Family weekend, a weekend where some students dread, while others cannot wait for it to come. I was in the middle of these two groups because I was not sure what to expect. I did not want my parents to embarrass me in front of all my new friends but I still wanted them to see the campus. When my parents and family arrived, along with everyone else’s parents, hugs and kisses were being given out all around. We then headed over to the carnival, which took place on October 6th and was located in parking lot 5, which Stockton had truly out done themselves on. My family and I signed in so that they were able to get their free meal voucher and receive tickets.
Once we were all signed in my family and I walked around to get a feel for what there was to do. We first decided to play some carnival games. It was one ticket per play and my sister was really good at the ring-toss. She had beaten me three times and I was only able to win once. We then headed over to the Greek-Life Tent where there was a bunch of tables. Some of the things that were on the tables were information on Studying Abroad, Fundraising for Relay for Life, hair extensions for Brest Cancer Awareness Month, and other fundraisers held by the Greek members. The table that we went to first was the table that was fundraising for Relay for Life because you were able to pie someone in the face for a dollar, and my sister really wanted to do this. My sister, being the softball player she is, was able to hit the guy in the face with the pie on her first try.
When my family and I were finished in the Greek Life tent, we walked over to the food tent. For lunch they had hotdogs and hamburgers along with chicken and a bunch of different sides. Lunch was good and it felt nice to be able to sit down for a meal with my family again. When we were finished, we then headed to the blowup bounce houses because we decided to save the best for last. The first one that my sister and I went on was an obstacle course that was a race. I ended up finally beating her at something, but only by a couple of seconds. After the obstacle course we went around and tried out all the other bounce houses but nothing had topped the obstacle course one.
All in all, the Stockton Family Carnival was a success and Stockton’s PTA had done a really good job on organizing the event. It was a nice event where Stockton students were able to spend time with their families. You could tell that everyone had a good time based on the fact that not one person did not have a smile on their face. This event was a success and I look forward to attending it again next year.
Monthly Archives: October 2012
Day of Service
All throughout middle school and high school we were told that if you wanted to get into a good college you had to have a ton of community service hours. Now that I am in college trying to boost my resume for graduate school I find myself looking for opportunities to give back more to the community. I was able to accomplish this through the Day of Service. Having found out during Welcome Week that there was a chance for me to achieve this desire, I jump on it. On September 8th, 2012, I woke up early in the morning ready to make a difference. Since, I found out about the Day of Service late, I had to sign up at the event because I missed the preregistration. Sign up was easy and once that was done I had to walk down the hall to one of the conference rooms to select which assignment I would be working on that day.
I was able to select the Girl Scouts and then went to the event room to await further instructions. Once I got there I met up with friends and realized that I and another friend had the same assignment. Daniel Tome then went up on the stage and thanked us all for being there taking a step towards helping our community. Having him say this really enforced the fact that our town does need us and what we do is really appreciated. Once the thanks were given we were broken up into our groups and told where to go. Hearing all the groups that were available really made me proud to be part of a school that really gives back to the community.
The Girl Scout group met in the conference rooms and again we were further broken down into smaller groups. My friend and I were lucky enough to be in the same group, called the Thanks a Lot group. Once we were broken up into groups, we were assigned a room and then they explained what we were supposed to do. The first room we went into was my favorite out of the three rooms. In this room we had hundreds of sheets of paper listing troops and the sections they were in. We cut the papers by troop, and then placed the list along with the correct number of patches in a Ziploc bag. I found this very relaxing and fun. The next room that we went to was where we had to come up with ideas for the girls to earn their patches. I found this room very creative and I had a lot of fun being able to think outside of the box. The third room was where we organized the bags from the first room into brown bags by what section they were in.
After we broke for lunch and went back, we helped the leaders load the bags into the car. We went back and reflected on the activities we did that day. Some of the things that we talked about were how to better their Day of Service activities. All in all the day was a success, not just for my group but for the whole event. I was talking to a couple of friends who had other assignments and they had said that theirs was a success as well. I know that I will be attending all of the Days of Service that are in the future and I highly recommend it for anyone who wants to get involved and help their community.
Nelson Johnson comes to Stockton
Kevin Hesson
10/27/12
On October 24th,
Nelson Johnson came to Stockton to talk about his book, Boardwalk Empire. The
event took place in the Lakeside building next to the apartments at 4:30. Students
and professors were very excited to meet with him and ask questions. The event
was also being catered which, for freshman, is a godsend due to the lack of
quality in the food at N-Wing. Johnsoncame prepared with a slide show of pictures from the late 19th century and early 20th century. These pictures consisted of images
of the railroad in its early days of construction, and the famous “Million
Dollar Pier.” After wards, many students asked questions about the book and the
process that he had to go through to write it.
