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September 13, 2002
Second*Saturday
to Introduce New Students to Pioneer Valley
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Photo: Fred LeBlanc
Carrie
Doggett '05, Erin Whithouse '02, and Elana Kimbrell '05
harvest at the Food Bank Farm in Hadley during Second*Saturday
last fall.
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Give the puppies a
bath at a local animal shelter; rise at dawn for a birding safari;
clear debris from Stony Brook; pick apples and bake a winning
pie; help price books for the annual library sale; cook a gourmet
breakfast; make a quilt;
feed zoo animals; hike Mount Toby; observe a raku pottery firing;
or paddle a canoe down the Connecticut River. These are a few
of the profusion of activities that small groups of students will
enjoy together during Second*Saturday, a daylong orientation involving
new MHC students in recreational and community service projects
on and off campus.
Second*Saturday, which
takes place September 14 this year, has attracted growing numbers
of students since it was launched in 2000. Catharine Melhorn,
Hammond-Douglass Professor of Music and faculty coordinator for
the program, is thrilled with its success. When Second*Saturday
started three years ago, 250 students participated. "This
year," says Melhorn, "The program will involve more
than 400 new students and fifty-five upperclass student leaders
and drivers, as well as many faculty, staff, alumnae, and community
volunteers."
Conceived as part
of the College's efforts to provide a fun and meaningful
orientation for new students—first-years, transfers, international
students, and Frances Perkins Scholars—Second*Saturday aims
to introduce students to the Pioneer Valley and to encourage them
to embrace their new community.
"Just reading
the Second*Saturday brochure will begin to give new students an
idea of the rich resources of the Five College area," says
Melhorn. In all, there are thirty-four activities from which to
choose. To previous favorites such as the Apple Fest, Melhorn
has added several new sites this year. Two new trips will involve
participants in helping local Girl Scouts earn their badges. An
excursion to the Emily Dickinson Homestead and Evergreens (the
home of Dickinson's brother) in Amherst will entail some
volunteer housekeeping chores, followed by tours of the houses
and literary conversation. Eric Barnes, the College's debate
coach, has organized an outing for budding rhetoricians to help
Springfield High School students prepare for an upcoming debate
competition. Based on a suggestion from two upperclass students,
Melhorn has added a unique activity this year. A group of ten
students who are exploring premedical courses of study will visit
pediatrician Patricia Petrosky '85 at the Baystate Health
System's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and midwife Jane Frey
'77 at her office in Holyoke for informal conversation about
educational strategies and medical ethics.
Wherever they go and
whatever they do, Second*Saturday participants are bound to have
fun and to return to campus having expanded their knowledge of
the region. While some students will forge ties with community
groups, others may embark on a new hobby or passion, and all will
make new friends.
The
counter is
1,538
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