Weekend fun at Missouri Scholars Academy
Photos by Christopher Young. Visit the MSA online photo gallery.
June 12, 2009
Kathleen Brueggemann, Sullivan, Mo.
It was the first Friday of MSA, and excitement was buzzing in the air. We had our majors and minors as usual, but I found my major particularly intriguing. As a way to learn about yet another aspect of journalism, my True Story class loaded into vans and headed for Columbia’s very own NBC-affiliate news station, KOMU. News anchor Sarah Hill gave us a tour of the facilities, teaching us about the variety of jobs available at the station.
My favorite part of visiting KOMU was touring the set where the news is filmed. My classmates and I took turns sitting behind the news desk with earpieces in place, taking pictures of “America’s next great broadcasters.” It was a new and enjoyable experience, to say the least.
Later in the evening, I joined several other girls from my floor as we all prepared for the square dance. Many of the girls went all out with braids, plaid shirts and cowgirl boots. Some of the boys also dressed along the lines of the theme, but the majority of the boys, looked about the same as usual.
As we arrived at the location of the dance, the steps in front of Jesse Hall, scholars paired off as the band began calling off steps. The caller taught us moves such as the do-si-do and the ladies chain. As my partner and I swung through the steps, we saw many scholars laughing and enjoying themselves. We also did the “broom” dance and the Virginia Reel. The group ended the night with a waltz, switching partners every time the band paused. I met many new people throughout the dance, and it has definitely been one of my favorite experiences of the academy so far.
June 13, 2009
Megan Arnell, Chesterfield, Mo.
Another beautiful day at MSA dawned on Saturday with a little extra time to sleep in for us scholars. Everyone gathered on the quad after breakfast to participate in the rejuvenating exercise called Taiso, which was led by faculty member Ake Takahashi. Then we attended our majors to finish off our first week of classes.
The crowd went wild for hypnotist Conrad Dunn in the afternoon. Sixteen volunteers (and a few unexpected audience members) performed feats embarrassing and beyond hilarious in front of a nearly filled auditorium. My abdomen became positively sore from laughing at warnings of chicken invasions, waltzes with George Orwell, and fantastic dance exhibitions. Other activities in the afternoon included a nature hike, chess, Dungeons and Dragons, and an exploration of community dynamics. The weekend afternoon was also an opportunity to do laundry, relax in the lounge, or take a much-needed nap.
After dinner, the day wrapped up with a smash as scholars had the first street dance at MSA. Dance circles and dance-offs sprang up constantly among the mob of swaying, jumping, and bouncing scholars. We also enjoyed spontaneous scholars and residential advisers on stage dancing to Michael Jackson, Beyonce and *N SYNC. Finally, smiling and laughing but exhausted, we trooped off to bed for some rest after another busy, exhilarating day at MSA.
June 14, 2009
Allison Buenemann, Florissant, Mo.
For most of the scholars here at MSA, the first full Sunday here was relaxing and uneventful. That is unless you attended the three-hour-plus laundry party in the Mark Twain basement. All of us there learned that Sunday mornings are the worst possible time to try to get your laundry done. There were probably 40 of us crowding around the eight washers and dryers. This meant, for me, that there were plenty of people around to teach me how to do my own laundry!
On a more exciting note, Sunday also brought a lot of interesting styles of music to MSA. Japanese Taiko drummers performed for a large crowd during the afternoon, and a band made up of Missouri state legislators played later on in the night. A lot of us were really surprised to find out how hard all of our state representatives could rock out.
We wish a happy, class-free, Sunday birthday to Elizabeth Dingman, Andrew Iverson and Denny Garey!
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