BAM! The sound of the dominoes slamming echoes through the student parking lot. Once the school bell rings on a Friday at 2:00 p.m., a group of seniors head to their cars, unpack the trunk, and set up their foldable plastic domino table and lounge chairs. Gathered around the table, they laugh and compete in a game full of culture and strategy.
“The only way to become great is by starting at rock bottom,” says senior Karvin Ortiz competitively. As the group’s activity has piqued the interest of many other seniors, Ortiz has found teaching newcomers and winning the “best part” of his domino playing experience. He advises that this game is not just “luck-based” but a game that requires technique and practice.
For senior Sebastian Gonzalez, there is more to the game of dominoes. After attending the 2024 Blue Missions Trip in the Dominican Republic over the summer, he explained that the group played dominoes there all the time. “My parents used to play all the time, and it’s always been a part of my culture,” he states, “and we decided to bring that to the school.”
They are constantly welcoming their friends or spreading the word to come out and stay after school to play. This has been a way for several seniors to connect and build relationships. Gonzalez believes dominos have the “power of connection.”
In their own little world of playing dominos and getting lost in the game, it has turned the heads of many other Charter high school students and teachers. Gonzalez assumes that people look at them and wonder, “Why is there a domino table?”
Many seniors come to watch and bond with everyone else. Others come to play and compete. Players scream “capicúa!” and unwind after a long, stressful school week with dominoes. As they slam their dominos down, they will be creating memories that last a lifetime.
