Amelie Lee ’23
Copy Editor
As another four years pass us by, a single 24 period with renown importance begins to creep up. February 29, 2020. While silly holidays such as New Year’s and Father’s Day come along every 365 days, Leap Year stands out among the rest, taking an astounding 1,460 days before arriving on our eager calendars. When Kelly Hogencamp, Scripps registrar, sent out an email at the beginning of January noting special events this semester, this rare date came with instructions: “Enjoy this extra day as you see fit.” For those excited about that special Saturday but unsure of what to spend those precious extra 24 hours doing, I’ve compiled a list with ideas of how to spend your time.
Have a child
Birthday parties are incredibly expensive; according to mom.com, in America, an average birthday party costs $500. This yearly expense can truly take a toll on the finances. Imagine reducing this number to a fourth of its original cost. By having a child on Feb. 29, you can save yourself hundreds of dollars each year. Plus, your child will forever have a “fun fact” to share with the class on the first day of college classes while other students sit blankly, silently wishing they too had been born on a Leap Year.
Text your ex
While it’s usually frowned upon to contact those who have hurt you in the past, Leap Day is the perfect date to try and rekindle that toxic relationship from 2017. Imagine having Feb. 29 as an anniversary date to look back on. Emotional manipulation and constant arguments are all worth it to have this unique date pinned in your life as an important event. With a simple “been thinking about u ;)” after unblocking that special someone’s number, you could celebrate another four years of emotional turmoil every Feb. 29!
Practicing the Scripps College official song
If you’re feeling like you don’t know how to celebrate Scripps College in musical verse as well as you should, you can take the extra time on Feb. 29 to practice singing “Thy Many Gifts.” With the song lasting a timespan of two and a half minutes, you can sing the Scripps College Alma Mater from start to end 576 times over the 1440 extra minutes generously provided to you this Leap Year. While this might seem like a waste of time any other year, given the extra day in 2020, this practice is well worth it.
Join a new religion
Most of the year, students are busy with classes and homework, not spending nearly enough time on their spirituality and connection to higher deities. With the extra 24 hours of Leap Year, you could easily devote that time into jumping into a new religion. Whether finally giving into your religious roommate’s attempts at conversion or dipping your toes into Scientology, a new spiritual experience on leap day could be exactly what you need to do to fully enjoy the extra time the Calendar Gods have provided.
Go to Frank
While you’d probably be met by laughs on any other day of the year, suggesting making the daylong trek to Frank Dining Hall on leap day will surely be met by less resistance. After all, with an entire day of open time, what better use of 24 hours than to walk across the great swaths of land to Frank. Average quality food and Frank’s peaceful ambiance might not usually be worth packing hiking gear to make the high stakes climb on any other date, but on Feb. 29, you can finally set apart an entire day to finally get to this destination. The avocados await!
Assert dominance over CMC by painting Scripps colors on the OoOoO art installment
If you and I are in any way similar, you also gag a little bit every time you pass the Winston Churchill quote on the floor of the CMC fountain. “History will be kind to me for I intend to write it.” Finally the additional hours of leap day provide you with an excellent opportunity to write… er, color… your own legacy. Spray paint CMC’s newest art installment with Scripps colors, asserting dominance much like dogs do on fire hydrants.
The list is endless with worthwhile ideas to pursue on Feb. 29. From childbirth to worship, take this extra time to move out of your comfort zone and try new things. Or, you could just celebrate by taking an absurd number of shots at your friend’s dorm before going to whatever mediocre Leap Year party someone you vaguely know is hosting. But who would do that?
