“Once a Kid, Always a Kid” Allows Students to Revisit Childhood Memories

Last Friday night, the Office of the Chaplains held an event called “Once a Kid, Always a Kid!” in the basement of the Memorial Chapel. The event was designed to give students an opportunity to enjoy some of their favorite childhood pastimes, such as coloring, playing with Play-Doh and participating in a selection of different board games. There were also a variety of childhood snacks available, such as Fruit by the Foot, Ring Pops and Scooby Snacks. In addition, the students who attended were able to enjoy the greatest hits of different musical artists from the 1990’s as they enjoyed food, activities and socializing with peers.

 “Once a Kid, Always a Kid!” is part of a series of events that the Office of the Chaplains is hosting on Friday nights from 9 p.m. to 12 a.m. in the Garden level of the Memorial Chapel. This particular event was organized by senior Carolina Swift, a chapel intern, and sophomore Joanna Howe, a member of the Newman board. The coming events in the series will include concerts and baking, among other things. They will all be student-run events.

 “It’s a good alternative to going downtown. And, for me, it’s also an opportunity to hang out with a different group of people. And I like that,” Howe said.

One of the purposes of this event is to give students a fun alternative to drinking on Friday nights. This is part of a campus-wide effort to hold more social events on the weekends as an alternative to partying. The Friday night series also gives students a chance to meet new people, expand their social groups on campus and meet some of the participants of religious life at Colgate.

 The Office of the Chaplains is an integral part of religious life at Colgate. According to their page on the Colgate website, The Office of the Chaplains aims to provide a “dynamic, friendly and supportive place in which students can seek answers to life’s biggest questions.” This is done through different events, such as brown bags, lectures and other programs. The Friday night activities were developed in accordance with the Office of the Chaplains’ goal of helping students grow as individuals of integrity and commitment, regardless of their particular faith.

 Students at the “Once a Kid, Always a Kid!” event discussed a variety of topics from study abroad to current events, but there was also a lot of reminiscing on childhood. The event was well attended, with free admission to everyone. Overall, it was a great way to spend a Friday night.

Contact Emma Loftus at [email protected].