An AP Party Adventure

Have you heard of the AP Party? Yes, no, maybe so, but whether you’ve heard of the AP Party before or this is your first time seeing the words ‘AP’ and ‘Party’ in the same sentence, I, Anna Richman, warmly welcome you to enjoy some complimentary tea as I weave you a perilous tale. Fine, perhaps ‘perilous’ was an exaggeration (hyperbole, if you will), but this is no ordinary story! This is a tale of friends old and new, of fires and unforgettable fun. The AP Party is the annual three-day weekend when dozens of participants in the AP Homeschoolers online classes gather on the farm of our founders for what can only be described as ‘A Jolly Good Time,’ which I hope you’ll come to have as well. (If you take an AP Homeschoolers class, you're invited!) 

Now, every good story needs a party of heroes, a setting, and an adventure to embark on, so that leads us to…

The Beginning

The Richman Farm—135 acres of Western PA countryside, where Dr. Richmans and Mrs. Richman live—is where our story begins. Depending on where you’re from, you’ve either been in a plane or car for many hours, or perhaps this is simply a day’s drive from your hometown. But no matter where you’re from, there’s no rest for the weary traveller. Upon pulling into the driveway of the Richman Farm, our heroes will find themselves facing their first trial of many (as dramatic, symphonic music plays in the background): the judgement of the overexcited guard dog. 

First, you’ll have to dodge Abby’s tire-based attacks as she ducks and weaves in front of your vehicle, narrowly avoiding getting run over, but BE WARNED: This is all a ploy to make you slow down and exit your car sooner so Abby can use her critical move against you! Upon stepping out of the safety of your vehicle, you’ll find yourself being barraged by a series of sniffs, licks, and jumps, followed swiftly by the dangerous doggy mental attack known as “Puppy Eyes.” Puppy Eyes typically lead the victim to A. petting her, B. playing keep-away with her, or C. promising her your first-born child. Few are immune to Abby’s mental attacks, though, so be on high alert!

After narrowly escaping the guard dog’s inspection, you’ll carry your stuff into either the boys' cottage or the girls’ rooms in the Big House, respectively, before heading to the barn to help get everything set up for Friday night sabbath dinner.

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Now that everything is set up for Shabbat, it’s time to begin! The sun’s slowly setting outside, candles are lit, prayers are said, grape juice is spilled multiple times (mostly by me), and challah bread has been shared; the adventurers descend upon the buffet table like a lot of vultures. They share laughter freely, tell stories of their lives back home, their journeys here, and reminisce about their shared AP classes all over a good meal.

After supper, the adventurers scatter to the winds: some to watch the brilliant and timeless homeschooling film “A Blast from the Past,” some to swing dance, and some to play board games, but they all see the same blanket of stars above them when they step outside, feel the same dew soaking through their shoes when they walk through the grass, and, overall, have a “Jolly Good” first day at the AP Party. 

The Journey Continues

Some AP Homeschoolers rise with the sun, while some sleep till breakfast, but after every adventurer has risen from their beds (and sofas) and has satisfied the rumbling beast held within their stomachs, they prepare to face their next trial: The Room Check Tournament. This is a farm-wide event in which the lords and ladies fight one another to determine who will be granted a spectacular reward known as “bragging rights.” Rooms are to be judged by the lovely Mrs. Richman based not only on cleanliness but also on performance, so let the games begin! 

Mrs. Richman (followed by a trail of critical spectators) enters the boys’ cottage first… Upon entering, the air fills with the beautiful (um, mostly beautiful…) dulcet tones of music echoing from the living room. There’s a piano! A guitar! Singing! Swing dancing! But also this thing: The Otamatone. The Ultimate Weapon. Indeed, your tour guide was even given the honor of playing this beautiful, horrible, lovely instrument during the tournament! (Yes, I know, I was helping them… don’t worry, girls! I actually alternate between helping the boys and girls each year, and 2027 will be your year!) I’m sure nobody there had heard a sweeter sound! 

