Dear freshman Madi Beddingfield here is all the things you are going to do within the next three years,
You are going to become a part of the Golden Fleece and a pretty big part of it too. Coming in sophomore year you will think the class is so weird and not really understand what the fuss is about until Kanuga.
Your first Kanuga is one you will never forget. You got stuck in the very back bedroom your first year and at first you will hate the idea but that’s going to become a tradition. After three years of sleeping in the back room your name is going to be carved into the bunk you will never really sleep in. Each night you will stay up way too late but you will make some really great memories on those gross couches.
Your first year you will be on red team and even though your junior year you will be on blue team your heart will stay with red team. Winning your first Kanuga will not seem like that big of a deal but it is. The best thing will always be jumping in the lake after pictures with your new best friends. You will eventually like Kanuga toast but it will take a lot of convincing and peer pressure to try it.
You will come into the class for broadcast but after trying it out you will find writing is more for you. Your first assignment will be published in the first newspaper of the year along with only two other newbies (this is a big deal). You will write eight stories your first year and have them all published in the newspaper.
You will become Junior Editor of the Golden Fleece for you last production of your sophomore year. This will be really hard especially because you have never done this before but you are just getting started! In July you will get a phone call saying you are the actual Editor of the Golden Fleece serving as the ONLY junior on board.
Going to your first board retreat will be super scary but after a little square dancing the seniors are going to be your best friends. You will spend the year with Caroline Bowers, your greatest role model, planning out a magazine. The Golden Fleece will now be a magazine and you will be apart of the last class to ever do a broadsheet newspaper.
Along with being on board you will be Dobbins house co-mami with THE Jamie Cummings. Your kids will become your favorite people in this world. You will also get to help plan events like Kanuga, first day stuff, friendsgiving and so much more. Although you didn’t plan much of Mid-Winter at Gatlinburg you will have the best time ever.
You and Aleen will become very very close and will joke you are going to marry Yanal (so far I don’t know if that’s going to happen, but I will keep you posted). You will find a love for ice skating, Gatlinburg and most importantly all of your friends. When it comes to the end of the year you will cry when all your friends have to leave but it will open a door for you.
The summer before your senior year you will find out you are Editor-in-Chief. You will go through a lot when you find this out. You will often struggle with accepting that title because you feel as if you don’t deserve it, don’t worry that feeling will go away in a few months. On board you will have your two bffs, Gretchen and Aleen. You guys will grow super close making the last couple weeks super hard.
Along with your fancy new board position you will get an even better title, Mom. You will become the Mom of the group and it will be the best part of the class. You will make the announcements everyday, teach the newbies the art of writing, hug them when they are sad and cheer on their success! You will make sure to let them know how loved they are each day and it will make a difference.
Your senior year will be filled with a lot of ups and downs but don’t worry you will not have to go through anything alone because you are surrounded by the best group of people. You will cry a lot the last couple of weeks thinking about leaving your friends, but don’t worry they are crying too.
You will cry when Rivers and Roads play at the last crunch of the year but this time a little harder because it is being played for you. You will cry at your last award ceremony because that’s where it’s going to hit you that it is your turn to leave.
But by the time your three years is up you will be apart of 75 crunches, 13 issues, eight magazines, take six semesters, make five newspapers, attend three Kanugas and two Amazing races and be apart of a class that will forever change your life and you will not regret a single second of it.
So don’t take these next three years for granted. Write in your journal, hug your friends every day, work hard and most importantly have fun.
Sincerely,
Senior Madi Beddingfield
You are going to become a part of the Golden Fleece and a pretty big part of it too. Coming in sophomore year you will think the class is so weird and not really understand what the fuss is about until Kanuga.
Your first Kanuga is one you will never forget. You got stuck in the very back bedroom your first year and at first you will hate the idea but that’s going to become a tradition. After three years of sleeping in the back room your name is going to be carved into the bunk you will never really sleep in. Each night you will stay up way too late but you will make some really great memories on those gross couches.
Your first year you will be on red team and even though your junior year you will be on blue team your heart will stay with red team. Winning your first Kanuga will not seem like that big of a deal but it is. The best thing will always be jumping in the lake after pictures with your new best friends. You will eventually like Kanuga toast but it will take a lot of convincing and peer pressure to try it.
You will come into the class for broadcast but after trying it out you will find writing is more for you. Your first assignment will be published in the first newspaper of the year along with only two other newbies (this is a big deal). You will write eight stories your first year and have them all published in the newspaper.
You will become Junior Editor of the Golden Fleece for you last production of your sophomore year. This will be really hard especially because you have never done this before but you are just getting started! In July you will get a phone call saying you are the actual Editor of the Golden Fleece serving as the ONLY junior on board.
Going to your first board retreat will be super scary but after a little square dancing the seniors are going to be your best friends. You will spend the year with Caroline Bowers, your greatest role model, planning out a magazine. The Golden Fleece will now be a magazine and you will be apart of the last class to ever do a broadsheet newspaper.
Along with being on board you will be Dobbins house co-mami with THE Jamie Cummings. Your kids will become your favorite people in this world. You will also get to help plan events like Kanuga, first day stuff, friendsgiving and so much more. Although you didn’t plan much of Mid-Winter at Gatlinburg you will have the best time ever.
You and Aleen will become very very close and will joke you are going to marry Yanal (so far I don’t know if that’s going to happen, but I will keep you posted). You will find a love for ice skating, Gatlinburg and most importantly all of your friends. When it comes to the end of the year you will cry when all your friends have to leave but it will open a door for you.
The summer before your senior year you will find out you are Editor-in-Chief. You will go through a lot when you find this out. You will often struggle with accepting that title because you feel as if you don’t deserve it, don’t worry that feeling will go away in a few months. On board you will have your two bffs, Gretchen and Aleen. You guys will grow super close making the last couple weeks super hard.
Along with your fancy new board position you will get an even better title, Mom. You will become the Mom of the group and it will be the best part of the class. You will make the announcements everyday, teach the newbies the art of writing, hug them when they are sad and cheer on their success! You will make sure to let them know how loved they are each day and it will make a difference.
Your senior year will be filled with a lot of ups and downs but don’t worry you will not have to go through anything alone because you are surrounded by the best group of people. You will cry a lot the last couple of weeks thinking about leaving your friends, but don’t worry they are crying too.
You will cry when Rivers and Roads play at the last crunch of the year but this time a little harder because it is being played for you. You will cry at your last award ceremony because that’s where it’s going to hit you that it is your turn to leave.
But by the time your three years is up you will be apart of 75 crunches, 13 issues, eight magazines, take six semesters, make five newspapers, attend three Kanugas and two Amazing races and be apart of a class that will forever change your life and you will not regret a single second of it.
So don’t take these next three years for granted. Write in your journal, hug your friends every day, work hard and most importantly have fun.
Sincerely,
Senior Madi Beddingfield