Hark! Ripon Students Learn to Serve...with Shakespeare

On Tuesday, April 24th, in partnership with the Ripon Public Library and the Ripon College Office of Community Engagement, RC Professor Ann Pleiss-Morris and the ENG 300: Shakespeare and Modern Pop Culture class hosted a celebration of William Shakespeare’s Birthday for approximately 150 freshman students at Ripon High School.

The event provided a meaningful, educational experience for the freshmen students by teaching them in different mediums and forcing them to look at Shakespeare and the text in different lights. The results of the event will, hopefully, be that the freshmen came away from this experience better educated about Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare and how to examine a text through different means.

As a cohort of 13 students, Professor Pleiss-Morris' ENG 300 class teamed up into groups of two or three to prepare and present educational activities aimed at enhancing the Ripon High School freshmen students' exposure to and education of Shakespeare and in particular, Romeo and Juliet.

Divided into 6 stations, these activities included: 

1) Elizabethan Pop Culture 

The Elizabethan Pop Culture station gave students an idea of the time in which Shakespeare lived and wrote by enhancing the students' knowledge of the Elizabethan atmosphere in which he resided and created the masterpiece, Romeo and Juliet. This station focused specifically on examining Elizabethan culture, food, and fashion as they appeared in the Capulet's party scene in Romeo and Juliet. 




2) Acting/Staging

In order to teach and solidify the students' understanding of the relationship between the original Shakespearean text and the staging of a work, students broke into groups to prepare a scene from Romeo and Juliet using different styles or interpretations based on a variety of different settings, time, etc. Students were encouraged to change the language/dialogue of the scene to better fit their chosen theme. Although challenged by the restrictions imposed by the fifteen minute time limit, high school participants flexed their creative muscles to came up with some interesting and surprising interpretations!


3) Shakespeare in the Media

The Shakespeare in the Media station used a multi-media presentation to show students how Romeo and Juliet has been portrayed and adapted in various forms of media. Participants had the chance to take part in two activities during this session. The first was a song activity in which the group played popular songs with allusions to Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet was meant to encourage students to find connections between the songs and the play, and then to determine wether the songs were accurate portrayals of the play. The second activity was to theoretically re-cast Romeo and Juliet with a modern cast of popularly recognized members of today's pop culture. The hilarity of casting, say, Justin Bieber as Romeo helps students to think about the characters in a new light and makes them more easily relatable to this young audience. 

4) No Fear Shakespeare

At the No Fear Shakespeare station, students had the opportunity to view a movie clip from a modern adaptation of Romeo and Juliet (Gnomeo and Juliet) as well as an adaptation that is more true to the original Shakespearean text and compare two adaptations before breaking into smaller groups to review different scenes/lines from the No Fear Shakespeare version of Romeo and Juliet for comparison to the original text.



5) Shakespearean Taboo 
(a Romeo and Juliet version of the game)
Romeo and Juliet themed Taboo? What better way to test your knowledge of this well known play while interacting with the text in a new and interesting way!

6) Birthday Cupcakes and Shakespeare Trivia
Students had a chance to sit down and relax with a cupcake in honor of Shakespeare's birthday while playing a short Shakespeare trivia game directed by two librarians from the Ripon Public Library--Linda DeCramer and Amanda Canovan. The librarians also brought a number of books from the public library that featured Shakespearean themes or were adaptations of Shakespeare's plays for the students to browse.

 

Don't Dump It, Donate It!

Spring is in the air, and it's time to start sweeping out the winter BLUES....As you start to prepare to move out of the dorms or (in the case of staff and faculty) spring clean your offices in the next month or so, the OCE invites you to use the list below to help reduce your carbon footprint and leave our campus and community sparkling clean and better than we found it! 

The Office of Community Engagement Presents: 

Don't Dump It, Donate It: A Spring Clean-Up Series

Dates of Note: 
Earth Day is Sunday, April 22
Arbor Day is Friday, April 27
May Day is Tuesday, May 1


Ripon College Steps Up (Sponsored by the OCE) 
Tuesday, May 1 (12:00pm-1:00pm)
If you have participated in one of the activities listed below, you've taken steps to reduce your carbon foot print! Join us in front of the Commons at 12:00pm with bare feet and a willingness to get a little messy--to leave your "green" footprint in place of your "carbon" footprint! 

