About Graduate Schools|Your Questions Our Answers
Jun
30
Filed Under (grad schools) by admin
William Nugent asked:
The future has been abolished! Does that statement seem outlandish? Let me explain.
Secularism, whether it’s called Secular Humanism or atheism, is the belief that there is no God and no accountability to God in the afterlife. To the secularist death results in the ending of consciousness.
Secularists believe that humans evolved from pond scum and end up rotting in the grave. Hence there is no future for the individual human being.
Secularists also claim that there is no future for humanity as a whole since all life will cease at the time of the heat death of the universe. All that you have learned and experienced through relationships, work, play, education, love, pain and pleasure evaporates at death. This is the secular abolition of the future.
This view is not isolated to avant garde ivory tower types but permeates our society. The abolition of the future has resulted in the philosophical pessimism and purposelessness of our youth and it drives the drug culture.
Why do I dwell on secularism? Secularism is the de facto state religion of the United States and virtually all of the Western World. (I include nominal Christians under the term “secularist” because nominal Christians generally live a secularist lifestyle.)
Christianity has been kicked out of the state run schools in the US by misapplication of the constitutionally dubious doctrine of separation of church and state. Education is by far the largest public forum and if Christianity is kicked out of public education then it is in essence marginalized.
Christians are forced to pay taxes to support schools that indoctrinate children in the secular origins myth called evolution. Every subject in the state run schools is taught from a perspective of philosophical atheism.
My niece was assigned the book “The Da Vinci Code” as a reading assignment by her school! “The Da Vinci Code” is a blasphemous book that gives a scandalously distorted view of church history and denies the deity of Christ. I could give other examples of public school assignments that actively undermine the Christian faith.
The secularist cult has taken over public education. Secular education is not neutral as often claimed but is aggressively evil. Secularism denies the existence of God as transcendent lawgiver.
If there is no transcendent lawgiver there is no law above man’s law hence all things are permissible. World famous secular philosopher Bertrand Russell (1872 - 1970) said “If there is no God, there is no right or wrong or absolute morality only opinions as to right and wrong.”
Secularism is the negation of law, morals, ethics and values. Secularism is amoral and purposeless. It is anarchy.
The postmodern concept of the self has replaced God as lawgiver. Self with its relativistic and shifting opinions of right and wrong is the only lawgiver. Society is the collision of selves with no guiding philosophy or religion to unite the whole.
Young people who’ve been robbed of their Christian faith and hence robbed of their hope for a future beyond death live only for this life and its passing pleasures. There are currently 39 sexually transmitted diseases extant in the United States but this fact gets little publicity.
Many of these, like herpes, are incurable viruses. The HPV virus causes cervical cancer — it is sexually transmitted cancer.
We all know of the devastating death toll of AIDS. Out of wedlock births and paternal child abandonment are rampant. Legalized abortion has resulted in the mass murder of millions of the preborn.
Secularists believe in assisted suicide for the terminally ill. Christians believe that all human life is sacred and even the very elderly have futures that stretch to eternity. All human life has a future and has meaning in relation to God.
Secularism is a religion. It takes great faith to believe that life came about by chance as the secularists claim. Secular Humanism is recognized as a religion by the US government.
Secularism is a religion without a moral code. Radical secularism has all the coerciveness of any fundamentalist faith but without any inherent moral restraint.
There is only one true religion. The laws of logic, specifically the law of noncontradiction, determine that there can only be one true religion. This is because all of the world’s religions contradict each other and no two contradictory statements can both be true.
If Hinduism is true then Christianity is false and vice versa. God has given authentication to the one true religion by miracles. The one true religion is the one religion authenticated by the best miracles and most miraculous events.
To be blunt, the religion with the best miracles wins. Christianity is the one true religion because Jesus Christ came in fulfillment of over 300 predictive prophecies and worked miracles never done by anyone else since the foundation of the earth!
No other religion or philosophy has anything to compare with the supernatural authentication of the Christian faith. Christianity gives us hope and a future. Secularism has implicitly taught young people that they descended from apes and that consciousness ends at death. The only way to counter the secularist lie is to teach the truths of the Bible and show how the Bible is authenticated by prophecies and miracles.
Josephine
The future has been abolished! Does that statement seem outlandish? Let me explain.
Secularism, whether it’s called Secular Humanism or atheism, is the belief that there is no God and no accountability to God in the afterlife. To the secularist death results in the ending of consciousness.
