Spring Fun!

by Anneleisse A., Guest Blogger

Who says that there isn't anything to do in Ferrum, Virginia?  This semester has been a busy, crazy...and did I say busy semester?  But who says that when in college, you should only study and not take time off from the books?  Well let me tell you how I have spent my free time lately!

Every spring, we have a big concert and it follows a genre rotation.  This year was R&B or Hip-Hop, and guess who was our big performer!?  JUICY J!!  That's right - we had Juicy J come perform at our YMCA on campus.  The event was a huge success with about 800 people, which made it a SOLD OUT event.  I had the opportunity to volunteer to help out with the concert, and as a member of Event Staff, I had the responsibility of making sure people followed rules so that everyone could enjoy the concert to the fullest.  Although I would have loved to brag about meeting him, I didn't...but he did take a selfie with my phone while on stage which I found pretty cool.  Take a look for yourself...

Besides having a concert every spring, we have plenty of events that go on during this time.  Last weekend, we had Panthers Against Cancer.  This event went from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m., and there were a variety of things to do during the 12 hours of the event, such as Zumba, karaoke, and games.  The purpose of the event was to raise awareness and raise money for cancer.  Besides having this event, the Criminal Justice Club hosted a chalk run on the same day. 

So although school is a priority, you should always try to make time for some personal fun when possible.  Take time off and do something that doesn't involve classwork unless that's what makes you happy.  It's not every weekend that Ferrum will have big events like these, but there are always other options, whether it's taking an hour out of your day to walk campus, do some yoga at the Y, or simply get in a quick workout.

Until next time,
Anneleisse

Corey Smith at Ferrum College!

by Victoria B., Panther Blogger

Ferrum always has something going on to entertain students. It also holds a big concert every spring in which the students vote on who they want to come to Ferrum.

This year, the winner was Corey Smith. I attended this concert and it was by far one of the best concerts I have ever attended. I felt like he was a good choice because he just fits in with the atmosphere that Ferrum has. He was very interactive with the audience and put on a great show!

Before the concert started, Corey even tweeted me back, which is something that not many celebrities will do. Ferrum offers its students many opportunities to make once-in-a-lifetime memories throughout their college years and this is just an example of one.

Jazz Band at Ferrum

by Maryann C., Panther Blogger

I thought that I would take some time to write about one of the classes I am taking this semester:  jazz band!  Even though Ferrum College is not known for its music classes, the department still has a great group of teachers who make taking music classes an enjoyable experience for students. Since I am only involved with the jazz band, that is what I am going to focus on. However, I have heard many of the other performing music groups in the past and they are all great groups to get involved with as well.

In the jazz band, I play the alto saxophone. I played all through middle and high school and even during my first semester here at Ferrum College.  Then my major classes and other activities got in the way. Since this is my last semester, I have a bit more time for fun activities like jazz band. I am having a great time working with our director, Dr. Burnett, and the rest of the ensemble. We are a small group, but I think it's better that way. Dr. Burnett gets to know each of us as an instrumentalist, and we get to know each other's musical tendencies as well.  I think because we are a smaller group, we are able to match and blend better as a band.

We are playing a variety of music in this class, and it's great. We are playing some classical/concert band types of music, and we are also playing jazz and funk music. We have even started working on the theme from "Family Guy".  I am having a great time playing all different types of music, and it seems like the rest of the group is enjoying it as well. I think the most exciting part of this class is that we sound good - and I am not just saying that. As a whole, this jazz band sounds great. We have a concert in the Panther's Den on April 12th, so you should come out and hear for yourself!

Dance, Dance!

BY VICTORIA, PANTHER BLOGGER

When you become a student at Ferrum College, there are a set number of classes that you have to take in order to meet your liberal core requirements. For example, every student must take classes to meet speaking intensive, writing intensive, fine arts, English, Bible-based course, Religion/Philosophy, Fine Arts, Mathematics, Natural Science, Literature, History, Social Science requirements, and an Activity Course.

In order to meet the requirement for my activity course credit, I took a dance class that was offered at Ferrum. Classes such as team sports, rock-climbing and many others are also offered as options to fill this requirement. Dance is available for any Ferrum student to participate in, even if they have never danced previously. The class is held one night a week for about two hours, so it does not have a huge impact on a student’s schedule. The class requires that the students participate in a dance recital that occurs at the end of the semester. Each student will be in a large group dance with all of the other students in their class that the teacher choreographs.

Students will also make small group dances in which they choose their song and choreograph the entire dance. My group chose to do a dance to “I Write Sins, Not Tragedies” by Panic! At The Disco. Our dance included doing the Jive, a backflip stunt, and even the famous Carlton from Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Being in the dance recital was a great experience, and I recommend that anyone who is interested in dance or who wants to have a lot of fun to take the class.

Showtime!

BY JORDAN, PANTHER BLOGGER

I love the Theatre Arts department at Ferrum!

I have met some awesome and talented people. The department also has great professors, such as Wayne Bowman and Sue Spataro. I have had the majority of my classes with them, and they have taught me so many awesome things!

I played Elizabeth in our Frankenstein performance

The plays and concerts we put on show just how hard we work. This year, I was involved with Frankenstein, Seussical The Musical, Collegiates Choir, and Handbells. They have been so much fun, and we all did a fantastic job with every performance.

I was a bird girl in The Seussical

Watch a video slideshow from our Seussical performance:

I just love the theatre and music here! :)

Boredom is Impossible!

BY JORDAN, A PANTHER BLOGGER

From playing lacrosse to writing articles for the Iron Blade to singing in the Collegiates Choir, I never get bored at Ferrum! I would not trade any of it for the world because of all it has taught me and how it has made me a better person.

My teammate and me at a lacrosse game

My lacrosse team is a great group of girls who work well together and constantly help each other become better players. Both of my coaches are the best!  I look up to them because they are both excellent leaders, positive, and they create a foundation for our team to constantly grow. 

Writing for the Iron Blade, Ferrum’s newspaper, has made me a better writer and a better leader. The responsibility of being an editor also helps me become a better writer and I learn a lot about different topics at Ferrum. 

Dressed & ready for a choir performance!

One of the other groups I am involved in is the Collegiates Choir, which is an elite select women's chorus group. The girls and my director, Sue Spataro, are my second family. We travel to different churches on Sundays to sing, and we also perform at the choral concerts. I love singing and the Collegiates make my experience at Ferrum so much more amazing!