Hello Freshmen! This is the day that the new students arrive on the Davidson College campus and prepare to tackle academia. First there will be lots of orientation information for them and for their parents. Then the parents head for home and college life begins. What an exciting time!
Around Davidson visited with one of these eager college freshmen, Molly Goode, and then took time to interview another eager young “freshman,” Hannah Mae Stevens, who will begin kindergarten at Davidson Elementary next week.
There is also news today of the dedication of the Sterling Martin Nature Trail last Saturday plus a Noteworthy Note about an upcoming program at The Pines featuring Dick Cole and Carol Cook.
Molly Goode is ready for college life at Davidson!
COLLEGE LIFE IS CALLING MOLLY GOODE
Davidson College for Molly Goode will be a pretty easy transition. The daughter of Mike and Margaret Goode, she lives within shouting distance of the campus; her parents are Davidson College graduates; and she has many relatives who are Davidson College graduates. She knows the campus well but, as many others in her class, is a little anxious about the academic demands.
A Hough High School grad (June 2012), Molly is eager to meet her college roommate from New York City. She moved her belongings into her Belk dormitory room yesterday evening but will spend her first night in the dorm tonight following orientation activities and a legacy luncheon this noon. Molly already knows a number of freshmen since she participated in the Odyssey Program which ran from last Saturday until yesterday. Seven groups enjoyed outdoor Odyssey adventures while Molly’s group focused on service. All Odyssey members spent last Saturday at the lake campus overnight and then Molly and her seven fellow freshmen “camped” at Erwin Lodge while taking part in projects including volunteering at Charlotte’s Plaza Place, Second Harvest Food Bank, Crisis Assistance Ministry, Habitat for Humanity and Hinds Feed Farm.
Two things excite Molly already about the college experience: meeting new students and making new friends plus finally getting to sit in the Student Section at Davidson basketball games! Good Luck, Molly. We look forward to seeing you around campus.
Brother Aaron and sister Emily Grace will miss sharing cookies with big sister Hannah Mae.
KINDERGARTEN BECKONS HANNAH MAE STEVENS
A brand new “Dora, the Explorer” backpack and a Disney “Princess” lunch bag are all that is required to make Hannah Mae Stevens ready to climb on that big yellow school bus and head to Davidson Elementary School (DES) for the very first time. This delightful five year old will soon have the required items including glu-stick, markers, composition book, handi-wipes and change of clothes zippered inside and lunch box filled for next Wednesday, August 29.
With backpack and lunch bag, Hannah Mae Stevens is ready for Kindergarten!
But wait! School starts on Monday, the 27th. What’s up? This year kindergarteners have staggered entry with a third coming each day Monday-Wednesday. Then they have a vacation day on Thursday while the teachers make assignments and call each student that afternoon to tell them which classroom will be their “home for real” on Friday when they have a first full day for all kindergartners. DES anticipates that there will be 4 full kindergarten classes and two K-1 classes this year (with a student body totaling 672 youngsters in grades K-5). What fun!
Hannah Mae is the oldest child of Erland and Karin Stevens of Davidson. She will be leaving Aaron (3 years) and Emily Grace (20 mos.) behind when she tackles “big school” for the first time. She attended DCPC pre-school five days a week last year so is well practiced in school “things.” She is particularly looking forward to riding the bus with neighborhood friends and most excited about time on the elementary school playground. Best wishes to you, Hannah Mae, for a wonderful school year and a bright beginning for many happy school years to come.
Sterling Martin stands beside the information kiosk showing the trail named for him
STERLING MARTIN IS HONORED
Last Saturday morning an enthusiastic crowd gathered next to Davidson Day School’s playing field to honor Davidson resident Sterling Martin for years of leadership in recreation and conservation and to dedicate a walking trail in his name. Sterling has worked tirelessly on the Lake Davidson Nature Preserve with its entrance just off the sidewalk and along a short path next to Davidson Day. (The school granted the easement so the Town of Davidson could finally have a public access area to Lake Davidson.) The kiosk at the entrance informs visitors that this area is a Town of Davidson Park with Canoe and Kayak Access and is also a partnered project of the Davidson Lands Conservancy (DLC) and Outfitter REI.
There are more canoes and kayaks than racks to hold them.
Over a two year period, REI gave funding of $24,000 to help with the half mile nature trail, canoe racks, gazebo, information kiosks and benches, almost all of which are thanks to Sterling Martin’s expertise with his Kubota tractor with front end loader, hammer, saw and numerous other tools – not to mention untold weeks of donated labor! Sterling’s 14 comfortable benches (after an Aldo Leopold design – he is considered the father of the conservation movement), each have a cut-out featuring a Russ Gavitt nature photo with the name of a DLC board member. Recently teenager Andrew Nielsen’s Eagle Project provided some additional canoe racks so that there is now space for 24 – and not only are the racks filled but a good sampling of water craft are tied to trees nearby. The Town’s Public Works provided the trash bins. Alice Sudduth was instrumental in seeing that trees were identified with World of Wonder (WOW) tags. (WOW is a wing of the Land Conservancy.) The half mile perimeter trail around the property still needs work but is already a delight to hike.
Needless to say, the Lake Davidson Nature Preserve is the work of many people dedicated to spending many hours conserving a beautiful piece of land with lake frontage. And it is not hard to understand why the DLC suggested that the Nature Trail be known always as the Sterling Martin Trail.
Carol Cook and Dick Cole will partner for their sixth piano and voice recital next Tuesday.
NOTEWORTHY NOTE
Next Tuesday, August 28, is the date. The time is 4 p.m. and the location is the Davidson Room at The Pines Retirement Community on Avinger Road. For the sixth time, Dick Cole and Carol Cook will join talents to present a piano and voice recital entitled “Joseph Haydn and Anne Hunter – A Musical Partnership.”
Dick will begin the afternoon program with a Haydn sonata. Then accompanied by Dick at the piano, Carol will sing several of the songs Haydn and Anne Hunter, a respected London poet, collaborated on.
This program is free and open to the public. What a nice way to spend an afternoon.
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Have news for Around Davidson? Write to Brenda Barger at hbbarger@gmail.com.
