Ferrum didn't have typical "Spring Break" weather this year. Before leaving for the week, Ferrum students saw multiple days of snow! With this being said, spring sports had a difficult time getting outside for practices and games.
During our break, the Ferrum softball team traveled to Florida to play in a non-conference tournament. Softball in 78-degree weather? I'll take it! We played six games over the course of four days. We returned with five wins and one loss. One of these wins happened to be over the #6 ranked team in the nation for Division III sports! It was a major win for us and a great confidence-booster!
We returned back to Ferrum to host four conference games, and we finished these with three wins and one loss. So overall for our season, we have eight wins and two losses! This is just the beginning to a great season!!
This semester is going by so quickly! Taking fifteen credits plus an E-term course this summer is keeping me busy! My classes this semester include Human Anatomy & Physiology II, PE Experience for Adolescents, Motor Learning, Foundations of Profession Teaching, and Profession Teaching for Content Reading Literacy. So far, I'm enjoying my classes, but the best part is my 40-hour internship at Franklin County High School! I am currently working with a 10th grade girl's Physical Education class, and I love it! I have assignments through my education classes where I am actually teaching the students and working on different skills with them. It really is a great experience before I actually become a teacher!
Softball is getting into full swing! With our first game on February 24th at Lynchburg, we have been practicing almost every day. This season, we will be traveling to Florida for Spring Break and Alabama soon after! Can't wait to get the season started!
- Amanda
The only thing standing between the students and Christmas break are finals! I want to wish the best of luck to everyone!
While students get caught up in the stress of finals, they can forget to keep their holiday cheer. On December 9th in the Panther's Den, the Physical Activities Club held the "Milk and Cookies with Santa" event! This event included coloring pictures, creating reindeer crafts, milk and cookies, and even a photo opportunity with Santa!
We had great support from fellow students and faculty, who even brought their own children in for the event! With the great turnout, we raised $176.00 and two huge boxes of donated toys for the Child Advocacy Center. Events like this really open your heart for the families in need at this time of the year. I love being involved in events like this on campus!
On behalf of the Panther Blog Team, softball team, and Physical Activities Club, I want to wish everyone a Happy Holiday! Can't wait to be back in January!
Hi, everyone! My name is Amanda and I am a new member to the Panther Blog Team! I am really excited about this new experience. I was raised on a farm in a small town called Lawrenceville, Virginia (about an hour south of Richmond). I graduated from Park View High School in May 2013. At the same time as my high school graduation, I also graduated from our community college with my Associate's Degree. While at Ferrum, I am majoring in Health and Human Performance for Physical Education with a minor in Coaching. Because I am so involved and interested in my major, I became the secretary of our Physical Activities Club on campus. I also play on the softball team as a pitcher and third baseman, and I plan on playing all four years I am here.
When looking into colleges, I had no idea where I wanted to attend. Mainly, I was looking at smaller schools for softball. After narrowing down my choices and visiting them, I knew Ferrum was my future home. I grew up in a small, country area and Ferrum just felt like a second home to me. The campus itself is truly beautiful in every season. Whether it's the leaves changing on the trees or the snow covering the mountains, it is always an amazing sight.
If you talk with someone from Ferrum and they tell you there is "nothing to do," it is because they are not going out and involving themselves! There is so much to do and be involved with on campus. With so many athletic teams and intramural sports, you can keep yourself busy! Sports don't interest you? Join the theater program or one of our other activity groups! Being bored on campus is a choice you make. When someone asks me if I made the right choice by coming to Ferrum, I always tell them I couldn't have picked a better school for me!
by Amanda Roberts, Guest Blogger
Hi, everyone! My name is Amanda and I am in my second year here at Ferrum College. I am a Health and Human Performance major for Physical Education, and I have a minor in Coaching. I am the Physical Activities Club Secretary and am also a member of Ferrum's softball team.
On Nov. 7th, twelve of my classmates and I traveled to Virginia Beach for a Virginia Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (VAHPERD) Conference for the weekend. This conference is for Physical Education teachers to explore and learn about different teaching strategies to use in their own classrooms. I attended multiple sessions throughout the weekend, but one of my favorites was watching a new sport called Spikeball.
Our class presented "Ballroom Dancing in Physical Education." Ballroom dancing is an excellent method to train the body and improve coordination. This presentation focused on introducing basic ballroom dance steps into PE classes. From recent studies, we have learned that many school systems are removing dancing from their Physical Education departments, especially partner dancing. We demonstrated different dances, including the Cha-Cha, Slow Waltz, and Tango, to name a few. The feedback we received from the members attending the session was amazing! Many attendees wanted the link to our video to teach their own classrooms.
My partner, Jesse Wall, and I before our performance
We also had two other students, Michael Rucinski and Melva Herron, who performed in the Kaleidoscope Dance Performance on Saturday night. They choreographed their own routine while putting a twist on ballroom dancing with modern music. The video can be viewed below or by following this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrHu-PsTuC8&feature=youtu.be
Overall, I loved attending the conference. We had the privilege to interact with teachers all over the state of Virginia. By having the opportunity to do this, I know that choosing to be a Physical Education teacher is the right path for me. I can't wait to attend another conference in the future!
by Amanda R., Panther Blogger