PLANTING FLOWERS/TREES

Need a gift for Mothers Day? A goodbye present for a favorite professor? A thank you gift for a staff member who has gone above and beyond? A memorial for a friend or relative who will be missed? Just want to help out the planet? Check out the Arbor Day Foundation's website to see what they're all about and check out some sweet deals.  Did you know that a membership is only $10.00 and you get 10 free trees to plant in your own backyard or to be planted in a national forest for you? You get to choose where your impact is made!

TRASH PICK UP/WINTER DEBRIS CLEAN-UP

Bowen's Woods Clean Up (Sponsored by EGOR) 
Sunday, April 22 (Time TBD) 
Join EGOR for an Earth Day treat: Assist in cleaning up the trash that collects in Bowen's Woods (the wooded area that runs between Thorne Street and Linley Lane) over the winter. Many interesting treasures have been found over the years! Trash bags and gloves will be provided; all you have to bring is yourself. Please contact Ariel Beres-Green at BeresgreenA@ripon.edu if you are interested in participating!

FUN FACT: Did you know that Bowen's Woods were named for Jehdeiah Bowen, a founder of the college and member of the Board of Trustees from 1851-1882? His home was located on the western edge of the woods, on the present site of Scott Hall. Today the woods are enjoyed by campus and community members, as well as a host of area wildlife, and Biology professor Bob Wallace is fond of taking students to Bowen's Woods to use as a living laboratory. As campus residents know, it is not uncommon to see a deer run across the path from one section of woods to another, or to other spot interesting wildlife flitting among the tree branches overhead. 


Day of Good Deeds-Helping Hands-Giving Hearts-Ripon 2012 (Sponsored by the Volunteer Center of FDL Co. & Ripon Roteract Club)
Saturday, April 21, 2012 (8:45am-noon)
Meet at the Band Stand on the Village Green across from the Ripon Drug Store by 8:45am to help rake and clean up yards for seniors and disabled citizens of Ripon! It's fun, a great way to spend time with your family and friends, and lunch is provided! If you have a rake, bring it along, but rakes will also be available for use at the event. To volunteer to clean up winter debris or to have your yard cleared of winter debris (for the elderly and disabled) call 926-1414 or email volunteer center@fdlvolunteer.com.

CLOTHING DONATION

The NEARLY Naked Mile (Sponsored by Sigma Chi)

Friday, April 27 (7:30pm)
Join the brothers of Sigma Chi for the Nearly Naked Mile, a fun alternative to traditional clothing drives, set up to benefit the Ripon Community Thrift Store. Description: Donors pile on layers of clothing to be donated (over a swimsuit or other appropriate layer of clothing which will stay ON during the entire run: underwear is not acceptable if visible) and head down to the start line in Storzer's back lot to put their clothes in the donation boxes. The clothing donations will be followed by a run/walk through the Ceresco Prairie. APPROPRIATE attire is required underneath the donated clothes. All donated clothing will go to the local thrift store. For more information contact philanthropy chair and event organizer James DeCleene at DeCleeneJ@ripon.edu.

Prom Dress Recycle (Sponsored by the Miss Ripon College Charity Pageant)
April 5, 6, 9, 10, 11 (5pm-7pm, Pickard Commons)
Allow another girl to feel like a princess! Donate your old formal or prom dresses and accessories! The Miss Ripon College Charity Pageant Committee is collecting gently used, clean dresses, accessories and shoes of all sizes and styles for Ripon High School's upcoming prom. Dress collections include Thursday and Friday (April 5-6) as well as next Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday (April 9-11) during dinner at the Pickard Commons. Contact Pageant Director Chelsea Gawlik at GawlikC@ripon.edu or Amanda Mueller at MullerA@ripon.edu if you have any questions or would like to schedule an alternative dress collection time. 

Business/Professional Clothing Drive (Sponsored by the Ripon Girl Scout Troop 6170)
April (Dates unspecified. See below)
If you've got business casual or professional clothing hanging out in your closet looking for a good home, put to good use by donating it to the Ripon Girl Scout Troup 6170! Please donate only gently used, professional clothing. Women's and Men's Clothing accepted. "The Ripon Girl Scout Troop 6170 will be collecting business attire to be donated to the Ripon Thrift Store. It will then sell the clothes at a discounted rate or give them away to those in the community going to job interviews to try to better themselves. The scouts wrapped boxes and have placed them for one month at Alliance Laundry Systems, Immanuel United Methodist Church, Ripon Printers and Ripon Medical Center."-Ripon Commonwealth (Thursday, March 29, 2012)

