ADPi Formal!

When I first came here I was so ready for college, so ready to be here, until I got here, when the nervousness settled in. My parents left soon after, but my best friend stayed until about 5 p.m. that day. When she walked away I started crying, since I knew that this was the beginning of a journey we wouldn’t get to take together; a journey that was mine, not my parents or my siblings or my friends from home.

This was strange to think about. It was strange to realize all of the firsts that were about to happen: the first night I was alone without a parent, my first college friends, the first college classes, the first college semester, the first college formal, the first time going into a Greek house, the first time talking to the college’s president, the first time calling Hanover “home,” the first time having meals with friends for every meal (including breakfast, which we called the breakfast crew), the first time dinner became story time, the first time realizing you don’t want to leave your best friends for the summer, my first college honors and so many others.

Powder Puff!

I adapted well to my surroundings soon after the first day, had friends, joined the dance team, etc. But so many things happened that I never imagined. For instance, I told myself I wouldn’t join the dance team, that I was done dancing on a team after my senior year of high school, but it was such a great decision to join the team.

I love being on Hanover’s Dance Team and I really like those girls. Then I joined a sorority, which I always said I would never do. That was probably the best decision I have ever made, because those girls are my family and I know that. Now I have made not just best friends, but my family. We support each other, care about one another, and will be friends for life.

Even though some are leaving and moving on to their next chapter, it isn’t where our stories end. This is an important thing to note as you move onto college: you are just starting a new chapter, one that will continue to get better. Your story didn’t end just because you are just in a new chapter; you will still have those friends from back home, so don’t worry about that.

The Gala with friends

And as I sit here looking at all of my packed bags, getting ready to go home, I realize that so much has changed this year, and now I feel like I am not ready to leave my Hanover family just yet. At least it’ll be three months where we will all keep in touch and we will have so many stories to tell during dinner when we get back just like always!

As this chapter ends and I move on to being a sophomore instead of a freshman, I will leave with great stories and amazing friendships. And I cannot wait for next year.

You have so many amazing journeys ahead of you, so don’t worry because it will be OK. Freshman year will be amazing and full of so many firsts and so many stories and you will fit in perfectly. Even better you aren’t seen as just a freshman here, you are a student and a peer, so don’t fret because we are friendly.

The Run

Enjoy the last few days or weeks of your senior year. And just remember to take a deep breath because it only gets better from here.

Luckily, I’ve now been through my first Spring Term and can answer those questions! Spring Term is one intensive course during the month of May. This class is something that should be fun, something you are interested in. Whether that is art, theater, math, psychology, biology, xhemistry, English or any other subject, make sure to like it or be interested in the topic.

This term is a lot of fun for many reasons. Since you only focus on one class, there is (usually) less homework because you only take one course instead of four. There is (usually) less time in class; most classes are two to three hours a day except for a few of the sciences courses that have labs as well so it can be four to six hours.

The class starts later most of the time, so somewhere in between 9-10 a.m. Some classes are even in the afternoon instead of the morning. Adding all of this and the nice weather, Spring Term is a great time of year.

Now this only applies to those who stay on campus, because so many classes are abroad, as well. Many of my friends studied abroad this year; some went to Belize for a tropical biology class, some went to England for a history of math class, some went to the Grand Canyon for a geology class, some went to Turkey, some went to Italy and there are other places as well.

As soon as you have a MyHanover account, you can check what classes are available, so you can know what to take for your Spring Term Class. But don’t worry about that too much, just take my word for it being fun, since Spring Term is about enjoying learning and new topics.

Anyways enjoy your last few weeks of high school and remember to take a deep breath because it only gets better from here!

Lambda's Better Half

So pretty much wiffleball is like baseball but with a plastic ball and plastic bats. The Lambdas are umpires and students come together to make teams.

This is an event that people love during spring term because its so exciting, its for a good cause, its something to do everyday, and this is something that a ton of students come together to be a part of.

Dr. DeWine is even a part of the opening ceremony! So really the school comes together to enjoy the games of wiffleball!

This year I am on a team called Lambda’s Better Half; the Lambda girlfriend team. And oh what fun is this! Tonight we won our game against Theta Nation 2!

It’s a lot of fun to be able to be a part of a wiffleball team, even if you don’t take it seriously and have team practices or the like (’cause hey it’s just for fun for a good cause!)!

Well I hope you are enjoying your spring and maybe enjoying something that your school does every year too! So keep up the good work and I hope to see you playing some wiffleball next year!!

Playing Wiffleball!

And remember take a deep breath because it only gets better from here!