Secularists believe that humans evolved from pond scum and end up rotting in the grave. Hence there is no future for the individual human being.
Secularists also claim that there is no future for humanity as a whole since all life will cease at the time of the heat death of the universe. All that you have learned and experienced through relationships, work, play, education, love, pain and pleasure evaporates at death. This is the secular abolition of the future.
This view is not isolated to avant garde ivory tower types but permeates our society. The abolition of the future has resulted in the philosophical pessimism and purposelessness of our youth and it drives the drug culture.
Why do I dwell on secularism? Secularism is the de facto state religion of the United States and virtually all of the Western World. (I include nominal Christians under the term “secularist” because nominal Christians generally live a secularist lifestyle.)
Christianity has been kicked out of the state run schools in the US by misapplication of the constitutionally dubious doctrine of separation of church and state. Education is by far the largest public forum and if Christianity is kicked out of public education then it is in essence marginalized.
Christians are forced to pay taxes to support schools that indoctrinate children in the secular origins myth called evolution. Every subject in the state run schools is taught from a perspective of philosophical atheism.
My niece was assigned the book “The Da Vinci Code” as a reading assignment by her school! “The Da Vinci Code” is a blasphemous book that gives a scandalously distorted view of church history and denies the deity of Christ. I could give other examples of public school assignments that actively undermine the Christian faith.
The secularist cult has taken over public education. Secular education is not neutral as often claimed but is aggressively evil. Secularism denies the existence of God as transcendent lawgiver.
If there is no transcendent lawgiver there is no law above man’s law hence all things are permissible. World famous secular philosopher Bertrand Russell (1872 - 1970) said “If there is no God, there is no right or wrong or absolute morality only opinions as to right and wrong.”
Secularism is the negation of law, morals, ethics and values. Secularism is amoral and purposeless. It is anarchy.
The postmodern concept of the self has replaced God as lawgiver. Self with its relativistic and shifting opinions of right and wrong is the only lawgiver. Society is the collision of selves with no guiding philosophy or religion to unite the whole.
Young people who’ve been robbed of their Christian faith and hence robbed of their hope for a future beyond death live only for this life and its passing pleasures. There are currently 39 sexually transmitted diseases extant in the United States but this fact gets little publicity.
Many of these, like herpes, are incurable viruses. The HPV virus causes cervical cancer — it is sexually transmitted cancer.
We all know of the devastating death toll of AIDS. Out of wedlock births and paternal child abandonment are rampant. Legalized abortion has resulted in the mass murder of millions of the preborn.
Secularists believe in assisted suicide for the terminally ill. Christians believe that all human life is sacred and even the very elderly have futures that stretch to eternity. All human life has a future and has meaning in relation to God.
Secularism is a religion. It takes great faith to believe that life came about by chance as the secularists claim. Secular Humanism is recognized as a religion by the US government.
Secularism is a religion without a moral code. Radical secularism has all the coerciveness of any fundamentalist faith but without any inherent moral restraint.
There is only one true religion. The laws of logic, specifically the law of noncontradiction, determine that there can only be one true religion. This is because all of the world’s religions contradict each other and no two contradictory statements can both be true.
If Hinduism is true then Christianity is false and vice versa. God has given authentication to the one true religion by miracles. The one true religion is the one religion authenticated by the best miracles and most miraculous events.
To be blunt, the religion with the best miracles wins. Christianity is the one true religion because Jesus Christ came in fulfillment of over 300 predictive prophecies and worked miracles never done by anyone else since the foundation of the earth!
No other religion or philosophy has anything to compare with the supernatural authentication of the Christian faith. Christianity gives us hope and a future. Secularism has implicitly taught young people that they descended from apes and that consciousness ends at death. The only way to counter the secularist lie is to teach the truths of the Bible and show how the Bible is authenticated by prophecies and miracles.
Josephine
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Jun
25
Filed Under (grad schools) by admin
Elizabeth Saas asked:
Graduate School Superstars Are Deeply Invested In Their Graduate School Experience
The key to being a graduate school superstar is involvement. Many people who pursue graduate degrees do not have the luxury of making school their sole focus, so the temptation can be great to stick to the essentials of getting your graduate degree rather than taking advantage of all that your graduate program offers. While it’s true that the demands of post-baccalaureate life are indeed a challenge, not engaging in your graduate program to the fullest extent you can would be a mistake. Regardless of what graduate program you are participating in, much of the graduate school experience takes place beyond the world of classrooms and assignments. Do well in these areas, of course, but also expand your definition of education while in grad school to include as many extracurricular options as you reasonably can. You will probably only go to graduate school this one time — make the most of it.
