Residence Life News and Activities
Whose Line Is It Anyway?
By Jesse Newman Lindorf
The audience was in hysterics on March 15 at GSSM's fourth annual "Whose Line is it Anyway?," modeled after the hit television show. Rebecca Miles, a GSSM junior, served as the host as GSSM seniors Christian Buckson, Dylan Hale, Michael Shoppell and Mark Stanton took the stage to perform such skits as "Weird Newscasters," "Whose Line" and "Helping Hands." In "Weird Newscasters," Mark played the lead anchor of a news show, with the others acting as co-host, sports anchor and weather anchor. Rebecca gave each student, except the lead anchor, a quirky personality to be used in the scene. Michael played a co-anchor who was in the middle of a Broadway musical; Chris was a drill sergeant with sports; and Dylan played a 'less evolved' weatherman. In the game "Whose Line," Chris and Mark enacted a scene from "Beauty and the Beast"; Chris decided to be the Beast while Mark graciously offered to play Beauty. In the scene, Beauty had to plead with the Beast to free "her" father, which included random lines written on slips of paper they had in their pockets. The lines were provided by the audience members and were not seen by the performers until they were used. The show ended with "Helping Hands." Mark acted as Michael's hands as he showed Chris how to make his famous "Healthy Man Shake" made of milk, tomatoes and grapes, just to name a few. The students enjoyed watching the performance. "It made me laugh harder than any other program this semester," said Mira Radieva, a GSSM junior. RAs Jesse Newman Lindorf and Shane Smith sponsored this program.
Black History Program- Pearl Fryar
By Alex James
On February 29, GSSM held its student-sponsored Black History Program on the nearby campus of Coker College. Those who came enjoyed the performances and were amazed by the talent of our students. The Gospel Choir led the audience in the singing of "Lift Every Voice and Sing" and senior Christian Buckson stepped forward and astonished many in the audience with his solo of "A Change Gon' Come" by Sam Cook. One of the choir directors, Anthony Peguese, said that he was "very proud of all of the students that participated in the program. It is evident that they worked hard and it obviously paid off." Many were amazed at the step team's performance, especially those seeing them step for the first time. Pearl Fryar from Bishopville was the guest speaker. Fryar shared some poignant thoughts with the audience and had a special message for the students. He ended his presentation stating he enjoyed the program and that it was the best Black History Month Celebration that he had ever been a part of! Congratulations students on a job well done!
USC Upstate Step Show
By Alex James
N-STEP, GSSM's step team, recently traveled to USC Upstate to see a live Greek Life step show. N-STEP has seen several online videos of various Greek organizations stepping in shows. On February 15, N-STEP traveled to USC Upstate to watch several organizations display their talent and skills. The students recognized many of the steps that they saw in the step videos and some moves they recognized as variations of steps they learned from their Step Master Raques McGill, who is a junior at GSSM. Not only did they enjoy watching the various organizations step, but also seeing them show off some of the fraternity and sorority dance moves excited the students. Many of the N-STEP members danced along to the music while they watched the performance. We would like to extend a special thanks to Coach and Mrs. Pate for making this trip possible.
Valentine's Day Dance
By Alex James
In honor of the annual day of love, the Student Activities Board sponsored a Valentine's Day Dance on February 16. Students enjoyed a change of scenery, as the dance was held for the first time at the Coker College boathouse on a nearby lake. SAB seniors Christian Buckson and Chavis Stackhouse provided their own blend of old, new, slow and fast jams. Decorations and food also were provided by SAB for the students' enjoyment while they took a break from dancing. The students enjoyed the entire night.
Queen of Hearts
By Alex James
Once again, the annual "Queen of Hearts" took place on Valentine's Day. It was sponsored by SAB and, as usual, was a very tough competition. To be declared the Queen of Hearts, the young ladies of the school had to capture as many of the male students' hearts as they can. At the first conversation with a female, the male must relinquish his paper heart to her to wear. This year at the Valentine's Day Dance, last year's winner, Chippy Sreedharan, crowned Alanna Slack, GSSM junior, as the new Queen of Hearts for the 2007-08 school year. The girls are waiting for their chance to get back at the guys during the King of Shamrocks on St. Patrick's Day.