There were different events all about making Hanover a greener place, such as talks, movies, demonstrations and a green workday! This is brought to Hanover by the Rivers Institute and some of Hanover’s science related clubs.

One of these days was Hanover’s Green Workday. This day was focused on making Hanover’s campus cleaner and greener! We planted fruit trees, cleaned trails and fixed up the community garden.

This day was a lot of fun because we did things to help our campus and things that will be useful to students and teachers at Hanover. We cleaned up the trails, so there is no litter and people can hike on them to look at what Hanover’s nature has to offer!

We fixed up the community garden where teachers and students can buy a plot and plant different types of crops, I decided if I was here over the summer I would get one and have a watermelon plot! We also planted a bunch of fruit trees (such as apple trees!!) near the water tower.

This last part is what I was able to help with! I planted trees, which involved the use of top soil, water, shoves, a lot of hard but fun work, and. of course, baby trees! This was amazing to be a part of Hanover history because these trees will be here forever, continually growing for many years to come, and it was great to be a part of such a thing to better the campus!

Hanover has so many events that allow the students to be a part of Hanover History, which is amazing!

Well remember to stay green and perhaps plant something at your school or home or clean up little around the streets to make your home a greener and cleaner place.

And remember to take a deep breath because it only gets better from here!

We all know that finals are terrifying, no matter what grade we are in. Well they are scary here too and what stops us from our breaks :P

But here are a few friendly tips on how to survive Finals Week here at Hanover!

1) Study early.

I know this sounds terrible but it really helps! The earlier you start studying the better prepared you will be for the final. So, start studying at least a week ahead of time because you know the final is coming. Normally your professors will let you know what type of test it will be.

2) Change subjects every hour.

This might seem counterproductive but think about it… how many of you can keep focused in a class or on studying one subject for more than an hour? Most people can’t. So change subjects every hour or so.

3) Start a study group!

Sounds fun right? When you study with people you see things from a different angle or if someone doesn’t understand something you get to help them which makes sure you both know the material.

4) Go to your professor!

Professors here are always willing to help! Go to their office hours or set up an appointment with them. They are here to help you learn. However if that isn’t something you are comfortable with because professors can seem scary (I promise they aren’t!!)

5) Go to the Learning Center!!

The Learning Center is a wonderful thing — full of your peers! They are upperclassmen who have been in that class with your teacher and they want to help YOU! Too good to be true right? Nope! This actually happens and they help! There is a tutor in every subject and for a language there is a specific tutor for each teacher and class that gives you their hours every week so you can get help whenever you want!

And if you need help with a research paper…

6) Go to the library!

There are specific librarians that are there purely to help with research. They help you find books. They will also help you get books if the one you need isn’t at the school but at a different one because you can borrow a book from different schools on an inter-library loan! Cool right?

So, here are just a few friendly tips on how to survive finals Hanover style! I wish you the best of luck on your finals!

And remember take a deep breath because it only gets better from here!

All of our contestants!

Fantasy Guy is a male beauty pageant with a talent, costume and interview portion. This year we had a representative from each male Greek House: Lambda, Sig, FIJI, Phi Delt and Beta and also one from Greenwood/Coulter, Crowe/Wiley and Ogle/themed houses.

This year’s theme was “When I grow up I wanna be an…. ADPi Fantasy Guy” So, each contestant dressed up as what they wanted to be when they were little.

Prof. Craig Philipp was our faculty emcee.

The show was very funny with a poetry reading, saxophone playing, ribbon dancing, push ups, a part of the evolution of dance, a construction worker, a fireman, a pro wrestler and much more! And it is for a great cause.

All of the Greek organizations have a philanthropy event. The events range from dances to sports events (Powder Puff football, waffle ball, etc.), pageants, fashion shows and other such things. There are also clubs focused on philanthropy, such as Up Til Dawn.

Sig's representative doing the Evolution of Dance for his talent

At the end between our judges and the number of votes the contestants received from the audience (using pop tabs and change), we crowned our winner. This year Sig’s Representative won!

The Winner of ADPi Fantasy Guy

Well, I wish you all the best of luck as the year slowly ends, don’t let the stress of it all effect you too much. And as always remember to take a deep breath because it only gets better from here!

Lambda's representative Ribbon Dancing for his talent

Some of the new members after initiation!

I’m sure many of you were a part of the National Honor Society and/or National Junior Honor Society (in middle school). Well, Hanover has honor societies as well! One is called Alpha Lambda Delta. This is an honor society for first year students. To be a member, students must have a 3.5 GPA during their first semester here (which means you are on Dean’s List). This honor society was founded in 1924 and is a national society.