Aside from the book itself, Johnson discussed how the idea to write it came to him. He had
noticed that there was a lack of scholarly texts about the full history of
Atlantic City. He wanted to change that and began to conduct his research. He
told the audience that he had not expected to write another book branching off
of the first one. The book “The Northside” is a book about the north side of
the city where the African American community lived. Johnson made it clear that
during his research, he discovered that without the African American population
in Atlantic City, the railroad would have never been built, and the boarding
houses would have never developed. He went through a slide show depicting the
staff of a particular boarding house. There was a sole white person in the
picture who happened to be the manager. The rest of the employees were African
American. This helped to define the importance of the African Americans in the
development of the city because they made up the backbone of the workforce.
Later, Nelson Johnson spoke about his publishing process. He, like many other writers,
struggled to get his book published. Someone asked how many tries it took for
him to find a publisher who was willing to publish the book and he said, “less
than a hundred, but more than 50.” He showed great dedication toward his book
and saw the project through to the end. It took a lot of effort over a long
period of time just to complete the writing process. Johnson wrote on and off
for years and years but eventually completed his goal.
I got to personally talk with Judge and author, Nelson Johnson after he gave his
presentation. We discussed history and I informed him that I was a history
major. For one thing, I was extremely excited just to talk with an author since
one of my life goals is to write a book, and it was very interesting to have a
conversation about history and historical interpretation. Our conversation led
to discussion about Atlantic history. He recommended a book to me called
“Europe Between the Oceans” by Barry Cunliffe. I have yet to read the book but
I looked up the information and call number in the library and I plan on
spending a few hours absorbing it. My experience at this event was a very
positive one. Although I thought the turnout was low considering the
circumstances, it was still very interesting to talk to the author of a book
which I found very intriguing and informative. I greatly respect Nelson Johnson
and I think that he provided a glimpse of what it is like to be an author in
the real world, as well as an aspiring historian. However, the most interesting
thing by far is that the book was turned into a television series. This
amplifies his commercial success but I think the most important thing that he
did was contribute to the historical pool of knowledge on Atlantic City.
Monarch Madness
On October 6, I went with some members of
Stockton’s Animal Friendly Organization to volunteer at the Wetlands Institute
in Stone Harbor. The reason for our volunteering there was the Wetlands
Institute was having its Monarch Madness program; a children’s program they set
up every year around the time the monarch butterflies migration path from
Canada to Mexico reaches southern New Jersey. We arrived around ten in the
morning, where we were first taken to the children’s activities tables. They had various arts and crafts tables set
up where children could color pictures, tie-dye, and make paper butterflies and
a table with butterfly bingo. We switched off working at the tables for about
three hours, but I did the butterfly bingo most of the time. The kids would get
a bingo card that had pictures of various butterfly species and they would put
a chip on the picture if it was called. My job was to be the bingo caller; I
would draw a card from a deck and call out what butterfly species appeared,
sometimes having to help out the kids find the picture on their card. At one in
the afternoon, we stopped working the tables to help with the diamond-back
terrapin release. An employee of the institute took us into the back and we were
given a bucket of turtles and we went down a nature trail with her and a group
of visitors to a boat dock. There, the kids were able to let the terrapins go
into the water. After watching about five terrapins swim away, we walked back
to the institute to continue helping by aiding in a monarch butterfly release.
There was a monarch butterfly expert there and she let us place identification
tags on a few butterflies and let them go. This was the last thing we did for
Monarch Madness, finally leaving around two. Volunteering at Monarch Madness
with the Animal Friendly Organization was an enriching experience for me. Even
though volunteering there was currently a onetime activity, I would definitely
consider volunteering at the Wetlands Institute at some time in the future.