HOUSEWARES

Ripon Community Thrift Store 

Do you have high quality, gently used home good items laying around that you never use anymore? The Ripon Community Thrift Store would be happy to take them off your hands between the hours of 10am-5pm Thursday through Friday and between 10am-3pm on Saturdays! How? It's easy! Just gather up your gently used clothing, housewares and artwork and walk it down to the thrift store, newly re-located to the old Tracy Porter building beside the Police Station at the end of Watson Street. The proceeds from the thrift store go towards making sure that the Ripon Community Food Pantry is always stocked and running smoothly. The Food Pantry serves hundreds of individuals every month, and no person in need of food is ever turned away. Check out their website at http://www.communitythriftstoreandfoodpantry.com/ for more information.

Large Furniture/Home Fittings and Appliances 
The Oshkosh Habitat for Humanity ReStore would be happy to accept your unwanted large furniture, household appliances and household fittings such as toilets, bathroom and kitchen cabinets and sinks, doors, windows, flooring, hardware, lighting fixture and ceiling fans, and much more. To check out a complete list of accepted donations and guidelines on what is NOT accepted, go to http://www.habitatoshkosh.org/ReStore.php.

FUN FACT: Ripon Alumna Katie LaViolette ('11) currently serves as Volunteer Coordinator at the Oshkosh Habitat for Humanity ReStore. If you're interested in volunteering at the Oshkosh ReStore, shoot her an email at klaviolette@habitatoshkosh.org! 

BOOKS 
Do you have a pile of books that you're dreading packing up to take home at the end of the year? Instead of throwing them out, consider one of the following options:

• Donate them to people who desperately need them at the International Book Donations Program web site.

• Give them to the Lane Library book sale: The library's Annual Book Sale is coming up (April 10th) and we welcome your donations of unwanted books! Just drop them off at the circulation desk and specify that they are for the book sale. All proceeds go directly to funding the college library so that YOU have great reading and research material at your fingertips! 

• Drop them off at the Public Library for the Ripon Public Library Friends of the Library semi-annual book sale. Donations for the Used Book Sales are accepted throughout the year and can be left in the book sale donation bin, just inside the library's front entrance. We cannot accept moldy/mildewed books, encyclopedias or textbooks. To find out more, check out the Ripon Public Library WEBSITE.

CHEMICAL WASTE/BATTERIES 
Clean Sweep 2012
Saturday, May 5 (9am-12pm)
The UW Extension will be collecting hazardous chemicals at the Fond du Lac County Fairgrounds. Businesses, Farms, and Schools need to pre-register. Visit www.fonddulac.uwex.edu/cleansweep for more information.

FUN FACT: Next time you need new batteries, consider getting some rechargeable ones. Two AA Ni-Cad rechargeable batteries can replace up to 600 single-use batteries!

ELECTRONICS 

Cell Phones 
The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence has teamed up with ReCellular, Inc. to collect and recycle old cell phones. A portion of the monies that come from the sale of these refurbished cell phones goes to the NCADV to support programming that helps stop violence in the home. Roughly 60 percent of cell phones will be refurbished and resold, and the remaining cell phones will be recycled to the highest environmental standards. To print off postage paid labels to ship your phones, visit the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence online.

Printer Ink Jet and Toner Cartridges for Homes
Don't pitch those old personal printer cartridges. Drop them off at the Habitat for Humanity office or ReStore and help the organization generate funds that help build homes. Find out more HERE.

MISCELLANEOUS 
Cans for Homes
Don't just recycle your aluminum cans, donate them to Habitat for Humanity. Habitat for Humanity will exchange the cans for cash that helps fund building in our community. Find out more HERE.

Donate a car to Cars for Homes and help build houses!
Your vehicle donation can help a family build a home, and the hope of a better life! Car, truck, boat, and RV donations help Habitat for Humanity build houses in partnership with families in need of decent, affordable shelter. Donate a car, truck, boat, RV or other vehicle to Cars for Homes TM, Habitat for Humanity's official car donation program, by calling 1877-277-4344 toll free or click HERE to donate online. 

Horton Hears A...HOLA! (The Hispanic Outreach and Learning Assistance Program, that is!)

