On Wednesday morning, September 29th, both sections of English teacher Helen Berkeley’s Wise Readings class took a trip to Gunpowder Friends Meeting to spend a day in complete silence. 

The day started off with a tour of the Meeting House. Students got to see the library, the kitchen, an outside area with a graveyard, and the Sunday School room, which Quakers call the First Day School room. The tour ended in the Meeting Room, where everybody settled together for a 30-minute Meeting for Worship.

After the Meeting, students were free to do what they wanted around the Meeting House, but with one catch: they could not talk at all.

Some spent the day studying. Others went for long walks. Still others took time to relax by reading or napping. Everyone then gathered for lunch and ate together in silence.

The day ended with another 30-minute Meeting for Worship. At the end, students shared highlights from the day.

Almost everybody enjoyed themselves, saying it was a nice break from school that allowed them to de-stress. And everyone enjoyed being together, even though they couldn’t talk.