Winter Formal 2007
By Cathy Thomas
On December 8, GSSM held its annual Winter Formal. With support from parents and the wonderful DJ skills of Alex James, the School was able to pull off one of the best Winter Formals ever! The students had a wonderful time and the refreshments were amazing. GSSM would like to thank Mr. and Mrs. Lancaster for their support along with the other parents that donated refreshments and/or their time.
Invisible Children
By Alex James
During Cultural Diversity Week, the documentary "Invisible Children" was shown to interested GSSM students. "Invisible Children" is a documentary based on the voyage of three young Americans through the country of Uganda. The documentary focused on the history of the civil war that has divided the country and stolen the lives of the youth of Uganda. This was an opportunity for our students to have a glimpse into what is happening outside of the United States. For many, it was an eye-opening experience portraying the vastly different life of youth in a country with civil unrest compared to the lives of youth in America.
Quiz Bowl
By John Batten
On December 1, the GSSM Eagles Quiz Bowl team traveled to the University of South Carolina to take part in the 17th Annual USC Challenge. The team consisted of seniors Bella Wang, Todd Eisenberger and Rachel Lucas, along with juniors Sara Gramling, Mark Kalata and Nicholas Pomata. The team finished in third place overall, after losing a highly-contested semifinal match against Aiken High School. Additionally, GSSM placed first in its division and Bella was named to the All-Quiz Bowl team!
AIDS Walk
By Alex James
On December 1, otherwise known as "World AIDS Day," CareSouth of Society Hill sponsored Hartsville's first-ever AIDS/HIV Awareness Walk. After a short kick-off ceremony, the walk began at 9 a.m. GSSM Beta Club members, along with other GSSM students, attended this event as a service project.
Scarowinds
By Alex James
Every October, Carowinds takes on a Halloween persona known as Scarowinds. At dusk, Carowinds transforms from a normal theme park to an unearthly place of haunted houses, wandering ghouls and spooky rides. SAB recently sponsored a trip to Scarowinds, when 23 students, two RAs, and one RLC ventured away for a night of frightening fun. "Scarowinds was a nice relief from the hectic and stressful work of school and was tons of fun," said Greyson Kerley, a GSSM junior. Chavis Stackhouse, a GSSM senior, said, "Scarowinds was an enjoyable experience. I believe I speak for those who attended, when I say it would be great to go again." Scarowinds is quickly turning into a yearly tradition for GSSM students and their Residence Life staff members.
Halloween Dance
By Alex James
On October 20, SAB sponsored a night of fun to celebrate Halloween early. It was a time of enjoyment for the students, especially the junior class. After taking the PSAT all morning, GSSM students were able to dress up in various Halloween costumes as they danced the night away. Some of the students came to listen to music while others showed off their dance moves. It was a sight to see as monsters, princesses, witches, and even ninjas enjoying hits ranging from the Temptations to current favorites such as "Ay Bay Bay". Raques McGill, a GSSM junior, said, "The dance was fun. It was great to see people enjoying themselves, but next time I hope the seniors won't be afraid to come out and show off their moves!"
The Roommate Game
By Anthony Peguese
The "Roommate Game" is an activity designed to see how well GSSM students know their roommates. A series of questions were asked about a student's roommate and the student answered to the best of his or her ability. The students have lived together for a several months and are certain to have learned something about each by now. The difficulty level of the questions varied widely, ranging, for example, from their favorite color to their least favorite song. On Friday, October 19, five sets of roommates stepped up to the challenge to see who knew their roommate best. After four rounds of questions, juniors Alanna Slack and Mary Caroline Saleeby won the game with a one-question lead.
