October: Halloween All Month Long

October at college in Vermont is incredible for so many reasons.

The foliage is beautiful and the coffee is pumpkin:

Pumpkin Spice Macchiatos at DD are my fave

So many colors!

But mostly, it's because we celebrate Halloween...all month long:

Even the professors go all out!
(Taken at Prof. Peter Harrigan's home)

Actual Halloween is a week away and I've already done so many spooky activities! Earlier this month the cast of The Crucible (this semester's Mainstage production that I'll talk about more in a future post) went down to Salem, MA to learn more about the witch trials that we're recreating! We packed as much as we could into a short 24 hours, and it was awesome! (See Pat's post and Sarah's post for more!)

First, we had a candlelight tour given by the town historian! He was so knowledgeable and taught us so much about the actual story of the witch trials. We got to learn a lot more about our characters, and Salem is very cool at night. 

Plus, the beard was a nice touch

The next morning we went to the historical home of Judge Corwin of the trials, ironically called The Witch House. Although it was not home to any witches, it's full of historical artifacts and information actually pertaining to the trials (unlike much of Salem which is non-historically spooky).

We also went to the House of the Seven Gables, which although was not related to the Witch Trials, was related to Nathaniel Hawthorne's The House of Seven Gables, which was supposedly influenced Arthur Miller's The Crucible. Also, Nathaniel Hawthorne is a descendant of Judge Hathorne from the Witch Trials!

The last stop of the day was the Rebecca Nurse Homestead in Danvers, which was actually Salem back in the time of the trials. It was a beautifully sobering end to the day, as we finished up at the Rebecca Nurse memorial toward the back of the property.

But of course, there was plenty of silliness scattered throughout the day, such as band pictures for Old Dog & The Saltine, "the premiere seventeenth century bluegrass pentet."

Also, this weekend was the Annual Drama Club Haunted House! This year, the theme was a twisted art exhibit. It was super spooky and an incredibly fun time. (Note: I didn't actually take these pictures, they're lovingly stolen from friends.)

October is coming to a close, and the weather is getting cooler, but it's been a fun, though short, fall!

Questions, comments, concerns, cat videos? Email me at cholloway@mail.smcvt.edu, get social (links above)

ADORABLE ANIMALS:

Open Houses & Visiting SMC (and it's finally fall!!!!!)

Hello friends!

I'm so sorry that I haven't posted in a while! I'm still getting used to balancing my schedule (and figuring out what to share with you all).

So this weekend is the first open house of the semester! As a tour guide, this is so exciting for me because it means that so many people are going to be on campus! (The tragic thing is that I'm actually going on a trip this weekend, so I'll be here in spirit.)

Here at St. Mike's, we have a saying: it's all in the visit. I remember back when I was looking at colleges, and on paper, some of the schools I was looking at looked pretty similar. But, when I went and toured the schools, there were vast differences. You don't really know a school until you've been there - you have to know how it feels to be there.

For me, St. Mike's felt like home. I loved it here then, and I love it even more now! Unfortunately, I wasn't able to attend an open house when I was applying to St. Mike's, but I do know about them! So you might be wondering...

Why should I come to an open house (or visit in the fall)?

• If you don't know where you want to go to college

If you're still deciding on which school you'd like to attend (or what schools you want to apply to) then visit! If you aren't able to make it for an open house, we have tours Monday-Friday every week! (I lead tours on Friday at 2:30, so obviously that's the best time to come.) You should also visit other schools; go out, see the world, explore!

• The weather right now is ideal

Yesterday was a gorgeous day.

Fall seems to be the favorite season of just about everybody up here in Vermont. The foliage is colorful (my girlfriend claims that it's leaf-peeping season), and the weather is absolutely perfect. It's not too hot, and it's not too cold - it's sweater weather. There's no snow on the ground (yet) so it's really the perfect time for a visit!

• Open houses are the perfect opportunity to meet other people like you!

We have nearly two hundred families visiting this weekend; that's two hundred potential friends you could meet! Talk to St. Mike's students and faculty, but also talk to other visitors and find people with the same interests as you. If you're lucky, maybe you'll both decide to go here! St. Mike's is known for creating lifelong friendships.

• You can get a personal take on St. Mike's

Taking a tour or attending an open house gives you an opportunity to see SMC from the perspective of a real student. Your tour guide and other students have personal stories that they can share with you - you aren't just getting the statistics. Most of all, you can ask us anything. We're here to answer your questions honestly. Whatever question you have, no matter how specific or unique, we will do our best to answer (and if we don't know the answer, we'll direct you to somebody who will). 

Come and experience St. Mike's! Schedule a visit, register for an open house, send me questions, go to performances and sports events...the sky is the limit! If you want to know what it feels like to be a St. Mike's student (and it feels great), we are here to make that happen!

Enjoy the fall while it lasts!

Questions, comments, concerns, cat videos? Get social! Twitter and Instagram links are above, email me at cholloway@mail.smcvt.edu or comment here! 

Adorable animal video of the week is here!