Author: Emily Hostetler

She is a blogger, musician, and digital marketing enthusiast
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All Campus Sing

All Campus Sing

When people think of All-College Sing the first thing that typically pops into their mind is either Glee, Pitch Perfect or acapella groups like Pentatonix. I never really thought of how much time, dedication and determination it takes in order to bring together a group, find a song that will fit perfectly and then teach them how to sing and dance in front of thousands of people. This year I had the opportunity to lead a group of 40+ girls to perform in front of the entire campus and the surrounding community in a production that has gone on for over 20 years.

All-College Sing is an event that Grove City puts on during Family Weekend, when parents come up to see the campus, spend time with their kids and experience a bunch of different programs that Grove City College puts on like the Business Plan Competition, a student art exhibit and much more. Grove City’s All-College Sing is unlike any other college. There are regulations on the type of music, the dance routine and the costumes to ensure the production is family-friendly and fair for each campus group.

While All-College Sing Chair seemed like a daring task to take on at the time, it has been more rewarding than I could ever have imagined. Over this semester I have worked with several extremely talented musicians to merge two pieces of music together to create an original arrangement. Seeing my vision for the piece come to life on the first day of rehearsal was the most fulfilling feeling in the world and the girls that I represent, the sisters of Sigma Theta Chi, helped bring it to life. These girls have dedicated their time, effort, energy and heart to help me accomplish what seemed to be an impossible goal.

In regards to other’s experiences with All-College Sing, I talked with Shannon McDade, the previous All-College Sing Chair for the Alpha Beta Tau sorority. She said, “All-College Sing is an opportunity for groups on campus to participate in one holistic event.” She went on to say how she “loved teaching the girls, preparing the music and having them be excited about the event.” Rhythmix senior Sarah Demar enjoyed the event because she got to “hang out with girls from different grades and majors with ease because they all shared a common interest in singing and dancing.”

According to junior Danielle Werner, her favorite part is when the groups make parodies or focus the performance around a comedic element. For example, she said that the Pan Sophic fraternity performed a parody of the song “I’ll Make a Man Out of You.” Instead they called it “I’ll Make a Pan Out of You.” The one thing she would change is the length of the performance and the award ceremony right after. But overall Danielle would give the event a “two thumbs up.” Some performers, like Claire Dobransky who is a senior member of the Gamma Sigma Phi sorority, loved the event for its bonding experience and enjoyment of watching other groups perform.

This event not only brings together individuals from different walks of life across campus, but it also brings the community together for a night of fun, family-friendly entertainment.

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Grove City College’s Relay for Life

Recently Grove City College’s Sigma Theta Chi Sorority and the Pansophic Fraternity hosted Relay for Life. According to the American Cancer Society, Relay for Life is a life changing event and experience that “gives everyone in communities across the globe a chance to Celebrate the lives of people who have battled cancer, Remember loved ones lost, and Fight Back against the disease.” Every single day more and more people are affected by this awful disease, whether it is a close family member or a friend. Each year in late April these two groups come together to help make a difference in the lives of their families and friends, and quite possibly your family and friends.

Relay for Life

Originally, Relay for Life was brought to campus in 2005 to raise support for fellow Pansophic member Brett W. Elsess who died of cancer in the early 2000’s. One of his fraternity brothers, Ryan McKracken, the Sigma Theta Chi sweetheart at the time, decided to start Relay for Life at Grove City College to help bring awareness to the fight against cancer.

This year Dillon Irwin and Taylor Lennox headed up a campaign to make this year’s Relay for Life the best one Grove City has seen thus far. The timing of the event was shortened drastically to encourage more participation throughout the event rather than just at the beginning. Also this was the first year CLP credit was available for other Greek groups, which encouraged more participation as well. For those of you who don’t know about Greek Life, CLP stands for community living privilege, basically this means that each Greek group on campus has a certain requirement of community service that they need to meet in order to stay a Greek group. Other reasons this year was different than years prior is through a more effective marketing and fundraising strategy. They started fundraising, setting up teams, and sending out support letters to family and friends in the fall. They also put up more fliers, signs, and had a dorm-storm, where flyers were placed under each students dorm the night before the event. They also gave each team that signed up more resources including letters to families for sponsorship that they could send out. Finally, they got the President of the College, Mr. McNulty, to speak during the event on how cancer has personally affected him and his family. According to Taylor, they “entirely re-branded and restructured what the event looks like to hopefully set a precedent for future relays to come.”

Relay for Life Banner

Reactions from students and members of the community who participated in the event were very positive. They all seemed to like the changes, especially in terms of shortening the time period of the event. It seemed to keep all of the students engaged and actively participating in each of the different events and games that were provided like the dunk tank, the corn hole tournament, the sumo wrestling mat, face painting, and so much more. While this year was definitely a memorable year for Grove City’s Relay team’s they are even more excited to continue the trend of Celebrating, Remembering, and Fighting back against cancer for years to come.

Relay for Life Photo Booth

Check out Relay for Life’s website for more information!

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A Quick Look at Grove City’s Inner-City Outreach Mission Trips

ICO Group Photo DREvery year the College helps sponsor mission trips so that students can have an opportunity to serve and use their talents and abilities to further God’s kingdom. This past year students had the opportunity to travel to places like Arizona and the Dominican Republic. In order to give you a little glimpse of the ICO Mission Trips, I wanted to briefly touch upon a few that happened over this past year.

During Thanksgiving break, the College sent out students to Rhode Island and New York City. During the New York City ICO they participated in a lot of street ministry. They spent part of everyday dedicated to interviewing people in various parks and train stations around Manhattan. They spent the beginning of their trip working with the Christian Youth Theatre (CYT) and the second half of their trip they spent time at the New York City Rescue Mission (NYCRM) helping with odd jobs around the organization. The trip itself was around $175 per person. In order to raise money for the trip, the group hosted a “Professor Bake-Off,” where some Professors submitted baked goods which were sampled and voted upon by students for $1. There were a total of eight professors that submitted baked goods and they were able to raise a couple hundred dollars in order to lower the overall price per person. And finally, in order to prepare for the trip spiritually, all the team members came together to share their testimonies, have devotions and spend time getting to know each other better before the trip transpired. On one of these nights, they had a Bonfire Worship Night in addition to their regular meetings.

During Christmas break the College sent out students to Jamaica, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic and Honduras. During the Jamaica ICO students worked for Robin’s Nest Children’s Home by building relationships with the kids, teaching in the onsite school, construction work around the building, as well as meeting immediate needs around the home. Each year they participate as a team in a big project for the Children’s Home. This year they built a shelter and a work bench as per the Children’s Home request and because it matched the skill set of the various team members that went. In order to go on the ICO each student had to raise around $1,100-1,400. The main way these students raised financial support for their trip was in the form of support letters. Given the steep financial load of the trip, the students had the entire summer to raise money. However, during the semester leading up to the trip, the team would meet for weekly bible studies, meals and meetings about the details of the trip. They also do something called “Iron Sharpens Iron,” otherwise referred to as ISI, where the team splits into groups of three. Each group then comes up with something fun to do together at some point during the week to help promote team bonding. This could include Sheetz runs, playing cards, coffee trips, Frisbee and more. They also participated in other various team bonding activities throughout the Fall semester like paint Twister, Christmas caroling at Grove City Manor, Christmas movie marathons, milkshake runs, morning yoga and more.

And finally, during Easter break the College sent out students to Guatemala, the Dominican Republic, Ohio, California, Illinois and Arizona. According to leaders Caroline Baker and Evan Gourley, during the Arizona ICO they participated in various work projects on the Life in Christ Church’s property. They also served in the community by painting, replacing ceilings, walls, and floors, as well as staining wooden fences and playgrounds around the area. They also helped serve in the church’s homeless feeding ministry, passed out fliers in the neighborhood for upcoming events and helped with a Palm Sunday service in the park. In order to fund the trip the students teamed up with local businesses like Hoss’s Steak and Sea House where 10% of every patron’s bill, that had a flyer supporting the ICO team, was given to the students to help fund their trip. They also used support letters to ask their friends and family to help them fund the $400-900 trip. They also sold pepperoni rolls to students, faculty and the local community in order to help fund their trip. In addition, the school provided around $150 to help each the students’ expenses. And finally, in order to prepare for the trip the team had weekly meetings that included get-to-know-you games, information about the location and the trip and emotional and spiritual preparation for the team and as individuals.

