Northwest Missouri State University - Tower Yearbook (Maryville, MO)

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PEER ADVISER GLENN Wagner looks over Le- mond Warren ' s computer password form. Wagner spent the first day of Orientation helping at North Complex to ease the R. A. ' s responsibilities. Photo by Don Carrick HYPNOTIZED STUDENTS, THINKING they are airplanes, pretend to soar through the air during Dr. Jim Wand ' s show during Orientation. Wand, a campus favorite, gave two performances during the year. Photo by Brandon Russell. ACCOMPANIED BY HIS mother, Mary Jane, Phil Steins talks to an Advantage staff member about what to expect during Orientation week. Mary Jane graduated from Northwest with a degree in Elementary Education the previous spring. Pho- to by Don Carrick 14 Orientation

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Celebration Joins In F-E-S-T-I-V-A-L Madraliers perform at Renaissance Festival using their talent to recreate medieval times and entertain spectators By Lynn Trapp Imagine that it is the year 1590. The sounds of tambourines and harmonicas are floating through the air The court jester, in his splen- did decor, makes fun of some poor commoner. People munch on giant turkey legs and walk around, spout- ing such words as thou and nay. Members of Northwest Celebration became part of a similar scenario when they performed at the annual Kansas City Renaissance Festival on September 30. According to Dr. Rich- ard Weymuth, associate professor of music and director of Celebration, the day ' s activities were both educa- tional and fun. Being at the Renaissance Festival was just totally exciting, Weymuth said. It was really fun to be part of such a big production. I loved to watch the kids perform. It was a real natural high to be in front of so many people. It also helped us to get pre- pared for future performances. The festival was held in Bonner Springs, Kan. It was a recreation of a 16th century village, with enter- tainment and booths featuring hand- made crafts. Among the many attractions were jewelry designers, elephant rides and a dunking booth titled Drench a W6nch. Celebration member Laura Gripp eiyoyed the atmosphere. DAVE SCHIDLER PLAYS fashion show announcer, using the title of the next song to describe Kara Weston ' s dress. Pho- to by Don Carrick It was a great day, Gripp said. ' ' The weather was perfect and every- thing there was so interesting. The costumes the 26 Celebration members and their four accom- panists wore were replicas of royal fashions in 1585. Costume makers sewed the outfits, patterning them after clothing styles of dukes and ladies-in-waiting. The men sported tights and long tunics. The women wore long dresses in rich colors and flowered patterns. Jamey Bartlett felt the costumes added to the ambiance. The costumes definitely helped to get me into the mood of the day, Bartlett said. It was almost like I had stepped back into a whole differ- ent world. Celebration sang in five, 30-minute productions at the festival. Before each song, a short skit involving var- ious students was acted out. The pur- pose of the skits was to introduce the upcoming song. One skit that got a lot of laughs was Darren Parker and Kyle Gordon ' s spoof of the bodybuilding Saturday Night Live characters Hans and Franz. It was a real rush, Gordon said of the enactment. I loved doing it, though it took a lot of concentration. I think the crowd really eryoyed it. As Celebration sang, groups of peo- ple clustered around them. In order to keep the crowd ' s attention with all the distractions that were surround- ing them. Celebration had to put forth extra effort. There was so much going on while we were singing that we had to work harder to keep contact with our au- dience so they wouldn ' t leave to go do something else, ' ' Ed Huenemann said. A favorite saying of Weymuth ' s was Be the best you can be at all times with the talent that you have. Northwest Celebration took that say- ing and made it the core of all they participated in. Celebration 13

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Peers Aid Adjustment Throughout Orientation the Advantage team helped to ease the transition from home to college By Dale Brown Although most students were still eiyoying their summer vaca- tions, Northwest was busy preparing for its nationally-renowned Fresh- man Orientation Week. Peer Advisers, Resi- dent Assistants and Student Ambassadors, among other volunteers, all took part in the Advantage program which helped incoming freshmen ac just to the oddities and rigors of life on a college campus. We had a lot of activities for the students that helped them get to know each other and get their minds off home, Troy Oehlertz, North Complex head R.A., said. Many of them had some strange questions like if they could take their beds home with them. Some of the women ' s parents even said they didn ' t need a front door key since they would al- ways be in before midnight lockout. Oehlertz felt things went smoothly, overall, considering the chaos of first week activities. Student Ambassadors played a key part in the Advantage week by helping with regis- tration, Freshman Olympiad, Playfair, Par- ents ' Seminar and Casino Night. I felt Advantage was eryoyable for fresh- men, Jill Erickson, Student Ambassador, said. Many students came to us with ques- tions or problems because we had all been there and knew what it was like. We helped them adjust to college both academically and socially. ' ' Many freshmen appreciated the help given to them during their first week on campus since many of them had never been away from home for a long length of time. I was excited about being out on my own, but I didn ' t really know what to expect and how I would feel for the first few weeks, Gary Kirkpatrick said. Having some people around that had been here and weren ' t too old and gray to talk with made the switch smoother ' ' Campus Activity Programmers also provid- ed some entertainment breaks from the aca- demic testing associated with Advantage week by sponsoring a variety of activities ranging from dances, comedy acts and mo- vies, to hypnotist Jim Wand. Attendance of the events was high and many of the students ergoyed the opportunity to interact. In the end, playing mom and dad for a few days was just another job associated with be- ing on the staff of the Advantage program. Although they didn ' t always have the an- swers or solutions, the thought of just being present or around to listen helped add secu- rity to the freshman ' s life. FEATURED SPEAKER JOE Clark offers words of encouragement to incoming students and their families. Photo by Don Ca rrick Orientation 15