The Basics: Attendance, Homework, and Class Participation
Some things about school never change, regardless of what level of degree you’re pursuing. The basic requirements of a graduate school superstar include excellent attendance at all of your class meetings. Just like undergrad, your professors probably won’t call you out if you skip class, but just like undergrad, if you don’t go to class, you’re only cheating yourself. To get the most out of your classes, become an expert in time management and make sure you’re well prepared for every meeting. Let your professor know you’re a graduate school superstar by actively participating in every class meeting, too.
Beyond The Basics: Extracurricular Events and Networking
Regardless of what advanced degree you’re pursuing, your graduate program will undoubtedly offer lectures, programs, performances (whatever is applicable to your field), etc., that are optional. Even if you are maintaining a job while you’re getting your master’s or Ph.D., do your best to attend some if not all of these. In addition to attending the scheduled events, graduate school superstars should make every effort to get to know their classmates outside the classroom as well. If you’re pursuing your degree for professional advancement, you might be sitting next to your future coworkers. By getting to know the people with whom you’re studying, you could make important connections that will help you once you take your new degree out into the marketplace. And if you’re pursuing a degree for personal enrichment, what better way is there to deepen your enjoyment and engagement in the field of your choice than by getting to know the people who love it as much as you do and developing a community for yourself that will last perhaps a lifetime?
Eric
Graduate School Superstars Are Deeply Invested In Their Graduate School Experience
The key to being a graduate school superstar is involvement. Many people who pursue graduate degrees do not have the luxury of making school their sole focus, so the temptation can be great to stick to the essentials of getting your graduate degree rather than taking advantage of all that your graduate program offers. While it’s true that the demands of post-baccalaureate life are indeed a challenge, not engaging in your graduate program to the fullest extent you can would be a mistake. Regardless of what graduate program you are participating in, much of the graduate school experience takes place beyond the world of classrooms and assignments. Do well in these areas, of course, but also expand your definition of education while in grad school to include as many extracurricular options as you reasonably can. You will probably only go to graduate school this one time — make the most of it.
The Basics: Attendance, Homework, and Class Participation
Some things about school never change, regardless of what level of degree you’re pursuing. The basic requirements of a graduate school superstar include excellent attendance at all of your class meetings. Just like undergrad, your professors probably won’t call you out if you skip class, but just like undergrad, if you don’t go to class, you’re only cheating yourself. To get the most out of your classes, become an expert in time management and make sure you’re well prepared for every meeting. Let your professor know you’re a graduate school superstar by actively participating in every class meeting, too.
Beyond The Basics: Extracurricular Events and Networking
Regardless of what advanced degree you’re pursuing, your graduate program will undoubtedly offer lectures, programs, performances (whatever is applicable to your field), etc., that are optional. Even if you are maintaining a job while you’re getting your master’s or Ph.D., do your best to attend some if not all of these. In addition to attending the scheduled events, graduate school superstars should make every effort to get to know their classmates outside the classroom as well. If you’re pursuing your degree for professional advancement, you might be sitting next to your future coworkers. By getting to know the people with whom you’re studying, you could make important connections that will help you once you take your new degree out into the marketplace. And if you’re pursuing a degree for personal enrichment, what better way is there to deepen your enjoyment and engagement in the field of your choice than by getting to know the people who love it as much as you do and developing a community for yourself that will last perhaps a lifetime?
Eric
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Jun
24
Filed Under (grad schools) by admin
Bruce Andersen asked:
For many generations Homecoming, Prom and Graduation were highlights of our school years. They are events that were dreamed of, anticipated and have created memories and highlights from our school years. Friends, relationships and milestones in our lives are often related to these very special events.
While these have been popular for decades, recently a newer type of events have emerged to become the popular student favorites, Post Prom and Graduation celebrations, most commonly known as Grad Nights or Project Graduations. Also closely related are Spirit Week/Homecoming events.
For many students, these events have surpassed the longtime standards as the main events of their school years. One of the key reasons for this is that it’s not required to have a date to attend these events (such as with Prom or Homecoming) or to be part of the “in” crowd. These events are celebrations for everyone.
