I hope you are all doing well and enjoying this wonderful weather we have been having. I must admit, I have not been the best at taking pictures of the events that have happened this year but I will try to do better (perhaps even delegating photography responsibilities to some students).
As many of you know, the year started off at convocation and the wing cleaned up pretty well! In terms of programs, we have had a 'fish bowl' type of program where the students of the wing were offered the opportunity to anonymously submit questions to myself and the wing guides (Charlie H and Dan S). The questions were then answered after 10 check as a way to provide more information about ourselves and to help build community and camaraderie in the wing. B-Wing partnered with D- Wing for a debrief of the activities fair. At this debrief, returning IMSA students were able to share what they were involved with on campus and gave tips to sophomores on effective co-curricular participation habits.
The wing guides just finished updating our bulletin board with a goal tracking system which will undoubtedly be very useful as the semester gears up. Next week we will be doing a diversity program and connecting with a sibling wing to do future events and programs with.
As the school year comes to a close, we've had tons of fun programming as a hall.
May 7th brought our annual Birthday Party for the hall as 1501 was dedicated "Harris Hall" on May 7, 2002. This annual celebration included cakes, ice cream sundaes, and a healthy round of singing "Happy Birthday!" to the hall that we call home.
We also had our annual End of the Year Party with S'mores and superlatives voted on by the hall. Unfortunately, this year the event got rained out and we had to make it indoors but we still had a fun time.
Lastly, we had a fun senior celebration watching the quintessential high school film: Mean Girls. With tons of food and friends, it was an amazing time before we graduate this weekend.
With that in mind, I would like to thank you all for joining us this year. On behalf of the entire Residential Student Leadership and professional Residential Counselor teams, it has been an absolute pleasure to live with each and everyone of our 86 student residents over the course of this year. We hope you've had tons of fun and our excited for whatever the next phase brings for you.
If you are returning to the hall next year, you have a fantastic RSL team for you and I hope you enjoy.
One of people's favorite parts of a yearbook is looking at the Senior Superlatives. We thought a fun end of the year program would be to implement Wing Superlatives. Students emailed our Wing Guides creatives superlatives for each of their wingmates and then the Wing Guides determined which superlative to award each wing member. The superlatives chosen were pretty silly but the students had a great time hearing what superlative was selected for each student. To add extra fun, we printed out the superlative as a certificate and taped candy to it.
During the previous weekend, 01D had a fun program where students were able to use air-dry clay to create different models of items they identified with. Students who attended used their art skills to create items such as a rose, hammer, rhino, snapchat logo, etc. The students who attended had a great time and enjoyed making fun molds. I was really impressed with some of their art skills.
Before Easter Break, our very own 01D Wing Guide Lucas Urbanski lead a very interesting about "Emotional Correctness," an idea I'd never heard of but very much appreciate after attending his program. Lucas showed the wing a short Ted Talk that discusses the theory of emotional correctness and followed it up with a discussion where they wing discussed what kinds of reactions/responses fit the idea of emotional correctness. It's definitely an idea that has become more important in recent years and if you'd like to know more, please watch the video below.
April is stereotypically known worldwide for its rainy days, but in 1501 it's known for our annual Battle of the Stereotypes events, in which students compete in various competitions that are typically gender-coded.
Tuesday brought relay races. The Battle started with our perennial favorite: the high heel race. In this event, the feminine team INCH-ed slightly ahead, earning one point. Next was the tie-tying competition, where by just a small fraction of a second, the masculine team earned one point. Last came a unique twist on a four-legged race, which had teams racing through the entire hall. In this event, the feminine team hopped over the finish line first, earning a second point for the night.
Wednesday brought a fun Mario Kart Double Dash Tourney, in which the masculine team DASH-ed into first place by winning 5 of the 6 face-offs, earning their team 2.5 points, while the feminine team won only one, earning .5 points.
In the last night, the feminine team tied the game up in our "Newly-Friends" Game, beating the masculine team in 2 of the 3 face-offs. Ultimately, neither team won because the stereotypes are just that, inaccurate assumptions about people's characteristics.
While the end of the academic year may be approaching, we still have plenty more fun activities left to go here in 1501.
Our wing was looking to do a program focused on identity and have another program where they'd get to eat ice cream, so we figured, why don't we combine the ideas into one awesome program. All of the students who participated filled a bowl with the ice cream flavor of their choice. From there, I read aloud different statements about identity or adversity. If students identified with the statement, they were instructed to put sprinkles of the color that corresponded to that statement onto their ice cream. After we went through all the statements, students were able to look around at each other's bowls and see who else in the wing shared similar identities to their own. Students really enjoyed this program because they got to learn more about each other and got to eat ice cream while they it happened.
During the spring, IMSA has a lot of leadership opportunities and it can be a stressful time for students. Students interview for board positions in clubs, to be a LEAD facilitator, and to be a Residential Student Leader. To prepare for these interviews, D-Wing had a program focused on teaching our wing members some basic interviewing skills, such as, research the organization, know why you want the position, brainstorm what they will ask you about and prepare answers, take time to think about your answer if you need to, and always a prepare a few questions for the end of the interview to show your interest.
