As the days get shorter and the weather gets colder, Benet students become more eager to rush home once the final bell rings. But not everyone leaves the Benet campus as soon as the buzz of school ceases. In fact, many are “Benet night owls,” which allows them to see a whole new side of the school beneath the darkening sky.

So what is it like for those students who stay at Benet? Without passing periods, classes to get to, and conversations to be had, how does the school change? The school’s main office and building hours are from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., yet so much happens after the office shuts down for the day. From volleyball practice to musical rehearsals, Benet has it all, and its energy never stops.

Mrs. Kelsey Peceniak, Class of 2008, highlighted what being a night owl was like for her: “Being one of the last people to leave Benet at night honestly felt very normal to me! I was involved in so many different things — Avions, football cheerleading, Campus Ministry, the musicals — and when I wasn’t ‘in season,’ I worked in the Business Office during my study hall and after school. Benet really became a second home.” She also explained why she was one of the last to leave Benet: “I’m also the oldest of five kids, so my family was constantly coming and going from Benet over the years. There was something really special about being there after most students had gone home. I knew the building, the teachers and staff, and all of those little routines that happen when the regular school day is over. I never really felt like I was just staying late at school. I felt like I was staying late at a place where I belonged.”

Peceniak also said, “After school, Benet had a completely different energy. During the day, everyone was moving from class to class and following a schedule. Once the final bell rang, the building almost opened up in a different way. You would hear music coming from rehearsals, see athletes heading to practices, find students working on different activities, and see teachers and staff in a much more relaxed environment. Because I was involved in athletics, performing arts, Campus Ministry, and even worked in the Business Office, I got to experience so many different sides of Benet. I think some of my strongest relationships with people at Benet were built during those hours. After school, I wasn’t just sitting in someone’s classroom or passing them in the hallway, we were working toward something together. That is when Benet really started to feel less like a school and more like a family.” Benet connections run deep, and just because the school day ends does not mean that friendships stop. Peceniak added, “I don’t know that I have just one specific memory. What I remember most is the feeling of it. I remember the long rehearsals for musicals, practices for cheer and Avions, Campus Ministry activities, working in the Business Office, and walking through the building when it was much quieter than it had been a few hours earlier. I remember being exhausted some nights but still not really wanting to leave.”

Peceniak recalled these late nights with fondness: “Looking back now, I think those late afternoons and evenings are a huge part of why Benet became so important to me. Some of my favorite memories weren’t necessarily the big performances, games, or events. They were all the moments in between. It was laughing with friends during rehearsals, talking with teachers and staff after everyone else had left, and feeling like I knew every corner of the building. At the time, I never could have imagined that I would eventually come back and build my career at Benet. But when I think about how much time I spent there from 2004–2008, maybe it isn’t all that surprising. Benet felt like home to me then, and in a lot of ways, it still does.”

So, while many consider their days over once they leave Benet, nothing ever truly ceases at the school. Benet night owls work hard, surrounded by an empty building that most students never experience. Sophomore Agatha Zimmer stated, “After school, it is a very different place without all the busy teachers and students. It always feels very odd seeing the empty classrooms and hallways that are usually full of people.” The night owls get to see a different side of Benet, one that creates memories that will last a lifetime.