Back on Campus: Montserrat, Hockey Games, and Jazz Concerts!

Hi everyone! I’m back on the Hill after a quick (but much needed) fall break. This past week was super busy academically, because I had a music theory exam Thursday and a big Montserrat paper due Saturday, but I still managed to do some fun things besides staking out my cube in Dinand Library.

Some quick background: I take four classes here at Holy Cross–Music Theory, Calculus 1, a first-year English course, and my Montserrat, which is philosophy based. My schedule in college is a lot less restricted than in high school, but that means I have to budget my time well during the day when I’m not in class, so I have time for other fun things (as described below)!

On Tuesday I had a mandatory Montserrat event, which was a dance performance called Les Nuits Barbares. It explored the legacy of European colonialism in Africa through dance and music and it was actually really interesting. Although, I must say, I was glad we had a pre-concert talk with the choreographer, because otherwise I would have been pretty confused!

On Friday, my roommate Elena and I went to the first men’s hockey game of the season on Friday night against Bentley. It was a great game to watch and Holy Cross won 4-3 in overtime! Go men’s hockey!

This is my friend Jacob on the ice at the intermission between the first and second periods trying to score a goal to win a prize. He didn’t score any goals, but they gave him the prize (some cool HC gear) anyway.

After the hockey game we went down to Crossroads to see the comedian sponsored by CAB (Campus Activities Board). I had never seen stand-up comedy live before so it was a really neat experience and the comedian, Sam Comroe, was super funny.

Last night, my friends and I went to see Mike Monaghan, the jazz band director, and some of his colleagues play a free concert in Brooks Music Hall. For some celebrity context, three of the five people who played (including Mr. Monaghan) are playing at the Boston Pops in Symphony Hall on Tuesday! It was really cool to be in such an intimate setting with some very accomplished musicians–and they took requests!

Looking forward, this coming weekend is Parent’s Weekend. I’ll be playing bass clarinet (for the first time!) in the orchestra concert on Saturday at 1PM, so if you’re on campus check us out! In the meantime, have a great couple of weeks and check back soon to see what happens on the Hill!

5 Best Things About My First 5 Weeks at Holy Cross

Hi everyone! My name is Elizabeth Griffin and I’m so excited to share my first-year experience with you all. I’m currently home for fall break (and really missing college) so I’m going to share the 5 best moments I’ve experienced at Holy Cross so far.

  1. Signing up for the ESCAPE retreat was one of the best decisions I made coming into my first year.  It’s a 24-hour retreat for first-year students at the new (and really nice!) Joyce Contemplative Center. It was a great opportunity to get off campus for a bit and meet a lot of cool new people, many of whom have become my best friends.
  2. Two weekends ago was the homecoming football game! I met up with one of my friends from Escape and her sister, who is an alum, at the tailgate and made a lot of friends at the game. We had a great time together, even though it was rainy and cold. In Worcester, you have to learn to have fun no matter what the weather is!
  3. Meeting Rodrigo Hasbún. One of the most interesting parts of my Holy Cross experience so far was reading a book in my English class and then having the opportunity to meet the author in person and ask him questions when he came to campus. It was a really neat experience that I had never had before!
  4. Nativity. My favorite part of the week is definitely when I go to my SPUD (Student Programs for Urban Development) site at the Nativity School in Worcester. I love working with my student one-on-one each week and it is a great way to get my mind off all of the other things I have going on and focus on helping him!
  5. One of my most recent memories was my team’s first win in intramural soccer! (see picture below) We had suffered some tough losses before, but somehow we managed a win 4-3! As is custom, we celebrated with ice cream in Hogan right after! 

 

I hope you enjoyed this week’s post! Check back in soon for more updates when I’m back on the Hill!