Commentary By Marco Mandujano
IV Leader Staff
Thank you to all of those who showed their Eagle pride on
Illinois Valley Community College’s Spirit Day, held Wednesday, September 10.
This event has taken place for about 12-13 years and
consisted of fun, games, giveaways and free food.
The sun brought out smiles and good humor as participants got
involved at the event. Even the weather participated at IVCC Spirit Day, as the
event was held under sunny skies and blooming trees.
Spirit Day was an enormous success as far as student
participation. The number of students who attended the event was rough to
calculate because of people coming and going. It’s nearly impossible to gather
the number of students who came. Although, coordinator of the event Cory
Tommasson did mention that, “[they] ordered 120 pizzas with ten slices per
pizza.” And went through “1,200 slices in about 2 and a half hours.”
Spirit Day at IVCC has remained similar throughout the years,
but their was some changes to this year’s Spirit Day.
“We tried to switch some of the attractions from year to year
to give students a little variety. We did have the sound system and constant
music, so I think the effect was still positive and it saved us some money,”
Tommasson said.
From activities like the Areo Spin to face drawing, some
students even went head to head at the inflatable obstacle course. Also, there
was a table for students to register to vote.
According to Mike Phillips, Geology instructor and College
Democrats faculty advisor, they registered 65 students at Spirit Day, bringing
the fall total to 111 students so far.
If it wasn’t the pizza, it was the popcorn that students
enjoyed while having fun. Clubs and different organizations made their presence
known also, setting up tables and recruiting, such as, Project Success, Red
Cross Blood Drive, Amnesty Human Rights Organization, SIFE and many more.
Tomasson commented on why spirit was it important by saying,
“students need to socialize and get acquainted with the huge variety of
organizations available at IVCC. Many students found it a great way to kick off
the new year. There was definitely a friendly atmosphere by the students that
made it fun day for all.’
“I am always impressed with the organizational members and
the advisors here at the college. They put a tremendous amount of time and
effort into making this event successful. I hope that the students, faculty and
staff enjoyed themselves. Spirit Day was established to promote future events,
campus unity and “Eagle Spirit” amongst students. The key to a successful Spirit
Day relies on many hours of preparation and imagination. Here in Student
Activities, IVCC is constantly searching for new developed methods to engage,
excite, and entertain the Illinois Valley Community College Students,” Tommason
said.