us any information on when the train is going to arrive and so therefore I don’t know when the train is going to come,” said Ellery Kuh ’27, referring to the MBTA website. “At least a hundred kids have been late to Chapel all at once before because the train has been late, which is infuriating.”
However, the train still helps dozens of CA students and it is a crucial part of their ability to get to school. “Even though the train sometimes arrives late and drops me off behind schedule, I am still grateful for it. Without the train, it wouldn't have been possible for me to attend CA,” said Melina Petropulos ’28.
Overall, although students and staff alike put in their best effort to arrive on time, unexpected difficulties may hinder their ability to do so. As the school year progresses, the best course of action is to plan ahead so we can minimize the instances in which such obstacles may arise. While it may not always be possible to avoid all delays, the only thing we can do is try.