“Loomis has given me and my friends an ability to showcase what we are good at, but also to find it.”

We recently sat down with Jack Griffin and found out how a dusty ukelele led to his passion for playing the guitar, how his dad makes a mean chili, and how Loomis Chaffee allows students to find their way.  Oh, and a Scrooge McDuck money pool comes into play, too.

 

Year: Junior

Hometown: West Hartford, Conn.

Activities: Guitar Ensemble, Orchestra, music mentor, tour guide, Writing Studio, hockey, lacrosse. He has been playing the guitar since seventh grade. “It was when COVID first hit, and we were all stuck at home doing Zoom classes. I think boredom was the biggest enemy of any middle schooler out there.” His brother had a ukulele that he no longer used. Jack picked it up, dusted it off, and after about six months felt ready to get an electric guitar. “That was a cool experience walking in the guitar store with my dad for the first time to get one.”

Favorite snack? “Here on campus at the grill, it would be bacon, egg, and cheese. Some people are more into sausage, egg, and cheese, and that’s OK,” he says with a laugh. “You're allowed to have your own sandwich.”

Favorite meal? “My dad’s homemade chili. We used to have chili cookouts with my dad’s side of the family, so it would be friends and family. Year by year, bit by bit, my dad kept adding things to the recipe, and he got more and more into perfecting his craft and finishing first each year. ... Making chili seems like a great skill to have. I can barely use a toaster.”

Favorite courses? “Aside from Guitar Ensemble, I’m more of an English/humanities kind of person, so I’d say CLUSH [College-Level U.S. History] and CL Seminar in English, where I think the discussions have been super engaging and we’ve branched out more in what we are looking at, poetry, plays, obviously traditional novels and short stories.” 

Favorite assignment? Using the Desmos graphing tool in Algebra 2, learning about the patterns of the algebraic equations covered in class, and the instruction of Scott MacClintic on the different tools in the Pearse Hub for Innovation (PHI) and how to use them. Jack spent about a week in and out of class drafting a visual design of the Beatles' Yellow Submarine and then, with some guidance from math teacher Joe Cleary, perfecting it. Jack recalled, “After that [Mr. Cleary] took us to the PHI, where I was able to use the laser-cutter tool and get the design etched onto glasses, stickers, key chains, gifts for my parents, huge Beatles fans.”

If you could invite one person to dinner, who would it be? “Jimi Hendrix ... Even though he had only 27 years on this planet [1942–1970], in that short span he put out some of the greatest rock guitar music of all time and today continues to be among the greatest guitarists of all time ... I would really like to sit down and talk to him, ... and a jam session would be legendary.”

If you won $1 million, what would you do with it? “I’d donate to a lot of charities. I’d pay back a lot of people who have supported me in life, and I’d pay for college. If I had money left over for fun, I'd probably do a Scrooge McDuck money pool. If the IRS [Internal Revenue Service] needed taxes or something, they can take a swim sometime ... yeah, that’s my goal in life, just to dive into a big pot of money.” [In the Disney-produced DuckTales series, Scrooge is famous for high-diving into his money bin.]

What have you gained from your Loomis Chaffee experience? “Loomis has given me and my friends an ability to showcase what we are good at, but also to find it. There are so many different opportunities at Loomis, so many different courses and programs. It can be a little overwhelming at first, this feeling that I need more time. But I would say it is great to have these opportunities in front of you. At a certain point you realize these are the things I want to do, the people I want to be with, and at that point Loomis really gives you the opportunity to get out there and do what you love in front of people, and there’s not much better than that.”

Favorite place on campus? “In the Meadows. I remember when I got here, freshman year, III soccer. Coach Hutch [Andrew Hutchinson] said after warmups, basically to the effect of, ‘Boys take it in. This is the most beautiful place on earth.’ I have learned to appreciate it more.”  

If you could change one thing, what would it be? “I mentioned it before — a little more time. I think everything is moving quickly as I find myself in my junior year. It’s narrow-minded to [apply] that thought [only] to Loomis. In the world I think there are a lot of people with aspirations and goals who want to make things better, but they are against the clock a bit. Not sure how I’d make it happen, but I guess we all need a little more time to do what we love and spend time with people we love.”