This weekend, there was an initiation ceremony. Thirty-five members were inducted into Alpha Lambda Delta at Hanover! This is quite exciting, since we have such a small school and Hanover is a hard school to get onto the Dean’s List; it is exciting that 35 freshman made Dean’s List in their first semester.

Initiation was short, yet informative, with our parents in attendance. We received our Alpha Lambda Delta pins and a certificate that says we are members. The president and several other officers were there helping with the initiation and informing us of the society’s mission and other information about it.

“The mission of Alpha Lambda Delta is to support academic achievements, to promote a high standard of learning, and to assist students in recognizing and developing meaningful goals for their unique roles in society.” This honor society also gives out scholarships to its members every year.

Anyway, good luck finishing out your senior year! You are almost there! So, remember take a deep breath because it only gets better from here!

ADPi Family Picture

This was an absolute blast! My sisters on my floor in Donner and I all got ready together Friday evening and then we all went to the house to board the buses to take us to Louisville with our other ADPi sisters. Before the formal, we all mingled and took pictures and talked while we awaited everyone to sign in.

The ride there was even fun as my date and I sung to random music and talked to others.

The dinner was delicious and dancing with all of my sisters made for a great night! The first dance of the night was the senior dance that they actually choreographed and performed for us; it was so funny to see them dancing together.

During the night we also gave gifts to our seniors (puzzle piece picture frames with pictures of ADPi and their class) and their little sisters prepared a speech to talk about their graduating big sisters.

Class of 2014

Altogether the night was amazing and I would consider my first Alpha Delta Pi Formal a success! I know I’ll have a lot of great memories from it that I’ll keep forever!

Anyway, as you enter the every end of senior year, remember to take a deep breath, because it only gets better from here!

Robert and I at Lambda's Formal

Well, this weekend has been very eventful, both on and off campus! So many things happened this weekend, between Lambda’s formal to FIJI’s party, to a weekend of Harry Potter movies!

It was, however, was my first weekend off campus (not including breaks) since I’ve gotten to Hanover. I spent the entire weekend in Louisville, Ky., at Lambda’s White Rose Formal! It was so much fun to get dressed up, have a formal dinner and a dance this weekend with friends. It made for a fantastic weekend! It was also really neat to explore Louisville, especially because it isn’t that far away and there is so much to do there! And strangely enough I’ve never really been to Louisville, so it was fun to kind of get to see the city!

There was also FIJI’s first themed party of the new semester called Club FIJI, which I’m sure was a lot of fun.

Another event that was going on was a Harry Potter Weekend Marathon! Saturday and Sunday they played every released Harry Potter movie in order. This event was sponsored by the Sci-Fi Club and if you love or even like Harry Potter, I’m sure it was amazing. I remember how excited I was when I friend told me they were having a marathon of Harry Potter! I’m sure it was a lot of fun to watch all of the movies in order; I know I used to do that before every new release of the movies, but haven’t done it in a while, so I’m sure it was a nice refresher to everyone who went!

Altogether it was an amazing weekend, both on and off campus! I hope you all had a fantastic weekend as well! If you have midterms this weekend like we do best of luck to you! And remember take a deep breath because it only gets better from here!

My roommate's, our room neighbor's, and my red carnations!

Happy Valentine’s Day everyone! I hope you all have had a fantastic one. I know to some of you it is single’s awareness day while to others it’s a day to celebrate relationships, love, like, friendships, etc!

For all of you that love Valentine’s Day, some Hanover clubs do some fun things for it!

Up ‘Til Dawn, a club that raises money for St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, sold balloons for you to give to your crush, your friend, the person you’re dating or to anyone you want. They sold them during lunch time in the mail room and even would go deliver the balloon to the person’s room  Sunday.

Colleges Against Cancer sold Crushes (you know the orange soda). They also were sold during lunch time in the mail room and also delivered the glass bottle of orange soda to the recipient’s room  Sunday! This was to raise money for the American Cancer Society.

The Bookstore had Valentine’s Day sells going on as well! There were a lot of discounted items throughout the store in honor of the day.

Even one of my professors was into Valentine’s Day today and decided that everyone deserves to get flowers on Valentine’s Day so he gave all of the ladies in the class a red carnation! It was incredibly nice of him to do that. We also learned how to say Valentine’s Day in Spanish: “El Dia de los Enamorados.” After my professor taught us how to say Valentine’s Day, she then had us discuss, in Spanish, if anyone did anything for it this weekend and what they did.

Altogether it was a pretty fun Valentine’s Day here at Hanover! I hope yours was good as well!

And remember take a deep breath because it only gets better from here!