Jack Rothenberg
news editor

Families and students in the community have been waiting for the day to come where they didn’t have to go all the way to the Kentlands to have the praised original chicken sandwich and waffle French fries from Chick-fil-a.

When Chick-fil-a announced they were coming to Rockville, the area was excited until they realized how long the wait would be. Finally, on Sept. 27, Chick-fil-a opened at 6 a.m.; the wait was finally over. It was worth the wait for junior Bailey Goldstein, “Chick-fil-a is the best, and now that it’s only a five-minute drive from my house. I’m excited to go there more often.”

For every new Chick-fil-a that opens, a “First 100 Camp out” event is held. During this event each participant puts their name in a hat and becomes eligible for one of the grand prizes that are being given out. Contestants needs to be 18 or older to participate.

Junior Yuvraj Singh was disappointed when he heard that he couldn’t go because he had heard differently. “I thought that anyone could go, and that if you were one of the first 100 in that you got free Chick-fil-a for a year. I most likely wouldn’t have gone, but I didn’t know about these rules,” Singh said.

The restaurant is open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. They are known for being closed on Sundays for religious purposes. Junior Parmida Khajoee, who has been to the new restaurant, thinks that it’s a great spot to put a Chick-fil-a, and sees it staying open for a while. “It was really crowded when I went. It’s going to be a good spot for that kind of restaurant because it’s so close to Wootton,” Khajoee said.

Along with the Chick-fil-a, a new gym opened called One Life Fitness. It opened about a month before Chick-fil-a, toward the end of July. It’s now one of the closest gyms to the school, making it a great option for students. It has an indoor pool, a basketball court, and locker rooms for men and women.

In addition, there are also physical therapy rooms, and a yoga studio creating a welcoming environment for almost anyone. Junior Matthew Khaddu already belongs to Lifetime Fitness and sees no point in switching to One Life even though it may be closer and more convenient for him and his family. “I belong to Lifetime and I’m happy there, so there’s no reason for me to switch,” Khaddu said.

Not only do students already go to other gyms, they also don’t know much about the new gym. Sophomore Brett Strauss who doesn’t belong to any gym, had barely heard about the new gym opening. “I heard about the gym the other day, I only knew about the Chick-fil-a opening in that spot. I think since Chick-fil-a is more known in the area, One Life didn’t get any attention,” Strauss said.