Get Schooled: A New Sort of College Orientation

By Amber Lester Friday, August 20, 2010

 

I was recently thinking about when I went to college and how very scary it was. No self-respecting 17- or 18-year-old would ever admit it was frightening, but I think we all can agree it is.

 

I went to the “Setting Sail” orientation at Christopher Newport University in the middle of July and was somewhat dismayed to find myself in an orientation group with several kids who had gone to high school together. While they recounted funny memories from beach week and homecoming, I found myself repeating over and over where Wise County is and how I’d driven eight hours to be there.

We all spent most of orientation playing memorization games to learn each other’s names and other silly trust-building exercises. By the end of the weekend, I’d made a couple friends, but the main reason we bonded was over making fun of the goofy activities.

I would have loved to have the orientation experience 18 William and Mary freshmen and transfer students are having this year in the school’s new “7Generations” service trip program. This summer, the college’s Office of Community Engagement and Scholarship introduced the pre-orientation program as a way for some freshmen and transfer students to meet and bond while working on social justice issues.

The title of the program comes from an Iroquois proverb that asks people to consider the impact of their actions on the next seven generations before making a decision, according to the college’s website. “We developed 7Generations to introduce incoming students to the culture of service at William & Mary, and to help them engage critically with an important social issue through study of the issue, direct service, reflection and learning how to integrate their experience into their time at William & Mary,” said Melody Porter, associate director of OCES in a press release.

The program offered three trips, each focusing on different community issues. One group traveled to Richmond to help with Camp Baker, a camp for people with disabilities. Another group worked on a nonprofit urban farm in Lynchburg. A third group worked with the Campus Kitchen at the college. Each trip focused on poverty and inequality, and how both issues affect communities.

It’s a sober lesson for students who are excited about living on their own, meeting their roommates and staying out late, but it’s a good one to learn. I think it would have been an amazing bonding experience to not only meet fellow students, but work alongside them to help others. Imagine the endorphins that must have coursed through their bodies after a day of service! I bet they spent the evenings gushing about how good it felt to help, and then talking about volunteering they could do when they arrived in Williamsburg. And if my guessing proves to be true, that’s a benefit not only to the students, but to our whole community.

Andy Runyon, an Americorps leader with the program, told William & Mary News that he hopes the week gave students a broader view of the community. “I just really hope that they pop that William & Mary bubble a little bit so that they can go outside of campus and know that there are real people here, too, beyond the tourists,” he said.

The students said the program taught them that their new college has a real culture of service and volunteerism. New freshman Zac Reeves told the college that he not only learned more about the campus and surrounding area, but made some great friends. “I’m already thinking that these are going to be some of my closest friends right here,” he said.

To learn more about the program, click here.

See a video about the program below.

Meet the York County Teachers
York County’s open house schedule is posted for each school. The majority of open houses will occur Aug. 31, Sept. 1 and Sept. 2. Times are designated for each grade level at each of the schools. To find your child’s open house time, click here.

Get Your Uniforms
The Toano Middle School PTA will be selling school uniforms at the school at 7817 Richmond Road from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday and from 4 to 6 p.m. on Sept. 1. Uniforms can also be purchased by appointment. All items are gently used or brand new, and will range in price from $1 to $2 per item. Contact Donna VanDenburgh at 566-2139.