No matter where you go, or what you do while you are there, these teams always have a different experience than the last. Each ICO team is unique with different struggles and challenges, but all of them have the same desire to use their talents and abilities to serve the Lord.

To learn more about ICO, visit the ICO web page!

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What is the Spiritual Atmosphere Like on Grove City’s Campus?

One of the main questions prospective students ask the Office of Admissions at Grove City College is, “What is the spiritual atmosphere like on campus?” According to Jenny Moyer, a sophomore sociology and business major, “it depends what you make of it.” She went on to say that “it has the opportunity to be as much as you want, but it is up to you.”

One’s spiritual walk with the Lord looks different to each and every person. You might find your greatest worship and enjoyment of the Lord through Bible studies, church services, mentorship, mission trips or worship nights. In the paragraphs below, I have highlighted some of the main areas of Grove City’s spiritual atmosphere and share a little bit of my journey. I hope it gives you a glimpse into what it would be like to be a student at GCC.

Bible Study

In terms of Bible studies on campus, there are a lot of different options to get involved. There are Greek Group Bible studies, Bible studies through Campus Ministries who help facilitate the creation of groups based on an individuals’ schedule, and of course, Bible studies that you can get involved in within the local church community.

chapel
Picture provided by Grove City College

Church

Just within walking distance from the college, there are many local churches. These include, but are not limited to, East Main Presbyterian, Christ Presbyterian Church located in the YMCA, Grace United Methodist Church and Tower Presbyterian Church.

Churches that are within a 20 minute drive that many students attend are Sandy Lake Wesleyan, Grove City Alliance Church and Gateway Evangelical Presbyterian Church. For more information on different denominations, times and locations, please see the Local Churches page on the Grove City College website. 

ICO: Inter City Outreach

In regards to mission trips, many students are involved in ICO’s. ICO stands for “Inner City Outreach” and are organized by Grove City students and take place over various breaks, like Thanksgiving, Christmas or Easter. Each ICO team partners with a local church or ministry in the area that needs volunteers. Grove City has ICO’s going all over the world ranging from Jamaica, to California and even to Guatemala. Each individual team member of the ICO is responsible for raising the adequate amount of support by sending out support letters to family and friends, bake sales and more. Typically the cost of an international ICO trip ranges from $1,000 -$3,500, while local trips cost less than a few hundred dollars.

 

ICO's

Warriors

Every Thursday night, Grove City College hosts Warriors at 9 p.m. in Harbison Chapel. Warriors is a group of students who are enthusiastic to share their talents for the glory of God. Within the dimly lit chapel, students are welcome to come in and out during the worship time, sing or just sit and listen to the voices that are raised up to God. The group also hosts Extreme Warriors for those who like to start their week off right on Monday mornings in the Chapel.

My Journey

I personally have participated in a mentoring program with one of the seniors on campus. We get dinner every Tuesday evening and it has been an incredible time to just be filled and be reminded, especially during stressful times, to look at the my life in perspective of eternity. I also attend Warriors every Thursday night. I genuinely appreciate the dimly lit chapel where I can worship the Lord in my own way without feeling like people are looking at me. I also attend the Grove City Alliance Church every Sunday and was part of the worship team last semester.

So, for me, to answer your question of what Grove City College’s spiritual atmosphere is like, I would agree with the statement “you will seek [the Lord] and find Him, when you seek Him with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13). Basically, it is not difficult to find the opportunities to grow in your faith. There are a ton of different opportunities at Grove City, but it is up to you to pursue them if that is what you desire.

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A Look at Grove City College’s Women’s Lacrosse Team

Women's Lacrosse Team

The Grove City College Wolverines Women’s Lacrosse Team is pumped to start their season. They are ready for the opportunity to leave all of their effort and energy on the lacrosse field, to build relationships with their teammates and to ultimately glorify God in their actions. Team captains Claudia Bennett and Angalena Malavenda are seeking to have this season put Grove City’s Women’s Lacrosse Team on the map, bringing in more funding from the school and ultimately seeking to achieve varsity status. I had the opportunity to interview Angalena this past week. Here are her remarks.

