LIFE AT TRINITY HIGH SCHOOL
by Miriam Brown '08

October 29, 2006

Sophomore year, I surprised my parents by telling them that I didn’t want one.

I didn’t want a bulky and expensive school ring; I’m already enough of a nerd.

However, they told me to and, on Junior Ring Day, as I stood in Trinity’s auditorium with my 92 classmates, I was glad they did.

For, Junior Ring Day was special and not just because we got to arrive late and wear pretty clothes. No, it was a special day because it was when our parents, grandparents, siblings, teachers, and friends got to voice their support.

With these people filling the auditorium, I got to walk across the stage and receive a white carnation and a velvet box containing my ring. Surprisingly, as I descended the stairs, I found myself eager to see the piece of metal that had cost so much.

However, I was in for a shock.

Surreptitiously opening the box, I viewed the simple band of silver with the navy blue stone; it was pretty, but nothing spectacular. Still, I plucked it out of its velvet bed and slipped it on.

The ring slid on easily enough, going past the second knuckle without any problem, but when I tried to take it off, it was—to my horror—stuck tight! Turning to the girls next to me, I revealed my plight and we spent the rest of the liturgy trying to pull it off. We tried everything: twisting, sliding, and yanking as hard as we could. Nothing worked.

By the end of the liturgy, my finger--red and raw--inspired images of the terrible symptoms I might experience should it cut off my circulation. To distract myself from these musing, I found my friends and picture-taking quickly commenced.

However, what happened next turned my captor beautiful.

Standing in a circle of friends, we started taking turns, going around and giving each other’s rings one twist around the finger; eight friends; eight twists; Class of 2008. There was much laughter as one by one my friends wrestled my too-tight ring around my swollen finger. But, one by one, they rotated my ring. Supposedly, this bestows good luck on the ring bearer. But to me, as I stood in a tight circle surrounded by friends, parents, and faculty, these acts of friendship gave my ring greater meaning. It changed from a too-tight piece of jewelry into a beautiful symbol.

It is a symbol of all the support I--and other Trinity students--have behind me; the good wishes and concern of friends; the congratulations and motivation from teachers; the pride and push of parents. My ring, with the engraved Trinity symbol and the banner that waves ’08, represents Trinity’s community cheering for all of its students.

Finally, I went into the bathroom and found that soap gets even the tightest rings off. But, as I held the ring in my hand, my finger looked naked. And, after a moment of thought, I slipped it right back on; snug as ever.