Best of Florida Schools 2005
Web-Only Categories—Page 3

Best Student and Staff Showdown
Whose Line is it, Anyway?
Onlookers erupted into laughter and burst into tears as students and staff went head-to-head in a battle of wits at the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale.

AiFL’s Student Government hosted “Whose Line is it, Anyway?: Student vs. Staff,” pitting four students and four staff members against one another. Team members were chosen based on their reputations for being bright, funny, and entertaining. The audience judged their performance as the two groups battled it out, performing improv scenes from The Dating Game, kabuki theatre, and random prompts drawn from a hat. The new game was an instant hit, and the top four were brought back for a final round during AiFL’s Spirit Week celebration, their version of homecoming.

“This year, Spirit Week hosted all new events with the exception of one,” says Dan Figueroa, former Student Government president. “They all did surprisingly well and were a lot of fun!”

Spirit Week takes place the week of Halloween and combines both celebrations to maximize the fun with tons of outrageous games. Students solved the mystery in a life-size game of Clue, shook in their boots at the Creepy Carnival, and improved their reflexes in Daunting Dodgeball.

“Anyone who walks into our school never knows what they’re going to get,” says Joel Nemes, director of student and alumni relations. “The Student Government and I work very closely to make sure our events are imaginative, entertaining, and trendy. Spirit week exemplifies that.” —MM

Contact Nemes at jnemes@edmc.edu.

Best Moonlight Madness
Mardi Gras by Barry
Boobs, beads, beer, and…basketball? Although it’s not one of the usual words associated with Fat Tuesday, just head over to Barry University’s Moonlight Madness event. There, you’ll get the beads, the noise, and some basketball to boot—without having to fast the next day or flash drunken strangers.

Assistant Athletic Director Jamie Carrig definitely gets into the spirit of the event, dressing up according to the theme each year and serving as master of ceremonies. This year, rigged out as the King of Mardi Gras, Carrig was chief bead-tosser and announcer for a crowd of almost 1,000 screaming Barry-basketball fanatics. He shared mic duties with Miami Heat Xtreme Team announcer Mike Baiamonte, who was there with the Heat to wow the crowd. “Their performance is always topped by a fireball-dunking stunt, which leaves the entire crowd holding its breath!” says Tessie Alvarez, associate director of the Center for Leadership Development and Transition Services. The crowd, decked out in their free “Moonlight Mardi Gras” T-shirts and red, black, and silver beads, whooped and hollered for the talents of the Barry cheerleaders, the Jamaican Association Dancers, and the first-ever performance of the Barry Step Team. Audience members also got a chance to meet all the players on the men’s and women’s teams.

Now, add one more “B” to the celebration—baseball! Although the event is normally all about basketball, this year’s event had a surprise highlight—the World Series. “It was game seven of the Red Sox and Yankees, so to ensure attendance from our largely Boston and New York fans, the game was projected,” Alvarez says. –SRR

Contact Alvarez at talvarez@mail.barry.edu.

Best Thanksgiving
Sharing Foreign Fowl
When exchange students pack their bags and head to the opposite side of the globe, they can be sure they’ll experience many new and different sights, foods, and customs. And thanks to Dr. Gloria Pelaez, Taiwanese students attending Barry University get to add a full-out Thanksgiving feast to their list of unique moments in Florida.

That most American of meals is quite a culture shock for the Asian students of the TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) graduate program. “One thing that always comes up is the actual display of the turkey without head or feet,” Pelaez says. “In Taiwan and China, birds are cooked and displayed with both!” She uses the meal to talk more than just turkey, however, educating the students about the history and traditions of the holiday while filling their plates. One thing that consistently surprises the students is that the holiday places no emphasis on good luck, a common theme in celebrations back home.

And a meal with people from a foreign land is no place for culinary assumptions either, so not only have the students learned from Pelaez, but she has learned about their culture as well. The feast is in its second year, and already, changes in the menu are in the works. “The students ate turkey with all the trimmings but no salad,” says Jessie Darga, university relations. “Dr. Pelaez remembered that last year’s participants expressed distaste for the leafy side dish because lettuce isn’t eaten raw in their culture.” –SRR

Contact Darga at dargaj@bucmail.barry.edu.

Best New Club
Fishing for Friends
Groups of students cross the street with long poles tucked underneath their arms. They’re excitedly talking about the big one that won’t get away this time. Some can hardly resist sprinting to the lake. These students are members of the Beacon College Fishing Club.

The club started out as just a couple of students walking to a local fishing spot together, but now about 10 percent of Beacon students get together to bait their hooks. However, the club doesn’t require its members to know how to fish or even know anything about fishing at all. “The kids just walked down there with their poles and started fishing,” says Bob Bridgman, Fishing Club sponsor. “So, it started because guys were interested in doing it, just kind of grassroots, and it grew from there.”

Last November, the new club rented a pontoon boat to fish on nearby Lake Harris. “We were a couple of rookie guys on a boat who weren’t really used to being out on a boat,” Bridgeman says. “We’d stop and drop anchor and kind of hang out for 30 to 45 minutes and fish in a particular area, and then we’d pick up anchor and take off to another spot.”

The members of the club thought they had an anchor system down—one person would raise the anchor and give the signal to move the boat. But, on one particular occasion when the group was fishing by a small island, someone gave the signal when no one lifted the anchor. “The rope kind of spun around the propeller,” Bridgeman says. One of the club members had to dive into the water to free the tangled anchor rope.

“We spent the whole day laughing. I think that the trip was more about spending time together than actually becoming fishermen,” Bridgeman says. “We were able to use some extra money to go out to lunch together, so we really made a full day of it.” The club plans to plan a similar trip once a semester—minus the anchor issues. —JLT

Contact Bridgeman at bbridgman@beaconcollege.edu.

Best Parents’ Weekend
Bowties and Barbecue
Anticipation hangs in the air as everyone rushes to finish the last touches. Soon, the floors in every room are sparkling clean, the food is set up, and everyone is dressed. There’s nothing more to do but wait. Students excitedly yelp and start running as they see their parents’ cars roll up.

At Beacon College, parents’ weekend is always a highly anticipated annual event for students, faculty, and parents. But, the weekend was a bit different this year because students got more involved. They asked the administration for more chances to pitch in because they wanted to raise money for clubs and activities.

Beacon recently added a new apartment complex to the campus, so organizers decided to hold a big barbecue on the new grounds that Saturday. “The barbecue allows the parents to come on campus when all the staff and faculty are here. They get to meet in a casual environment with students and faculty as well as the college administration and staff,” says Bob Bridgeman, vice president of student services and operations. “So it’s a nice, relaxed atmosphere where moms and dads can put a face with a name.”

Since someone donated a dunking tank to the college right before this year’s parents’ weekend, some students decided to get into the tank and sell tickets to anyone who might want to try submerging them. This event’s proceeds went to the dunked students’ clubs. “You could either dunk your peer or there were a few moms and dads out there who got to enjoy dunking their children as well,” Bridgeman says.

After the barbecue, the college planned a formal gala at a local reception hall. The women wore formal gowns and the men were decked in suits. “It’s a real nice opportunity for our students to dress up and just enjoy a nice dinner,” Bridgeman says. “We also have a DJ who provides music at the event. You know, they don’t often get the opportunity to go to those types of formal events.”

The college plans to enlist students’ help in planning future parents’ weekends. “The students always enjoy our parents’ weekend. It’s a lot of fun and it’s also a time for them to shine,” Bridgeman says. “It’s something that they look forward to every year.” —JLT

Contact Bridgeman at bbridgman@beaconcollege.edu.

Copyright © 2006 Oxendine Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved