As the end of the semester rolled around, students were able to enjoy some festive holiday events and share the spirit of giving.
Students delivered gifts and food bags donated by Hamilton employees and sports teams to Upstate Cerebral Palsy, Johnson Park Center, House of the Good Shepherd, and the Siegenthaler Hospice Center. Hamilton's annual holiday gift drive this year was organized by Community Outreach and Opportunity Project (COOP) Senior Fellows Jack Wright and Sarah Kane.
Women’s basketball participated in the Holiday Hopes Gift drop-off at the House of the Good Shepherd, delivering gifts to children there. Team members and staff donated money and went shopping together to purchase the gifts before they all went home for break.
Students gathered to decorate Christmas cookies in Commons, and trimmed a tree in the Chapel. On Dec. 2 Hamilton celebrated the 100th anniversary of the tradition of the Service of Lessons and Carols, which began on Christmas Eve of 1918 at Kings College, Cambridge University in England. The choir led attendees in singing Christmas carols.
If happiness is a warm puppy, students got plenty happy at the annual Paws to Relax. The event gives them the opportunity to interact and play with dogs in order to recharge and destress before finals week. Staff and faculty “donated” their dogs’ time, and all funds raised from the event were donated to Spring Farm Cares, a local animal shelter and nature sanctuary.
Light Our Village was a new event that is hoped will become an annual tradition. The event focused on what light means to different people and different cultures. Outside Sadove Student Center, attendees lit sparklers and enjoyed hot chocolate, s’mores and cookies, and listened to performances by a cappella groups.
As exam week started, Breakfast at Burke featured some familiar but perhaps overqualified servers. President David Wippman, Dean of Students Terry Martinez and Vice President for Libraries and Information Technology Joe Shelley served up an evening breakfast of bacon, eggs, French toast, fruit and bagels to students preparing for finals in the library.
A cappella groups presented their traditional holiday concert in the Fillius Events Barn, and tried to outdo each other not only with singing but with best holiday attire.
Take a look at these photos of events that brought 2018 to a close.
