By Jon Roshan

The bowling trip at Village School has been a tradition for a long time, and in some cases going on for longer than some of the teachers have been working here. Starting 24 years ago, it is a long standing custom for our school. On March 21, 2014, we walked off the school bus in Massapequa with smiles on our faces, ready to devour breakfast at iHop.

This iHop seemed to look like any other and as we walked in, despite being such a large group, we were immediately seated. We chose where to sit and who to sit with,  so everyone had their own group, which eventually led to the groups that would form at the bowling alley.

Many students ordered the go-to pancake or waffle specials, but others ordered items such chicken dinners, French toast or omelettes. Other guests at iHop that morning were confused about why students, who would typically be in school, were in iHop instead, so several students explained how our school has field trips rather than traditional gym classes.

And, with our stomachs full and the bills paid, we began our walk to the bowling alley.

The walk was approximately 1.8 miles, and although the walk seemed far, we found ways to make the walk as entertaining as possible. Some students sang songs such as Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen, while others, such as Toby, the science teacher,  were content to observe the nature around us.

As soon as we arrived at the bowling alley, we were greeted by the kind staff, grabbed our pairs of appropriately- sized bowling shoes, gathered our groups got to it! The atmosphere was great and the bowling alley itself had many features that made the games fun and simple.

Some of the features that the bowling alley had consisted of assist bars for those with a bit less bowling experience, interesting animations on the monitors, and a really simple interface on the moniors where names and settings were entered. The bowling alley also had vending machines and arcade machines that the students used.

All of these things contributed to a wonderful bowling experience and I can definitely tell that my fellows students enjoyed the bowling alley as much as I did, and I certainly hope this tradition continues for years to come.