And so the inspection continued: as mentioned previously, the presentation was elaborate (several checks were made on Mrs. Richman’s clipboard), but look! Their floor was scattered with a couple of leaves! Now, ultimately the judge determined that the leaves were newly tracked in, and thus the boys had passed, but could they maintain their early lead? Only time will tell… 

Mrs. Richman and her ever-growing retinue creep up the Big House stairs, eager to see the rival competition; the sweet, melodious sound of a solitary guitar wraps the visiting adventurers in its comforting embrace as they enter the first of the girls’ rooms. The pillows are laid elegantly against the back of the beds; the floors are swept; everything is as it should be. Mrs. Richman marks something on her clipboard.

As everyone climbs the steep, green attic stairs, they are greeted by a new sight: juggling! One girl had brought with her a set of juggling balls and so took it upon herself to entertain us, and what great entertainment it was! (I shall not mention her by name for the sake of anonymity, but she is a dear friend, so all due praise; she juggled quite well!) After the juggling act, a sincere thank-you note written in beautiful script was passed to Mrs. Richman, who smiled.

“Who won? Who won?” the adventurers eagerly inquired, but Mrs. Richman merely shook her head and declared that the winner would be announced later in the day; if I had to live in such suspense, so must you!

Following the Room-Check Tournament, while a select few chose to remain behind—enjoying pleasant company of their own—the majority of the AP Party adventurers swiftly departed on the annual hike, the verdant hills greeting them like old friends. The hikers saw great towering trees, swaying wildflowers, and the occasional gas pump; they returned hungry for lunch, and all ate plentifully.

Rejuvenated by their meal, the adventurers began their next plight; a well-known game turned into a battle of attrition: never-ending Apples to Apples. In the beginning, it was declared that we, quote, “weren’t playing for points,” or “would simply play till we decided to stop,” but that inadvertently unleashed a monster upon ourselves. Play passed intensely from person to person without ceasing, time slipping by without a care… before they knew it, the average player had not only laughed a great deal at the absurdity of many of the cards, but they’d each earned upwards of seven green cards or points. I got second place by one point, finishing with eleven points. I have never gotten that many points in an Apples to Apples game before or since then. It was then that they discovered not only that they all had a truly remarkable number of points, but also that not one, but two hours had passed! Thus, shocked and exhausted by the lengthy game, they collectively decided to abandon their Apples to Apples conquest. 

—

After a supper of burgers (Dr. Richman's macroeconomics students will recognize these from “the burger game”), our heroes took their seats to watch the senior adventurers graduate. They (mostly) held their tongues and applauded energetically when appropriate, but as each graduate’s list of AP classes was dictated, the students patiently awaited their cue with bated breath until finally… there! Then, as according to ancient AP Party custom, everyone in the room shouted the words “AP US HISTORY!!”  as one, each adventurer sharing glances and bashful grins afterwards as if to ask “Did we actually just do that?” and respond in turn with a resolute, “Yes, we did, and we’ll do it again!”

Now that more students had joined the AP Homeschooler alumni ranks, it was time to celebrate! Chairs were cleared in record time, “Partners all! Places all!” was called, and so the square dancing began! They danced, bobbing and weaving through each set, laughing at their own clumsy mistakes. 

Later, they all went out to watch the bonfire in its cloak of yellow and orange; the sounds of swing dance music, karaoke sing-alongs, and frequent laughter filled the cool Pennsylvania air long into the night, a feeling of contentment resting in their hearts.

The Ending (and Beginning)

The final, bittersweet day had arrived. Our heroes rose to the smell of pancakes being made (featuring authentic Richman Farm maple syrup) and joined one another for one last meal together. After packing their stuff, several adventurers decided that their AP Party adventure wasn’t over until they decided it was, so they looked up… and so did everyone else! Indeed, when everyone looked up they saw half a dozen teenagers sitting forty feet up a large tree, singing and flitting about the highest branches like a flock of songbirds! A final moment of fun; all “jolly good” things must come to an end, though. After freely passing out contact information, each adventurer sorrowfully bid the others a fond farewell and a safe journey, urging the others to come back next year and to keep in touch. So the AP Party ended: the adventurers went home, life on the Richman Farm returned to normal, and our story ended… Or perhaps it was just beginning?

If any of this has intrigued you, the AP Party is one of the best and most friendship-filled weekends ever, and so I formally invite you to join us in the year 2027 for the next AP Party: Information on the exact dates will be released in the spring semester, so keep your eyes peeled; we’d love to have you!!

-Anna Richman

P.S. Also, here are the room check tournament results as promised… the boys won. There’s always next year!