Overall, students found the program informative and engaging. Some of our seniors expressed that they wish the program happened earlier so they could use the information in their college interviews.
This semester has been flying by and B-Wing has had a ton of various activities and events thus far. You can find detailed posts about the hall events already posted to this blog regarding Clash of the Halls and other all-hall gatherings that have happened.
Some of the wing specific programs that we've done since the last update: Roommate Wars
Roommates pairings of B-Wing had various competitions to determine the winners of this competition. The competition started off with a door decoration competition in which students were challenged to create an artistic expression of their room dynamic. There was a spontaneous scavenger hunt as well as a 'Newlyweds Game' style competition where roommates were challenged in their knowledge of each other. Finally, to cap it all off, there was an Iron Chef Challenge where the Wing invited our sibling wing to help prepare various dishes in a competition.
Reflection/Finishing the Semester Strong
Students were challenged to reflect and write a bit about their year thus far at IMSA. We talked about effective time management and discipline tracking habits such as 'Don't Break the Chain' and 'Keystone Habits.' To learn more about Keystone Habits, check out this Lifehacker article. To learn more about 'Don't Break the Chain,' check here.
Interview Tips and Tricks
Preparing for the application season at IMSA where students apply for and interview various leadership roles for the upcoming school year, we hosted a panel on effective interviewing technique. The key juniors and seniors gave their input on how to make a lasting and positive impression in our next interviews. Since I've been on several hiring committees, I also clued the students of B-Wing into what specifically I'm looking for when I'm sitting across the table from them as an interviewer.
These are just a few of the many things that have been ongoing so far! Our next upcoming event is a dinner date at the firepit on campus where we will be toasting marshmallows and hot dogs.
Thanks to everyone who has graciously provided to the wing in the form of wing dinners or other contributions. It is greatly appreciated! If you would like to help sponsor or provide a wing dinner, please let me know!
Introducing the newest member of our hall: a Nintendo 64! Student Life held a raffle for the halls to win one of 4 consoles, and we got an N64. Come and play in the hall commons.
You may have noticed no update for February, but that's because we've been hard at work preparing for Clash of the Halls. As Joe previously mentioned, Clash is a week long competition every March from Student Council and their amazing Campus Activities Board. But, we have been hard at work preparing for the week long competition that took place two weeks before Spring Break since right after Lunar New Year in late-January, early-February.
On Monday, we thought hard (pun intended) and secured second place in the Think Tank competition. While we were hard at work, judges went around and gave our hall 1st place on hall decorations. Come the night event, we took seventh in hall movie. While not the result we were hoping for, the increase year over year in the quality of 1501's movies is not to be discounted, and we are incredibly proud of the work our residents put in.
For the decoration contest, we turned the hall commons into our very own treasure map.
01 hard at work in the Think Tank competition.
On Tuesday, two of our residents Becca E. ('19) and Nyxel C. ('18) represented 01 in the cake decorating competition. Using innovative methods such as turning a paper towel into a frosting bag, they transformed the cake into a beautiful pirate hat, earning us 4th place in
a difficult competition. Later that evening for Talent Show, two groups of pirates set off individually on hunts for treasure, and after a brief scuffle, decided to set apart their differences and work together to find treasure. While the treasure of first place may not have been obtained (we got 5th), the true treasure of fun and entertainment was as we had the entire auditorium in applause.
On Wednesday, in the Game Show, residents worked hard in a variety of challenges, including doughnut string trivia, ramen challenge, gummy bear hunts, and making breakfast. We earned 4th place for this event.
Thursday brought the main event--pep rally--and more than half of the points. During midday, as judges scored our hall mural portraying the diversity themes of sizes and physical disabilities (6th place), our profile photo (7th place), and our t-shirt designs (6th place), the Campus Activities Board (including 1501's very own Diego A. ('18)) provided supplies and designs for amazing face paint masterpieces. Come evening, armed with out 1501 flag and banners galore, pep rally began. While specific place values from Pep Rally are unavailable, residents of 01 participated in events such as Obstacle Course in which 12 residents navigated the turbulent seas of each hall's theme, Food Eating Contest in which 4 residents ate a wide variety of foods as fast as they could, and seniors Yoanna I., Alex H., Giezelle C., and Dan M. participated in this year's senior game. Lastly, our residents showed off their dancing skills in Drill Team, which had been practicing every night for the past month.
Our annual pre-Clash pep rally hall photo with the "01" hand symbol
While we may have gotten last place in score, we got first in fun. We had an amazing party that night and to celebrate everyone's hard work, Colette and Adam made a pancake breakfast for the hall the next morning.
Additional photos will soon be available from our amazing IMSA Student Productions team and videos of talent show and pep rally should be available on YouTube already. Ask your student for access and more information!
With Clash and the third quarter of the academic year over, we start to look towards winding down the school year and transitioning into the next. While we still have many events left as an RSL team here in 1501, we have also begun the process of seeking next years RSL team. The CD application process is ongoing and the Wing Guide process will begin as soon as that ends. Anyone who's looking to get involved in either position for next year should reach out to any of the current RSL's, their RC, or 1501's RSL Liaison Joe Mastrocola.