Koresh
When I arrived at the Performing Arts Center, I can honestly say that I had no idea what to expect from the Koresh dance group. I only chose to go to this show because my friend was going to it. What I did not expect was the explosion of culture that ensued. The Koresh dance company is a middle-eastern based dance group with a completely different style of dance than I have ever seen before. Instead of showing beauty, such as ballet dancers do, they showed strength and flexibility. At times their movements looked unnatural almost as if they were possessed. The sharp, staccato movements kept the audience guessing what was going to happen next. The movements were alien to me and I did not understand most of the beginning dances. Dancing, no matter what genre, however, was not meant to be understood, but to be enjoyed and experienced. A dance can tell a story of love, as in a few of the partner dances, a story of anger, as in the group dances with the ferocious music, or even a story of playfulness, as in the partner dance between the two girls. Once I let go and just watched not to understand, but to enjoy, I saw the beauty in the strength they were exhibiting. There were lifts, legs kicked higher than eye level, isolations of body muscles that have taken years to perfect, and yet the group made it look simple. The dancers have incredible strength and control of their bodies, but yet are graceful when the choreography calls for it. They exhibited a range of different and ever more difficult steps in their choreography that opened the audience’s eyes to a new culture and a new style of dance. After seeing the different dance style, I was encouraged to be more open about new cultures. Experiencing the intensity and the passion from the range of different dancers, of all different races, made me realize that anyone can learn about and immerse themselves in a culture other than their own. I personally loved the show due to its oddity in my life. If I had known going in that the show was going to be middle-eastern style dancing, I probably would not have gone due to the fact that it was different, but now I am happy that I got to experience the dancer’s performance and learn from their example.
Cleaning Up Atlantic City with WaterWatch
I wasn’t sure what I was getting myself into when I forced myself out of bed at eight am on Saturday, October 20th to head to Atlantic City for a beach sweep. A few of my friends had asked me to give the club WaterWatch a chance and I was curious to attend my first event with the group. The beach sweep I participated in was organized on campus by WaterWatch in collaboration with the off campus group, COA, Clean Ocean Action.
Once the group of Stockton volunteers arrived on the boardwalk and the event was introduced, pencils, trash bags, and gloves were in everyone’s hands within minutes. Soon we were advancing on the beach as a small trash collecting army. I was given the job of recorder in my group. As I tried to check off all the items, I became quite overwhelmed. The paper was full of little spaces for everything you could imagine throwing away from plastic bottle caps to rubber bands. I quickly tallied everything as my group members combed the beach. It was evident early on that Atlantic City’s beach was filthy. Within the first five minutes, we had already counted over a hundred cigarette butts. I watched in horror as my group members repeatedly dug into the ground and came up with handfuls of junk.
I was even more disgusted at what we were finding as we moved to beneath the pier. I had never seen so much illicit paraphernalia lying blatantly in the sand. As I watched my group scoop up the items and dispose of them, I thought of the innocent children who discarded the broken toys we had collected beforehand. Had they discovered the same illicit items? I thought of how ugly and uninviting the beach became because of the trash as I scanned the ground for garbage. It spoiled the natural beauty of taking a trip to the shore.
I took a break under the pier as we switched trash bags and gazed at the waves breaking. The morning sunlight peered into the darkness between the columns and caught a bit of beauty I did not see when I was focused on the garbage littering the beach. The image of the tide coming in under the pier was a beautiful reminder to what the beach had been and still could be. As I stood concentrating on the scene, I was reminded of why so many people had gotten themselves out of bed early on a Saturday to pick up gross items on the beach. The beach was being destroyed and we had to help it come back to that serene beauty it naturally had. Nature could not fight our liter that was not decomposable, but we could.
The beach sweep turned into an enlightening experience of environmental awareness. I had no idea until I got hands on with the clean up how bad the beach in Atlantic City was. I figured I would find some trash, but I did not expect what I did find, such as the hundreds of cigarette butts washed up on the shore in tidelines. The beach sweep was able to educate me on how bad the littering situation is on the Atlantic City beach. It is evident from participating in the event that there is a ton of harmful waste just left on beaches that needs to be taken care of.
My group squirmed together but after walking away from a clean pier, a sense of success made leaving our comfort zone to pick up the illicit trash worth it. At the end of the day, trash bags lined the boardwalk trapping in the harmful things to the beach environment. The beach sweep was a well organized, enlightening experience that I enjoyed. I will definitely be at the next WaterWatch Beach Sweep no matter how illicit and gross the trash is that I will have to pick up. The environment needs to be protected and just a day of combing the beach for trash can make a difference.
A New Perspective
Alexis Lawless
Salvation Army
October 17, 2012
Circle K
Wednesday, October 17th, was my first Salvation Army experience. The club I’m in, Circle K, goes every Wednesday. The Salvation Army is located in Atlantic City, NJ. Every Wednesday, a couple club members carpool to A.C. They go to Texas Avenue School, which is one of city’s many elementary schools. The club members help students, ranging from 5 to 12 year olds, with their homework after school from 4:00 PM to around 5:30 PM.
