The Colby Echo

Issue date: 2/23/07 Section: News & Features

Media Credit: Courtesy of Shannon Hodgdon

The Student Activities Office's effort to increase the offerings and participations in its Jan Plan Inspirations workshops this past January proved a big success as students, faculty and a host of Colby employees collaborated to put forth a range of workshops.

"Feedback from both instructors and students was wonderful," Shannon Hodgdon, Student Activities Secretary, who attended several workshops in addition to helping design this year's expanded program said.

Workshops were led by a variety of instructors, from professors to staff members to students. "I can't thank all the instructors who volunteered their time and skills enough," Hodgdon said. "My job was simple. They made it happen," she said.

The most popular workshops were snowshoeing, rock climbing and quilting, although a variety of dance and cooking classes were also well-attended. "In general the outdoor workshops were better attended," Hodgdon said. "Next year we may ask for COOT leaders and members of the Outdoor Club to help lead classes."

One of the more popular workshops was auto maintenance, instructed by PPD and its resident mechanic. The class was hands-on and informative enough that by the end, students were examining and assessing other students' cars with mechanical problems right in the PPD garage.

Mariah Buckley '07 offered a hip-hop dance class to take advantage of her free time this past January. "It was great. People worked really hard across a broad range of abilities," said Buckley. Buckley has been asked by some of her students to continue teaching a full-time class throughout the semester. "It's a bit hectic right now but I'd love to teach this semester if I can pull it together," added Buckley.

A handful of students, including first year student Sakshi Balani, took multiple workshops. "I took every dance workshop I could," Balani said. "It was an entertaining way to meet new people and it gave us something to look forward to every week," she said.

As successful as it was, there is a common sentiment among students that the program should continue to grow. "I'd like to see more diverse offerings in the future," Balani said. "Maybe do a workshop on photography or play acting-something interactive," she said.

"I'd like to see more students encouraged to teach," Samah Mahmood '10, another regular attendant, who took decorative painting, rock climbing and snowshoeing said. "I'd also like to see better advertising of the workshops ahead of time. I didn't know enough about them before sign-up and they filled up very fast," she said.

Hodgdon, who took pictures at all the workshops she attended, is in the process of compiling a slide show to put up on the Student Activities website. She hopes the slideshow will capture some of the fun students had this past January and inspire students in future years to join in and make Jan Plan Inspirations a cornerstone of the Colby Jan Plan experience.

Page 1 of 1

Article Tools