From July 5-10, ten students participating in the university's "Chapter One" program explored Elon's campus and traveled to the mountains of North Carolina and Virginia
Icebreakers, a scavenger hunt, and breakfast for dinner–this year’s Chapter One program began in a relatively unassuming way. Once the group took to the mountains and made its first stop at Stone Mountain Park, however, adventure, inspiration, and excitement were pushed to the forefront.
While in Stone Mountain Park, participants were immersed in the history of Hutchinson Homestead, the views of Stone Mountain, and the cascading waters of Stone Mountain Falls. At these sites, they completed writing activities to practice description, which, along with narration, point of view, and form, was one of the program’s topical themes.
The workshop took place from July 5-10, 2015, and is one of six First-Year Summer Experiences offered by New Student and Transition Programs. Chapter One is directed by Assistant Professor Jon Burr in the Department of English, and facilitated by Hannah Silvers, an English major with concentrations in Professional Writing and Rhetoric and Creative Writing.
When the group wasn’t hiking along the raging waters of Wilson Creek inside Virginia’s Grayson Highlands State Park or in hot pursuit of wild ponies along the Appalachian Trail, they were back at their cabin, reading and writing while curious deer crept nearby.
Each participant also took part in a workshop of their own writing and gained valuable feedback, an experience that Kyle Thomas found to be useful. “Chapter One improved my writing by leaps and bounds, and it was the most fun I’ve had all summer!” Thomas said. As a result of these writing workshops, students made final edits and revisions and, at the end of the week, presented their completed poems and short stories in the Inman Reading Room.
In addition to writing and adventure, the program sought to provide participants with a glimpse of college life. Samira Foster found this aspect of Chapter One to be particularly valuable.
“As we climbed up mountain trails and crossed waterfalls to gain inspiration for our writing, bonding with the nine other incoming freshmen was inevitable. The connection that we shared is what made me realize that I was going to a college where people not only had similar interests as me, but also where people genuinely cared about one another,” said Foster.
After completing their summer adventure, Chapter One participants left with stories, experiences, and writings that will only continue to be shared when they return to Elon in the fall.