Homecoming 2011 was packed full of exciting events that ranged from a performing arts show to a planetarium exhibit and from a folk concert to a pep rally.
Clearly, there were a lot of things going on at Guilford. If you missed any of these events, or just want to relive them, The Guilfordian has you covered.
Stop Hunger Now! Packing party
The Stop Hunger Now! food packing party to help with world hunger was a huge success.
The event was scheduled to last a few hours, but ended up lasting only an hour because the packers ran out of food.
“It literally takes 20 seconds to package a bag of food … in that time (the one hour) we packaged 10,000 bags of food,” said senior Taylor Seitz, who participated in the packing party.
That is a colossal amount of food in such a short amount of time. This need to package food quickly and effectively caused for frantic activity, according to Seitz. Chelsey Wilson, a Bonner Hunger Fellow member, explained that despite the flurry of work, a positive atmosphere filled the second floor of Founders Hall.
“All the volunteers had smiles on their faces and singing along to the music,” said Wilson. “Even the clean up was fun.”
This is not the first time Guilford College has hosted Stop Hunger Now!, but Seitz said he believes this is the first time the packing party has taken place during Homecoming.
The Element
Thursday night kicked off Homecoming with The Element’s open mic, which welcomed poets, singers and other musicians from Guilford and around the Triad area. This event was hosted by the Multicultural Education Department.
“The Element gets people to come together to showcase talent over a common interest of the performing arts,” said senior Ashley Campbell.
“I think, at least from a performer’s stand point, that the Element is (a) way for those who love making art to share their gifts … with those eager to listen,” said senior Alex Stroud. “The Element was a gathering of kindred minds and passions.”
The acts on Thursday included a poem by off-campus guest Keith Burton titled “You’re Beautiful,” a guitar and song performance by freshman Taylor Hallet, Stroud’s cover of Adele’s “Someone Like You” and a performance from the returning spoken word artist who calls himself “The Beast.”
“It really is for everyone,” said Campbell. “The performing arts are a way to express yourself. The Element is a place where everyone can come and appreciate doing that.”
Some of The Element’s upcoming events planned for this year are a music competition, a poetry slam, and a dance and step competition.
The finalists perform in The Element Finale and the Finale winner not only gets $500 but is also given a special opportunity to either record a song, participate in a well-known poetry slam, or be entered in a dance photo shoot.
“It’s a lot of fun,” said Campbell. “I encourage everyone to be involved and help make it a success whether on the stage or in the crowd.”
The open mic was elegantly decorated in purple. There was a purple carpet where guests posed for pictures, purple chocolate kisses on every surface, and purple decorations everywhere you looked.
When asked why purple was the theme, Jada Drew, Africana Community Coordinator, answered, “because purple is the color of royalty.”
Bonfire Pep Rally
“Here we go Quakers, here we go!” rang out through the depth of the woods on Friday night. The chant, led by the Quaker cheerleaders, was coming from the bonfire pep rally by the lake.
This event was put on by CCE’s Student Government Association. There were refreshments that added to enjoyment of the bonfire like marshmallows to roast on the fire.
The cheering continued throughout the night and into the morning, as the Quakers were enthusiastically supported by their peers at the game on Saturday. School spirit was heard and seen everywhere that day, in part thanks to the pep rally the night before.
“The bonfire was not only a pep rally for the team but it also showed the spirit of the campus community,” said CCE SGA vice president and sophomore Julius Ross. “We are the 12th man on the field on game day.”
Observatory and Planetarium Open House
On Friday night, Frank Family Science Center and the Physics department hosted an open house planetarium show and rooftop stargazing in the observatory.
“It was a lot of fun,” said Assistant Professor of Physics Donald Smith. “I think about eighty to one hundred people came to the show.”
The planetarium was filled with students, faculty, families and many children.
“Throughout the presentation the children asked many questions that the presentation leader, Don Smith, was happy to answer,” said sophomore Mana Maruyama.