Stockton’s Sixties Concert is an event thrown by The Sixties class. John O’Hara teaches this class and was in charge of running this event. It took place in the Campus Center Theatre on Wednesday November 11^th. The concert started at 6:30pm and ended at 9:30pm. The purpose of the concert was to take the audience back through time to an era where people charged for peace not war. I not only attended this concert for my personal enjoyment, but because I was performing in it with Stockton’s American Sign Language club.

The night started off strong with Barry Bender & The Peace and Love Museum. The music was sensational and the audience was wild. As the night went on special acts performed on stage. Singers from Stockton’s choral groups performed to guitarists and they were out of this world. Students from The Sixties class then performed an original dance to a mash of hits from the sixties and it was phenomenal. The night ended strong with numerous songs played by The Stockton Faculty Band. The band was surprisingly really good and it was enjoyable.

I along with fifteen members of Stockton’s American Sign Language Club were patiently waiting, in our front row seats, for the Stockton Faculty Band to play “My Girl.” We had been practicing how to sign “My Girl” for weeks and we were both excited and nervous to finally be performing it. Amy the announcer, a student in The Sixties class, introduced our club and we proceeded to the stage. The lights blocked most of the audience, but my heart was still racing. I knew the signs and I had practiced a hundred times, but being on stage was somehow different. The music started and the rest is pretty much a blur. I left the stage feeling accomplished and when I could finally see the faces of others all I saw were smiles which made me feel successful. Overall the night was incredible and I really hope they hold another concert next year!

This semester the Day of Service was held on Saturday September 12^th. It was an all day event starting at 8:30am and lasting till 4:00pm. It is an annual event that occurs once each semester. It is a wonderful event that provides an opportunity for students, faculty, staff and community members to engage in service projects on campus. There were four different colored nametags that determined which grouping you would be placed in. The colors included red, purple, green, and blue.

The day started off with a complimentary breakfast and a variety of speakers. It was intriguing to listen to so many different people talk so passionately about giving back. They explained that the three hundred volunteers would partake in many rewarding projects throughout the day. Each person would rotate through four service projects and all of them would be the same except for the health and wellness project.

The homelessness project incorporated three activities. Some volunteers were making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to be given out at a local shelter for the hungry. Others were making empty birthday cards so homeless families could fill them out and exchange warm thoughts on each other’s birthdays. Finally, bags were being sewed so that the people at the shelter would be able to transport their belongings efficiently. This service project was run by Circle K and it was extremely rewarding.

The civic engagement project incorporated five activities. The first part was filling out an online survey to measure volunteers understanding of civic engagement. The second part was a discussion about the existence of capital punishment. The third part was registering to vote if you wanted to and were not already registered. The fourth part was learning about The Petey Greene Program. This volunteer based program looks for tutors in all subjects willing to visit prisons to help convicts educationally. The final part dealt with writing letters to people in power like Governor Christie to express your ideas or opinions about governmental issues.

The environmental project incorporated three activities. A man spoke about the importance of waste conservation and his life journey after graduating from Stockton and finding his passion. After this a Stockton club known as Water  Watch talked to volunteers about plastic and its harmful effects on humans and the environment. Finally, a student who works on Stockton’s farm spoke about its benefits to the community and the ability to volunteer at the facility if you were interested.

The last project was the health and wellness project and each activity differed. I was part of the Suicide Prevention station and it was extraordinary. The activities were run by Stockton’s Active Minds and I later joined the club. I helped make signs for the Suicide Prevention Walk and decorated pledges for walkers to sign. It was eye opening to read statistics about how many people take their own lives because they feel their problems are permanent. The club’s members were in charge of the activity and spoke to us about suicide and we had a mini reflection session that was really emotional. This was my favorite part of the Day of Service and I can not wait till next year to volunteer again.

The day ended with a reflection survey and discussion in the event room. Volunteers then received free shirts and were able to leave. Overall the Day of Service was a great learning experience and an important opportunity for volunteers to meet new people, become familiar with service learning opportunities, expand their understanding of civic engagement, and make a difference in other people’s lives through service.

HEY WHAT? This is the response that over two hundred students gave in order to get the day’s activities started. S.O.A.R is the Stockton Outdoor Adventure Retreat for incoming freshman. It is a three day, two-night exploration that began on August 25th. These students moved in two days prior to the rest of Stockton’s Class of 2019 which most viewed as a bonus. After students finalized moving their belongings into their dorms, they said goodbye to their friends and families and were bussed to Camp Ockanickon.

The program was run by a variety of staff members and forty-four hardworking T.A.L.O.N.S. The Activity Leaders Of New Students, also known as T.A.L.O.N.S, were volunteer upperclassman who wanted to make a positive impact in the lives of Stockton’s newest students. They were in charge of facilitating all of the activities for their corresponding tribe. There were seven tribes; yellow, red, green, navy, sky, orange and purple tribe. Each group became instantaneously close with roughly thirty other people by simply sharing the same tribe color.

The retreat involved team building activities, challenging exercises, diversity discussions, free time and plenty of icebreakers! The experience is meant to help incoming freshman transition into college life and get a head start on meeting new people, as well as acquire real leadership skills. It is a memorable and interesting experience that tests you both as an individual and as part of a team. I attended S.O.A.R and my personal boundaries were broken and it helped me grow in so many ways. I went into the situation as a pessimistic who didn’t even really want to be there, and came out as a better person with many new friends. By the end of the third day each student had “conquered their lion” and were fully capable of flying like an Osprey!

I was extremely proud after conquering my lion and I owe that all to S.O.A.R. It can be very frightening to face an inner conflict that you have never had the courage to attempt changing. For me, heights always seemed like an unbearable obstacle that I would fear. At S.O.A.R everyone was given the challenge to get comfortable being uncomfortable. The ultimately goal of the staff was to have students truly reach beyond their known potentials. I was able to accomplish this through the heights challenge when I climbed the rock wall. My heart was racing and I was skeptical, but I knew the only things we regret in life are the chances we don’t take, so I went for it. Conquering my lion was a life changing experience that I will never forget.

The TALONS of each tribe exemplified admirable qualities that made the experience more meaningful than just a camping trip. They were able to give realistic and insightful views to Stockton’s academic opportunities, campus life, available clubs and much more. It was extremely helpful to be given the opportunity to make connections with such caring individuals who had the ability to ease the new student’s worries away. They explained their personal stories about getting lost on the first day of classes and not knowing where to go for food. For some reason this made everything seem much better. It was finally understood that we weren’t the first to go through this and all before us had come out on top. Knowing this made beginning my college career much easier! Everyone involved in S.O.A.R fostered a positive and enthusiastic atmosphere that made the trip a true success. I am beyond thankful that I had the opportunity to attend S.O.A.R and I will most definitely be applying to be a TALON, so I to can continue enhancing the college experience for others!