The first thing I noticed when I got out of the car in front of the school was how dangerous and sketchy of an area the school was in. The classroom wasn’t all that different. There were three out-of-date computers in the class I was in. Also, it looked like a class I had when I was in first grade. That right there told me that they haven’t renovated the school at all. There were also very few actual desks and two tables for the rest of the kids to sit at. The kids themselves were out of control because the teachers were not authoritative whatsoever.
After I witnessed this, the teacher had the kids that didn’t have homework play in the gymnasium. It was very old and looked like it hadn’t been cleaned in weeks. The teacher threw the kids a football and let them be. I decided to play with them and I started to get to know these kids on a different level. They were happy and having a good time. They were also extremely happy to see me and the other club members, even though they have never met us before. It honestly made me blush.
Once I had enough of running around, I decided to go next door and help the kids that did have homework. While doing so, I met two hilarious 4th graders who shocked me with their brilliance. I also talked about sports and music with them, and their knowledge of both made my day.
Before we left, I witnessed two things no child should have to go through or do. The first was seeing a child get yelled at by a teacher for his parent(s) being late to pick him up. The second was as I was walking to the car outside, I saw a group of 4 or 5 students walking home in that same dangerous area I mentioned above. They were alone.
Growing up in a place like Atlantic City as a child cannot be easy. I didn’t realize this until I witnessed it first-hand. I feared for those children’s lives that had to walk home alone at 6:00 PM in the area we were in. I probably wouldn’t have even done that at the age I am now.
After my first Salvation Army experience, I realized how lucky I am to have grown up in the school district that I did, which is Egg Harbor Township. It’s not fair that these young kids have to live and learn in a place that doesn’t even have up-to-date computers or a classroom that is large enough to fit them all. One thing I was very impressed with is how happy-go-lucky all the children were. I know kids that complain about school every day that have some of the most beautiful classrooms and amazing teachers. I know I did, and I am never going to take my education for granted ever again.
I will continue to go to the Salvation Army as many Wednesdays as I can to be with these kids, either it be playing sports with them or helping with homework. While I am teaching them how to solve math equations and fix sentences, they are helping me become a more aware individual and teaching me to be content with all the gifts I do have in my life.
WaterWatch Beach Sweep
On September 28th, I attended a beach clean-up in Ocean City sponsored by Water Watch, one of Stockton’s leading environmental clubs. Water Watch offers many eco-friendly volunteer opportunities such as stream monitoring, campus cleanups, and non-native invasive plant removal. They are dedicated in keeping Stockton green and allowing students the opportunities to put together their own service projects that are tailored to their interests. The Beach Sweep is a casual event where a group of students would get together and pick up trash along the boardwalks. This was the first event I attended as a member of Water Watch and I was very excited for a day out on the beach with friends. We were given trash bags and durable gloves and were told to just walk along and find as much trash as we can. I had no complaints; it was a beautiful day which just added to my feeling of satisfaction of cleaning up the beach.
Our group happened to be comprised of all Honors kids. We spread out underneath the boardwalk, which was not as littered as expected. Although that was a good thing, we wanted to have an impressively-filled garbage bag. We literally would flop down on our bellies and shove ourselves underneath the narrowest parts of the boardwalk in order to grab a single plastic spoon. This meant much cursing and wincing due to the abundance of spiky plants that liked to cling to pant legs and ankles. Unfortunately, we didn’t keep in mind that garbage bags do not do well when being dragged around filled with broken bottles and jagged pieces of wood, so our bag was on the verge of splitting wide open before we met up with another group. We all were sporting pretty hefty loads of trash, which was a job well-done for all of us. This was eye-opening, considering how earlier we believed the beach to be pretty clean. One or two pieces of trash every few feet wasn’t much to look at, but by going along big stretches of the boardwalk we were able to fill 3 large garbage bags.
What I found pretty great were the interesting things people picked up as they searched the beach. We found different colored sea glass, a horseshoe crab shell, and a dead monarch butterfly. It was a little morbid, but still was very pretty. What I found great about this was not in the objects themselves, but rather, the way we can all be caught in the beauty of the simplest things. It was very cool being around people that cared for the environment and who enjoyed the simple and honest things such as good weather and perhaps even just a smooth stone they found. It made me like Stockton all the more because I can encounter those moments just by walking to and from classes, since we are located within a nature reserve. If all people were to just take a second and look around them in admiration, I bet that they would think twice before throwing a plastic bottle on the ground. Otherwise, people seem to just walk around campus and leave their trash anywhere they please, because they have better things to do than walk five feet to a trash can.