These events were created to offer an alternative to students leaving Prom or Graduation to go off to their own gatherings or all-night parties that often included alcohol, drugs, sex and other inappropriate and even illegal forms of celebrating. Many times these private forms of celebration had dire consequences including promiscuity, intoxication, arrests, pregnancy, and even death. Tragically it was becoming more and more common to hear of teen tragedies following Prom or Graduation usually involving teen drivers under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
Mother’s Against Drunk Drivers (M.A.D.D.) was one of the first to promote the concept of coordinating “safe and sober” celebrations following Prom and Graduation, with events that were supervised and school-approved and endorsed to keep the students from their own private, unfavorable forms of celebrating.
Today’s Post Proms and Grad Nights/Project Graduation events are two of the highlights to our high school years. Memories are created, and events are celebrated but are done so in a much more student-appropriate, safe environment. For some students these events are a right of passage, for others they are the memorable highlights of their school years. These are the events that can and will create memories that last a lifetime. The popularity of these events has even begun to appear on the Middle School/Junior High level.
While the idea of these types of “safe and sober” celebrations was welcomed by many schools across America, these events were not quite embraced initially by the students. These events were usually hosted by a planning committee of parent volunteers. It was thought originally that simply having this type of event with a DJ playing some music in the school gym would be an inviting event. It was soon discovered that simply having this type of event was not enough, it had to incorporate several key elements to interest and attract the students, making them want to attend. In order to accomplish it’s purpose just hosting such an event was not enough, it had to be a great event, an attraction. It had to be more appealing that the long-standing alternative of private celebrations.
Working with school’s Post Prom Committees (usually a separate committee from the Prom Committee) and Grad Night/Project Graduation Committees nationwide since the inception of these types of events, School Programs USA has been a part of these special events from the beginning. Based on this knowledge and experience we offer the following tips, pointers, advice and information to allow your school’s committee to plan a safe, well-attended, successful Post Prom, Graduation or Spirit Week event.
Start Early - One of the greatest bits of advice we can offer is to begin your planning early. It may seem like the beginning of the school year is a long time away from Spring events, but to properly plan a successful event requires months of planning and preparation. Another reason to begin early is directly related to the businesses you will need to incorporate and work with that will make your event a true success.
You must remember that all of the schools in your area are more than likely all planning similar events and are vying for many of the same vendors, entertainment, attractions, rentals, venues, and sponsorships that will be crucial to your success. Simply put, to have the best options, selections and to receive the most for your efforts you want to be the first to approach and secure these relationships, services, locations and products. For example, when contacting a local business for a sponsorship or donation, you stand a much better chance to receive what you desire if your reach them first, rather than waiting until several other area schools have approached them. By this time they may decline or only minimally participate with you and your event. To get what you want and not have to settle for secondary or backup options, be aggressive and reach them first.
Assemble your planning committee as soon as possible. Many schools even have their planning committee in place just before the previous year’s event, so they new committee members can attend, witness the event , take notes and enjoy the experience first hand to better familiarize and educate them with all facets of the overall event. Other schools form their planning committee in late August or early September right after the beginning of the new school year. The single most common area we find is with schools that assemble their planning committee in October or November, have an initial meeting and then do not really get started on their planning efforts until after school returns from the winter break in January. These committees are regularly faced with setbacks and disappointments as the vendors they wish to work with are already booked or unavailable, it becomes much harder to secure donations and sponsorships, and they are under the pressure of having to work harder and at a much faster pace, as in reality these events are only 12-18 weeks away.
Start early, stay on track with your planning committee and your goals. Have regular meetings, at least monthly initially then every other week or weekly as the event gets closer. Allow for problem areas and setbacks. It’s inevitable that someone will drop the ball somewhere in the process, committee members will quit or need to be replaced and problems will occur. By starting early you are not only getting a jump on creating a great event, but you are allowing yourself room for Murphy’s Law to present itself.
Your Planning Committee - The most importantly component to the success of any Post Prom, Graduation or Spirit Week event is the planning committee. Committees can range from only several people doing all of the work, to a more complete committee of many members each with individual duties and responsibilities. Your event will only be as good as your committee.
Choose a good committee leader, someone who can work well with others, coordinate many people and tasks simultaneously, and can have good lines of communications with each member. Organization and attention to detail are good qualities, as are leadership and people skills. This is the single most important position on your planning committee.
While many schools have difficulty getting parents or volunteers to participate, you should still be selective in choosing your committee members. Find the best candidates for the positions required. Use the best person for each position. Teamwork and communication is the backbone of any successful planning committee. Make your choices and designations wisely.