Horton (Jordan  Buhle, ('15) holds a flower during a Bi-lingual presentation of Horton Hears a Who

Every year the Ripon Public Library pays homage to beloved children's author, Dr. Seuss, and this year was no exception! On Thursday, March 1 from 3:30pm-5:30pm the Ripon Public Library hosted a birthday celebration in honor of Dr. Seuss, his famous cat, and the many beloved characters he brought to life though his children's books. Seuss fans of all ages packed the basement of the Library to enjoy an abundance of Seuss related activities, including trivia, birthday cupcakes, life size interactive games, puzzles, board games, crafts, and even a chance to meet the great Cat himself!

Ripon College student, staff, and faculty volunteers joined ranks with the Friends of the Ripon Public Library, Ripon Education Association and Ripon High School to make the event a big success!

HOLA (Hispanic Outreach and Learning Assistance, a student run program through the Ripon College Office of Community Engagement) provided a very special treat for the occasion, in the form of Suess-tastic theatrical entertainment! Members of HOLA and Spanish professor Geoff Gauvara-Geer utilized their spanish language skills and love of children's books to present several of Dr. Suess' "best" works as performed works...using both English and Spanish to tell the tales. Along with a dramatic reading of One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish, the highlight of the evening was a delightfully fresh take on the book, Horton Hears a Who. 

Members of the RC campus community act out a scene from Horton Hears a Who

Ripon College students started HOLA several years ago in the year 2000 when they noticed that the number of hispanic students in the Ripon School District had quadrupled in the 10 years before. Further research determined that across the nation less than 10 percent of families needing English as a Second Language (ESL) services are being served. The essential goal of the program was to assist Hispanic families as they integrated into the Ripon community by creating connections between people through active volunteer service by Ripon College students.

 Today they are doing just that. Besides acting as a resource for families seeking assistance with ESL services in the Ripon Area, HOLA works to build a community of native English and Spanish speakers who have mutual respect for each other's language and customs, and strives to create a safe

Murray Stoffa ('13) reads One Fish Two Fish to an enthralled audience while Dulce Andrade ('13) looks on.

place to begin a language transcendant dialogue about issues in our community that affect everyone, regardless of our language or culture of origin.

The impacts of the HOLA program go beyond quantitative measure. Ripon College students who are active in volunteering with HOLA have identified several benefits available to those volunteering, saying that HOLA fosters their communication and leadership skills while providing opportunities to learn more in depth about Hispanic cultures and language from neighbors and partners who have first hand knowledge of them.

If you are interested in finding out more about HOLA or getting involved in your community,  please contact us here at the Office of Community Engagement by calling 748-8153 or email us at oce@ripon.edu. We would love to hear from you! 

Murray Stoffa ('13), Dulce Andrade ('13),  Jordan Buhle ('15), Viviana Lecchini (Spanish TA), Geoff Guevara-Geer (Spanish Professor)
Kaitlyn Welzen ('15), Elizabeth Pedroza ('15)

Wacuco Panama, 2012

Building. Be it interpersonal bridges or a physical dam, Ripon College students were not afraid to roll up their sleeves and get their hands dirty during a trip to Wacuco Panama this January. The trip, led by Professor Brian Smith, was meant to offer students a chance to experience a different reality, learn new skills, and work alongside the local community to build a much needed dam. Their host was Fr. Wally Kasuboski, a Ripon native and recipient of an honorary degree from Ripon College in 2010. Since 1988 Fr. Wally has been working with the Chocoe Embera Indians to bring fresh, clean water to everyone living in the area. Fr. Wally has worked diligently with the local people to ethically develop jobs, make trade education available, and obtain the physical, financial and political support needed to build churches, roads, water systems, etc to meet the needs of the community. The latest phase of this project encompasses the building of a dam, which our Ripon College student volunteers got to experience up close and personal during their time in Panama. Upon returning to Ripon, the student volunteers were asked to reflect on their experiences.

Below is a sampling of what they had to say:

1.      Describe the most important experience(s) you personally had in Panama. 

The dam under construction, as it appeared
 to Ripon College volunteers in January 2012

"The most important experience that I had in Panama was just being there. Helping other people, meeting new people, being around other people who also wanted to help that was life changing. You don’t realized how lucky you are to be a part of a group like that until you meet everyone in the group and realize why everyone is really there." --Alyssa Wetzel, '14

2. Explain any new personal awareness about yourself (e.g., deeper level of understanding of yourself, talents, and desires; clarification of personal goals for your life; spiritual insights, etc.) that resulted from your time in Panama.

