March Recap AKA Clash of the Halls 2014

March was largely dominated by Clash of the Halls--an annual contest between the seven IMSA Halls played out over several competitive events, including Hall Decorations, Hall Movie, Talent Show, and a Drill Team performance. A lot of preparation went into these events and it brought our Wing and the overall Hall closer together. And it was because of that effort that the guys of 04 went on to win Clash this year. This victory was especially sweet because 1507 had won Clash for the last three years in a row. 

Below is a recap of Clash and some of the other activities we did in March. 

"How to Interview Well"

Throughout this school year, I had noticed that our guys were interviewing for various opportunities--jobs, internships, colleges, and leadership opportunities. As someone who has been interviewed and has been the interviewer dozens of times, I figured it would benefit our guys if we did a program on it. And so we did just that on March 4th. The timing also coincided with me having just returned from interviewing many candidates at the job conference where IMSA finds many of its future RCs. As such, I was able to provide some insights into what works and what doesn't during an interview. During this program, a lot of focus was spent on the importance of doing the necessary prep work, looking presentable, overall work culture fit, and being able to illustrate a point by using examples that highlight your strengths. I asked volunteers to answer a prompt as if they were in an interview, and the group followed by providing feedback on how they did. The guys found the information useful and many have sought me out afterwards for further advice or practice as they prepared for one of their own. 

Birthday Wing Dinner

When March 11th rolled around, the 3rd Quarter was rapidly coming to a close and a lot of stress revolved around upcoming essays, projects, and exams. It was, therefore, a welcome break when one of our Seniors, Nick Golinvaux '14 (more commonly known as "Frenchie"), celebrated his 18th Birthday with a Wing Dinner. Nick will be attending Purdue in the Fall. Plenty of pizza was eaten and I know the guys welcomed the tasty break. Many thanks to Nick's parents, Janet and Robert, for making the dinner possible. 

Clash of the Halls 2014

1504 won Clash of the Halls (COTH) this year and the guys celebrated the victory in style. Several events made the week a lively and fun time. 

1. Hall Decorations. With yellow being our color this year, 1504 went for an Egyptian/Sands of Time theme. Nearly each person in 04 lent a hand at some point to help transform the Hall. 

   

   A skit accompanied the Hall Decs.
   Evan Derse '14 & Cameron Hudgins '16 are pictured left. 

2. Hall Movie. On Monday night, each hall was required to screen their 10-minute movie. The 04 movie dealt with what would happen to IMSA if it was no longer a residential campus. Evan Derse '14, Josh Burke '16, and Franklin Ye '16  were heavily involved in this event and helped 04 win 2nd place. 

   

   Evan Derse '14 took the lead on building a camera trolley.
   This allowed for smooth pan shots in the movie.

3. Talent Show. On Tuesday night, 04 put on a performance in the Auditorium that was a mash-up of "Sweater Weather' and "Happy". This included live music (Mateusz Wojtaszek '14, Michael Wang '15), choreographed dance (Evan Derse '14, David Lisk '14, Josh Burke '16, Franklin Ye '16, Cameron Hudgins '16), and vocals (Leon Wang '15). We placed 3rd in this event. A video recap of all the Halls at Talent Show can be found here. (04's performance is featured from :027-37, and :56-1:06.)
4. Pep Rally/Drill Team. COTH came to a close with the Pep Rally on Thursday night. A highlights video can be found here. However, the main event was definitely the Drill Team performances. The 04 team had been practicing their choreographed steps for weeks and it definitely showed. Evan, David, Josh, Franklin, and Cameron were the ones from our Wing who were part of the overall 04 Drill Team. A video of the full performance can be found here, with 04's routine beginning at 41:20. Believe me, you're going to want to watch it. 04 took 1st place in this event and that was enough to put 04 over and win Clash of the Halls 2014. 

1504 Drill Team

February Recap

February went by very quickly. With Clash preparations in full-swing, an Extended Weekend right in the middle, and the continuation of what was one of the coldest winters in recent memory, the guys in D Wing were in all in favor of keeping programs short and in-doors. Below were our two most memorable events. 

Learning to Bake  Program 

On the evening of February 3rd, I hosted students in my apartment kitchen and went over the fundamentals of baking. On our menu that evening were Rice Krispie Treats, as well as White Chocolate Chip/Butterscotch Cookies. For the cookies, special attention was paid to alternative recipes that would make them slightly healthier. For example, instead of using 1 full cup of sugar, we used a package of vanilla pudding mix. This both lowers the sugar count and also increases the freshness of the cookies. Special thanks goes out to Kyle Parker '16, Leon Wang '15, Justin Orr '16, Richard Noriega '14, Jonathan D'Souza, & Elliot Krause '14 for their help with preparing the treats. However, as you can imagine, the smell of freshly baked treats quickly spread through the Wing and so we had many visitors come by and take a treat with them. 

They were a big hit!

Roommates Richard Noriega '14 &
Elliot Krause '14 in the kitchen.

Brennan Wakey's 18th Birthday Wing Dinner 

One of our Seniors, Brennan Wakey '14, turned 18 over the February Extended Weekend. Brennan will be attending NYU in the Fall and plans on majoring in Economics and Japanese. As a lover of Asian cuisine, Brennan naturally chose for the Wing Dinner to feature a wide array of delicious Chinese food. For a Wing that has had several Wing Dinners with pizza as the main course, the Chinese food was definitely a welcome change of pace. A special thanks goes to Brennan's Mom, Cathy, for making the Dinner possible. 

Our guys loved the food.