Brotherhood is defined as a relationship between brothers, but being a Cardigan brother is so much more than that. Two years ago I came to campus thinking I knew exactly what to expect; given that my three brothers attended Cardigan before me and would entertain me with story after story of the life here at Cardigan. To my surprise, I knew nothing of what being a Cardigan brother was because to truly understand that deep connection with your fellow Cardigan brother, you have to experience it for yourself.
Cardigan brotherhood in its purest form is when one Cardigan brother helps another. Not long after I arrived on campus I suffered a tibia and fibula fracture while playing football. I came back from the hospital with a full leg cast and a pair of crutches. I was going to need some help but was not prepared for the generosity of the boys around me. I never needed to open my mouth and ask for help. There were boys carrying my backpack, opening doors for me and helping me in the dining hall. The one act of kindness that I will never forget came from a boy named JP Mangino. My dorm was too remote for me to get around campus with ease so I had to move into a dorm room with my brother Austin and his roommate JP. When asked, JP agreed wholeheartedly to let me move into a room made for two, not three. He was always there with a word of encouragement or a helping hand. He put up with the craziness and chaos without ever showing any frustration. He ended up loving having us all live together and so did Austin and I. I am sure the arrangement was not ideal for him, so I am grateful for his open-mindedness and acceptance.
Acceptance is not a foreign term here at Cardigan. We are a school full of boys that come from many different cultures all over the world. We are all unique and unlike some other schools, we embrace our uniqueness and accept and support each other. I think it helps all of us that Cardigan is an all boy boarding school. We can feel happy and sad, excited or angry without worrying what people will think of us because we are all feeling the same way at some point in time. Cardigan is a unique experience for all, whether you are here for four years or just one, you ultimately feel a deep bond with the boys around you.
The Cardigan brothers have a common connection. We live the core values in their entirety, we stand side by side on the playing fields, we sit side by side in the classroom, and we live and strive together in the dorms. Our teachers are our mentors, our role models and, at times, our second set of parents. We look up to them and they teach us the fundamental lessons of life. We grow together stronger and stronger in our bond of brotherhood because of these common connections.
The location of our beautiful campus gives us the opportunity to experience new things every day, from swimming in the lake, sledding on Clancy Hill or throwing the lacrosse ball around on Marrion Field. All of these experiences help to form a stronger bond with each other. Since Cardigan is a secluded place, it allows the boys and faculty members to focus on the community and rely on each other for help. It may be help with homework, or borrowing a fork for mac ‘n cheese, or to simply make someone smile to help them get through the day, we are here for each other and that is something special.
I believe that the reason why we see “red-eyed” boys at the end of the graduation ceremony is because they fear that the relationships they formed here with their Cardigan brothers may not be the same as it once was. They know they will miss the encouragement from the student body chanting “here we go cougars!” They know they will miss seeing each other every day at sit down breakfast and hanging out at the Haven on the weekends. They vividly remember their first dawn climb to their very last sunset climb and hold those memories close.
We will never lose our Cardigan connection. We will encounter other Cardigan brothers in the years ahead, brothers that we may not have gone to school with and we will feel the common thread that lives in all of us. The green thread that bonds us and can never be broken. We are Cardigan brothers - all of us.
Aiden Philie ‘17