Angalena and I started our conversation discussing the goals of their lacrosse season. This year they want to focus on stick skills, endurance and speed. She talked about the importance of having the new girls, who just recently got a stick in their hands, feel comfortable holding a lacrosse stick, cradling and passing. So a lot of their preseason activities have been helping prep these girls for the season as well as developing group work-out routines which help all of the girls get back into shape.

Angalena and I also got a chance to talk about some of her duties as co-captain. She told me that a lot unexpected problems have come up, especially in terms of financial issues. She went on to say that “without the leadership of a coach, there is a lot of responsibility that falls onto Claudia’s and I’s shoulders in order to coordinate practices, juggle financials, schedule buses, coordinate referees for our games, organizing groups for workouts, offering up free time to help girls, scheduling field times, contacting other teams to play, organizing executive meetings to discuss the above tasks and then setting up a game plan in order to coach the girls during practice.” Although all of this responsibility can seem overwhelming at times, Angalena has learned so much about leadership and organization. One of the really cool things about Grove City is that so many clubs are run entirely by students. Angalena and previous lacrosse captains have been able to take this lacrosse team from just an idea to a varsity sport by the end of the year.

Women's Lacrosse Team: Practice

We also got a chance to discuss the details on how practices are going to be run this season. She said that “practices first start with a warm up and then some conditioning work. Then we transition into a stick warm up with partner passing, shuttles and a few 3 v 2’s. We plan on doing shooting drills and more intense drills to practice our offense and scoring possibilities. We would also like to practice transitions and defensive drills.”

Another issue that a lot of girls ask going into this season is the amount of time they have to dedicate to this sport, especially since it is a club sport. Angalena responded to this by saying the time commitment during a standard practice week is a maximum of 4 hours. They organize two practices a week as well as a workout. In regards to games the time commitment is a little different since there is travel time and play time. Those hours tend to vary.

In terms of their season, Angalena told me that she has high hopes of making to the playoffs this season. She believes that “there have been a few teams in the past that I think we can beat based on the new talent on the team.”

Wrapping up our interview I wanted to get to know the team dynamic a bit and find out what the girls are like and the sense of community throughout the team. Angalena responded by saying that “we are a very well rounded team.” Majority of the girls who are on the team are involved in many other groups and clubs on campus. And the skill level on the team ranges from experienced players, who have played more than five years whether in high school or on travel teams, to players who are just picking up a stick. All in all though, the dynamic has seemed to “create a strong sense of community among the team.”

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The Lascell Girls

group_shot_lascell_houseThis year I got the amazing opportunity to live in a quaint house just a few feet from campus with eight other girls. During this semester, this house became a home to me. I cried there, I laughed till I fell on the floor there, I became someone there. I know it sounds cheesy, but it is true. These girls have become some of my closest friends and confidants. This house has enabled us to become a family. Some of my favorite memories are Saturday morning brunches with chocolate chip pancakes, going around the table saying our highs and lows of the week and most importantly the late night conversations.

After I tell people I live with eight other girls they typically give me the same look of “yikes, how do you have so much estrogen under one roof.” First, let me preface that like most girls, my housemates and I are not completely alike. We range from horseback riders, to lacrosse players and even writers. Some of us don’t talk at all while some of us talk way too much. No matter our differences though we agree on two core values. We all adhere to a no drama policy and we all want to use our abilities to serve one another, others and most importantly the Lord.3girls_1stdayofschool_lascellhouse

One of our service events this semester was our thanksgiving party. The party wasn’t the typical thanksgiving cuisine. Instead of the usual turkey and mashed potatoes, we had different types of food ranging from Italian to Polynesian food. We invited a bunch of our friends, made about six different pies and had our guests bring canned goods that we donated to the local food bank.

One of my favorite memories living in the house was our Halloween party. For weeks leading up to the event, we worked hard painting, crafting and creating this Pinterest based party. My friends Palmer and Megan made this unbelievably lifelike tree out of newspaper, cardboard boxes and spray paint.

The Lascell girls and this house have shaped me into the person I am today and I will always be thankful for all the great friendships and memories I have made at Grove City College.