Not only was the day spent clearing away trash, it was also spent clearing the mind. I know that may sound a tad contrived, but I really believe that if people were to do some task that may seem menial such as trash clean up, they are able to reflect on it, and see the bigger picture. This down-time gave me a chance to breathe and enjoy the sun as we worked to make the beach clean and beautiful for everyone. I saw people watch us pick up bottles and cans, and I hoped that they saw the importance in what we were doing, because this was also about spreading a message. Definitely the best part of the day was when a husband and wife saw us with our garbage bags and they thanked us for spending our time cleaning up, while reaching into their own pockets for trash that they had picked up themselves to add to our collection. So if anyone is interested in a club that has many branches to fit your interests, yet is rooted in compassionate values about the environment, Water Watch has it’s arms open wide for new members.
Speed dating-Majors
Speed Dating for Majors
In recent months, I have been experiencing conflicting feelings. When I first enrolled at Stockton, I thought I was sure about my career choice. I was determined to get a degree in biology and become a physical therapist. However, after taking a few courses, I realized that I am not cut out for the medical field. The overwhelming feeling of failure engulfed me as I thought about the disappointment my parents were sure to feel. If I wasn’t going to be a biology major, what other option did I have? It was then that I heard about the Speed Dating event in the TRLC. I figured since I had no clue what I was going to do, I might as well give it shot.
As I walked into the TRLC, my attention was immediately grabbed by the amount of tables filling the space in the room. I was amazed to see the variety of alternatives I could try. Instantly I was circling the room, reading each sign as I awaited a table that captured my interest. I found myself wandering closer to the language, literature, and arts tables. In my youth, I have always had a fascination for languages and art, so I decided to give those tables a try.
The woman directing the table was friendly and informative. She answered all of my questions with a smile and helped to map out a career plan for me. She convinced me that there are many different possibilities in the languages department. I was so absorbed by the conversations we had that I ended up spending the entire time sitting at one table. I had finally found what I was looking for. I knew then that obtaining a degree in languages is my destiny. This event helped me to realize that going to college isn’t about finding the degree with the most money or making parents happy. It’s about following your own goals, working hard to achieve them, and having fun. After all, what’s the point of having a career, if you don’t enjoy it?
Stockton College Women’s Tennis
Even though I am only a freshman, I was involved at Stockton before the official school year even began. I play tennis, and moved into Stockton on August 16, 2012, to participate in the preseason workouts. Since I first picked up a racket, tennis has been a huge part of my life, and I’m so happy that I’m able to bring my game to the collegiate level.
Preseason was such an awesome experience. I expected that it would take at least a little bit of time to adjust to a new coach and new teammates, but it didn’t take any time at all. The coaches and the other girls were all welcoming and eager to help me make the most of my freshman year at Stockton both on and off the tennis courts. Needless to say, being on the tennis team is not just a onetime event, but a series of events that include practices, matches, and team bonding. During preseason our team had two practices a day; one was in the morning and one in the afternoon. Even though it was a bit tiring, practice was always fun. The whole team practiced together, and we all lived in apartments in F Court. It was nice to have the team so close all the time.
Now that school has started we only practice once a day and we are off on Sundays. I’ve found it to be a tad challenging to balance classes and tennis, especially if I have to miss class for an away match. Playing a sport has definitely kept me focused, and it has taught me good work ethics. My daily routine consists of class, practice, homework, sleep, and repeat, with eating scattered somewhere in between. We work hard at practice so we can perform well during matches. We have had a few matches since the season has started, and so far have only been defeated by TCNJ. Home matches are my favorite, because a small number of people actually come and watch us play. The school’s mascot, The Osprey, even showed up at one of our matches and was walking around spreading school spirit. It felt really good to be representing Stockton in that way. We’re a team of only nine girls, but we’re definitely a part of something bigger. Before a match we play music from the big speakers and it gets me really excited to play tennis and represent my college. Away matches are a bit of a different experience, but they’re fun too. When we go to away matches, we get to stop for dinner and the athletic office gives us $10 each to use on food. The car rides are sometimes pretty long. I don’t mind, because I get to see some really neat places and get to visit other colleges. I’ve been out of the state for matches twice so far, once to Immaculata University and once to Cabrini College. It seems like on the way up, all of us are quiet either listening to our own music and getting ready for our matches, but on the ride home we’re all chatting and giggling, regardless of the outcome of the match.
Being a part of the Stockton College tennis team makes me so happy, and I can’t imagine being in college without playing the sport that I love. The great coaches and friendly teammates are just an added bonus that I am lucky to have. Thus far, I am loving tennis here at Stockton and can’t wait to see what the rest of the season holds for myself and my teammates.