Once the committee is in place, it’s time to meet and determine your initials goals and plan of action. Each committee member should completely understand the goals and visions of the committee, while completely understand their specific duties and responsibilities. Timetables should be shared and adhered to by all members.
The proper planning and prevention can head off problems and setbacks that may arise. Remember your event will only be as good as the cumulative efforts of your committee. The entire success of your event depends on the decisions your committee makes in each step of the process.
Make It Worth Attending - Once your committee is solid and in place it’s time to direct your focus onto the event itself. Make sure to review last year’s event if it existed, perhaps even have a member of last years committee attend your first planning meeting to discuss the key points, setbacks, problems, and any other related issues from the previous event.
Initial areas to be addressed should be the date, times and location of your event. Once these are in place then address the individual elements that will comprise your event.
In planning your event be sure to pay close attention to the issues of price and value. What are students expected to pay to attend your event. It shouldn’t be too high to discourage attendance, but yet still enough to cover the costs of having the features and attractions desired to be an event the students will want to attend. What is the value of what the students will receive for their admission ticket? What is included - food, giveaways, activities, entertainment?
Be sure to think of your event from the attending student’s perspective as they’re your target audience. It is their choice, their one time memories and most importantly their special event.
Making It A “Must-Attend” Event - To host a successful Post Prom, Graduation or Homecoming/Spirit Week Event you must make it a “must-attend” event. It must be able to appeal to all types of students on a variety of levels. Your event should be viewed as both a celebration and a main attraction event. You must make your students want to come. This will be the place be. Single or with a date, everyone is welcome and will have a great time.
This is often easier said than done, but with the proper knowledge and planning it is easily obtainable. Do your research. Learn what works well for other schools both in your area and in other parts of the country. Understand what are the main highlights from previously attending students. What did they enjoy or remember the most? Again, do your research.
Offer a variety of activities, events, entertainment, food and areas that can appeal to all types of students. Make sure all areas are chaperoned and controlled or operated by assigned committee members who understand their duties and responsibilities and the proper expectations and execution of each area or activity. Designate specific areas for certain events or activities.
Learn about the hot attractions and features that create involvement and participation. Try to offer a good balance of physical and mental offerings. Most of all have a schedule and flow of your event that is easily understandable to the students, yet is efficient and practical to your committee and venue.
Making it a major attraction is a combination of events and activities, the proper promotion and visibility of your event, and creating an exciting buzz to not only generate interest but to sustain the excitement leading up to your special event.
The Key to Success - Entertainment And Attractions - Simply put, from the students perspective, the entertainment, attractions and activities that your event will feature will be a major factor in determining how your event is perceived and how well it will be attended.
The key here is variety and mass appeal. Be sure your event offers something for everyone. Offer both individual attractions and activities as well as group attractions. Understand what is popular with students. Some things are consistent while others change from year to year. For example the number one form of entertainment at Post Prom, Graduation and Spirit Week/Homecoming events nationwide is a Comedy Hypnosis Show. This has been a longtime favorite for years at college events and over the last decade as become the runway favorite at these types of high school celebrations. The reasons for this are many but one of the key reasons is due to the fact that to most students this is something new and amazing that they have not been over exposed to such as a Disc Jockey or Karaoke. It is a major attraction with all of the elements of a professional performance including audience participation, intrigue, suspense, comedy and laughter and the safe and natural ability of the human mind. Another key reason for the popularity of this type of performance is that it runs continuously from sixty to ninety minutes or more attracting the attention of nearly all of the students in attendance. Compared to other forms of entertainment where students may wander in and out or just sit on the sidelines, this type of interactive performance appeals to both the students and planning committee on many levels.
Other entertainment, attractions and activities that are regularly popular include a Mentalist, inflatables, climbing walls, casino tables, game shows, standup comedy shows, celebrity appearances (popular television and reality stars), competitions, handwriting and compatibility analysis, special viewings and swimming (at aquatic venues).
Trendy activities include Guitar Hero or Rock Band attractions/competition or a video game room. These are activities that, while popular at the moment, may quickly become old news rather quickly.
Have designated areas for different events and activities while having a main stage or area for your major entertainment or attractions. Let some of your activities run continuously while others should be as part of a schedule creating a flow of actions, activities and attractions throughout your event.
