LaterPost: What Did You Do on Unofficial?

Every year on the University of Illinois campus, a couple of weeks before Spring Break, Unofficial St. Patrick's Day "celebrations" take place.  This is basically an excuse for all-day binge drinking, or in some cases all-weekend binge drinking.  Since our school is on the UIUC campus, we can't help but be directly affected by this yearly gathering of green beer drinking yahoos...I mean, celebrants.  This year was different, though: this year the Uni campus was on lockdown.

The students were inside ALL DAY.  This was difficult for these young minds, who are used to being able to roam free throughout the campus for lunch and during their free period.  We did the best to keep them occupied.

We had an impromptu Game Day, which had pretty good attendance.  (And, during which I got to see faces I didn't even know.  Hey, when the chips are down, guess you better go to the library, huh?)

Amy gets in on the Bananagram fun! 

Here's the winning hand.

I also put up a lovely new Author Spotlight display for students to gaze upon.  (Pretty sure I saw ONE student notice.)  This month we're having a Pisces Party and spotlighting five different authors born in March under the Pisces sign.  (That title Amy's awesome idea.)

And, if those two efforts weren't enough, Paul created a new poetry contest to whet the students' appetites for National Poetry Month in April.  He's always had Poems of the Week posted, but few students ever take notice.  He brainstormed with another teacher to get ideas on how to highlight these awesome works of poetry he so carefully selects.  The display is now called Poem of the Whenever, and it comes with a quiz!  We've cleared the library doors of clutter, and the poems are now the focal point of the entryway.  Students can now read the poems, complete a quick quiz, and get a prize when they have all the correct answers.  (Yes, we let them use the poems while they take the quiz.  Yes, we let them correct the answers until they have them all right.)

It was a long day, but we all muddled through.  If anything, the students probably appreciate their freedom even more this week...at least I'd like to think they do.



SPECIAL NOTE: We had one student come in and complete the Poem of the Whenever quiz today.  He walked out with a pencil, a piece of chocolate, and a high degree of self satisfaction.