This past week, 01D did a fun wellness program. We made cute little cakes in mugs. We mixed angel food cake mix with water and traditional cake mix and then heated it up in the microwave. Students enjoyed eating this fun simple treat.
Every year, the department of Student Life puts on a week long competition between the seven halls. Each hall is given a color and they create a theme to connect the different competitions they take part in. Competitions include a Talent Show, Hall Decorating, and a Drill dance. This tends to be one of the student's favorite activities that take place at IMSA and provides memories of fun times long after they leave IMSA. This year, 1501 was assigned the color red and chose to have their theme be Marooned, as in pirates. If you would like to learn more about Clash, I've included a link to the 2017 Clash Agenda:
The weeks since school has resumed after winter break have really flown by and a lot has happened. We've had the opportunity to discuss course recommendations, learn more about the impact of socio-economic class on academic performance (this program was facilitated by our wing's own Thomas H). We also were able to join our sibling win in playing minute-to-win-it games which was a blast.
We have also had a number of wing dinners which have been a great opportunity for the wing to enjoy homecooked and other delicious food. We are very thankful for everyone who has provided resources for these!
I have included some photos from some of the programs, dinners, and various events we have had.
During the beginning of the second semester, sophomores and juniors have an important decision to make, "What classes should they take next year?". To help navigate this decision, our wing decided to have a program where students could discuss the different courses they've taken with each other and figure out which teachers are awesome and which to avoid. All of our D-Wing students provided great advice to one another and students enjoyed providing recommendations to one another. Everyone left the program feeling informed and ready to choose the best classes next year!
Hello, My name is RC Menaka and in this month's blog I will be introducing myself, filling you guys in on some of the wing activities we've had, and other updates for the month:
As I mentioned above my name is Menaka. I just started at IMSA in January. I graduated from Penn State with a BA in Human Resources in August. At Penn State I was a Resident Assistant and involved in comedy and theatre. Prior to working at IMSA I also had a job at Walgreens Corporate in Human Resources and Talent Acquisition. I have always had a passion for higher education and am hoping to bring my background in theatre and business to help students with community, building an inclusive living space, and creativity. Feel free to email me at: mdeolekar@imsa.edu or call me during business hours at (630)-907-5119
This month we had four major events: MISSION IMPROVABLE: Traveling improv troupe, Mission Improvable, took a stop at IMSA. As I have a background in improv, this event was the perfect community builder with plenty of opportunities for audience participation and artistic student reach. POSITIVE CARDS: As January is my birthday month we spent an evening eating cake and making cards of positivity for a hospital in Maryland. This event was meant to build wing community and help the community outside of IMSA. JEOPARDY: We played a game of jeopardy involving some elective options that the students here at IMSA have. The underclassman were able to hear first hand from upperclassman about their experience with classes, homework, and curriculum content through a fun game. BATAVIA HIGH SCHOOL FASHION SHOW: One of our students, Kristin, took part in the Batavia High School Fashion show as a model. Various students went to support and cheer her on in as she sported the designs at the show. Other news: Extended closing will be coming up from February 16 to February 20th. Please make accommodations accordingly! Hope everyone has a great February and please feel free to reach out with any questions comments or concerns. Looking forward to the year ahead! Sincerely, RC Menaka
Getting right back into the swing of things for second semester, we've been busy studying and having fun.
During Intersession week, when students have a little more free time, we ran a movie series marathon to introduce residents to movie series they may not have previously watched. We showed the first installment of Shrek, High School Musical, Sharknado, and Bring it One.
The winter months can sometimes be hard on students since the sun sets so early and the main building has few windows. So, as a hall, we planted flowers and other plants to brighten up rooms. Reusing the bottom halves of plastic water bottles, we made nice little planters out of typically discarded materials. Ask your student what plant they chose to plant!
The upcoming month will be busy for sure, but we have plenty of fun events in store. Check back soon for another look into life in 1501.
1501 D-Wing had a program on January 17th where we watched a youtube video that uses tea as a metaphor for consent. The video takes a very serious topic and manages to break it down in a simple, poignoint, and even humorous way. After we watched the video, we talked about what you can do to support and keep your friends safe when they might be in a potentially dangerous situation. I emphasized to students that while these situations may not occur at IMSA, they could happen in college and there are definitely things they can do to help keep their friends safe.
If you liked to watch the video, follow the link here
Hope you all enjoyed the holiday season. I am excited for this Spring semester (and also Spring weather, hopefully soon).
I wasn't thinking enough to get pictures at our last few programs of the year, but I'd like to fill you in some of the things we have done as a wing to finish off 2016. I will be working more diligently to have more pictures this semester!
We did an anonymous compliments program in which the students were able to write encouraging notes to their peers in the hall. These notes were then delivered by wing guides throughout the hall. We also did a goal setting program in which students were able to put a printed soccer ball and soccer goal on their doors. Their goal for the semester was to be written on the soccer ball. When this goal had been completed, students were to move the soccer ball to be 'inside ' of the soccer goal.