"Throughout the whole trip I received positive feedback from many of the community members about my work ethic and my care for others. This opened my eyes to the potential we all have as human beings and the potential I have to be an even better person."--Laura Savall, '15

"I learned so much about myself on this trip. I realized I can handle a lot more than I thought I ever could. I can handle spiders and snakes, bumpy rides, large rocks, and dust in the eyes. I can handle cold showers, no TV or internet, no glamour, and no cell phone. I realized that I can do this, and because I can, I should. I’ve begun to seriously consider the Peace Corps after graduating because I know I can handle it. God has given me the strength and ability to help people, and I believe it is my responsibility to do so." --Emma Jelinek, '14

3. Did you come to any new understanding of poverty and its causes in a developing country and what can be done to alleviate it? Explain.

Professor Brian Smith (Religion), Laura Savall ('15), Samantha Petroski ('15),  Alyssa Wetzel 
('14), Molly Gruetner,('13), Emma Jelinek ('14), Fr. Wally Kasuboski, Brad Habert ('12)

"Yes, I pictured poverty as more of a money issue then a resource issue. After my trip to Panama I understand that simply sending food and water isn’t enough to solve the problem. Although many of the people in Panama have enough money to buy the supplies they need to live healthy lives there is nowhere to purchase them, so instead they are stuck paying money for substandard drinking water. With the work Fr. Wally is doing on the dam people will be able to use their money to buy clean drinking water, instead of paying for the dirty contaminated water. There are also people who have no money, the dam construction is providing jobs to many of these people and even paying them above the minimum wage of the country. Fr. Wally is also taking charge on many more contracts given to him by the government such as building roads and bridges which will provide even more jobs to the locals who need the money. The way to alleviate poverty in Panama is not to simply send money to the locals but instead give them a way to support themselves by increasing the infrastructure in the country and making it possible for more people to hold jobs." --Brad Habert, '12

"Even though I knew there was poverty in the world, experiencing it the way that we did in Panama allowed me to understand more. I saw that even though the country was developing, there were parts that were left behind, almost forgot about. With tall skyscrapers in Panama City to huts and dirt floors in Torti I was overwhelmed with feeling of sadness and anger that there could be such a wide range of living conditions." --Molly Gruettner, '13


4. Described your plan(s), if any, to become more involved in community service as a result of your trip experience (e.g., participate more in volunteer work; start a new project; share information about your overseas work with others; prepare yourself academically and professionally for future humanitarian work internationally or domestically, etc.

"The trip showed me the importance of water and how serious of an issue it will become in the near future. As a result of the trip I have been researching opportunities that would be available to me after my graduation at the end of the current semester. Without my trip to Panama there is no way I would have discovered my interest in the Peace Corps and would likely have decided to go straight into the job market." --Brad Habert, '12

"I decided that when I was older I wanted to be like the older people who were there. I thought about it and every year when I’m older instead of going on vacation I would like to do a service project in a foreign country." --Samantha Petroski, '15

Ripon Community and College members joined forces for their visit to Panama.  

5. If you were explaining to another student who is interested in going to Panama about this trip, what would you say to them?
"I would tell them that it truly is hard to describe fully because it is such a personal experience. Every individual gets something different out of it. It is a lot of hard work, sweat, and dirt, but it is also a lot of fun, good times with friends, and a sense of accomplishment. I would tell them not to be worried about diseases or safety because I felt entirely safe. The experience is worth every penny I spent and so much more!" --Emma Jelinek, '14

"The trip reminded me a lot of a camping trip. The conditions of the compound were great and to say we were roughing it would be a drastic overstatement. The bugs and heat/humidity were not nearly as bad as I expected them to be. There was always work to be done, whether it was at the dam site, or building pews for the local church. I didn’t find myself standing around looking for something to do very often after the first day when things go situated. I ate better on the trip then I did at school and every night was a great home cooked meal. The days consisted of hard work while the nights consisted of playing cards...and socializing with friends. Out of all the trips I have been on I felt most welcomed into the group on this trip; everyone was quick to get to know you and was very inviting." --Brad Habert, '12

10 Things You can Do Today to Inspire the World Around You.

• Create connections that count.
• Set aside your own wants and needs to be a part of something bigger. 
• Overcome your fears and obstacles.
• Create ways to be inclusive of others.
• Practice unconditional acceptance, demonstrate enthusiastic support, and overcome judgement.
• Look to be inspired.
• Inspire with intent, but not with expectations.  
• View inspirational moments as their own reward.
• Know that inspirational moments happen everyday. Look for them!
• Create inspirational moments for yourself and others.

Adapted from Youth to Youth International