A word of caution - be sure to understand the logistics and technical requirements of each entertainer, activity or attraction you are planning to make sure the pre and post requirements will not interfere with with other entertainment or activities in your lineup. Remember to allow for setup time and breakdown. Make sure all of your elements can logistically co-exit with each other without problems, interruptions or creating a lag in your festivities.
Use your financial resources wisely when dealing with this area as these are the main highlights of your event and your students memories. Try not to cut corners in this area. This is an area crucial to your event’s overall success so be sure it receives the budgetary support, promotional support and the featured position in your actual event. Once in place it usually becomes quite easy to fit in secondary or support activities around these features.
Involve The Local Business Community - Funding for your special event usually happens through a combination of fundraising and support from the local business community. Typically the two main components that are highlights and main attractions of your Post Prom, Graduation or Spirit Week/Homecoming events are the entertainment/attractions and the prizes and giveaways. These two very important elements are often the areas where planning committees turn to support from the local business communities.
Through sponsorships, donations and in-kind promotional arrangements, do not underestimate this area of your event. This can often be the difference in hosting a less successful or mediocre event to having an event that is a smashing success.
Target businesses that are the staples of your local and regional community, as well as those that share a professional interest in the demographics of your student and their families. Banks, car dealerships, restaurants, recreational businesses are always good possibilities, as are sports centers, movie theaters, and department or electronics stores.
Offer several plans or packages for these business to show support to your event and your attending students in the form of financial donations and support, donation of products or services, or the actual underwriting of an activity or entertainment offering. Remember they usually expect a return of their efforts or investments so strategize how becoming involved with your event can benefit their business. Understand the interests of these businesses as their concerns are showing community support while expecting to generate business in the form of traffic, exposure and sales as a result of their participation.
By combining your fundraising efforts along with the support of the local business community you can often take control of your committee’s funding potential in order to be able to host the level and quality of event you desire. The greater the support from the business community, the more likely you are to position yourself for success.
Prizes & Giveaways - This is another area that can be crucial to your event’s appeal and success. It’s a fact - everybody likes to win and everybody likes to receive something free. The most successful events we have noticed all have one thing in common - every student attending receives a prize or giveaway. Not a pen or balloon, but rather something of a perceived value.
Prizes and giveaways usually consist of several levels of value ranging from smaller items with a value of $10.00 - $15.00 to larger items such as lap top or desk top computers, personal electronic devices, cash, and yes even automobiles. Each student should be guaranteed a gift or prize worth the value of their admission price. Then additional prizes or giveaways with larger valued items should also be available as well. Items to prepare students for college are regularly offered at Graduation events such as dorm refrigerators, televisions, electronics, gift cards, etc. The possibilities are nearly endless.
Nearly all of the items are obtained through the support of your local and regional business community and other organizations. Creating a profitable and successful campaign to assemble a great variety of prizes and giveaways requires careful planning, direct marketing and promotion, follow-up, and most of all time. It is really an ongoing effort beginning early on in your planning stages and often continuing right up until near the time of your event.
Most business will be more accommodating when approached to provide a product or gift certificate rather than cash, so utilize this mentality to your advantage. There are some great strategies available to not only generate some fantastic prize giveaways but to use this as a means to raise a great amount of cash that can also be given away or used in other areas of your event.
Be creative, consistently work hard, and allow plenty of time to contact as many potential business as possible. It is a numbers game. You will face rejection, but that too is part of the process. Stay on top of the process, maintain excellent communications and rapport and you will find this to be a very lucrative and beneficial area for your efforts with great rewards.
Planning The Flow Of The Event - As with many produced events the flow or structure of your actual event can play a role in becoming a contributing element to your success. All events should have a beginning a middle and and end. You must decide the balance. Many committees choose to have a major attraction early in the event to assure students arrive on time and are offered impact right from the very beginning. Others prefer to have a highlight attraction later in the event to maintain the energy level and interest though out the event. Both mentalities work well. You must decide what serves you best.
Keeping the interest and energy levels up is important. This is where having both group and individual activities and attractions can alter the flow of your event smoothly from one event to the next. If your event utilizes multiple areas or rooms, the flow offers you control. While the students are in one area, another may be setup for an upcoming performance or attraction. When that begins the previous room or area may be converted or prepared for another attraction or activity, or perhaps even cleaned up it not being further utilized.
Mentalities vary from committee to committee. Some chose to start strong, maintain the mid-portion of the event, and end strong. Others start easier and continually build though the entire event ending with the biggest feature at the end. Only you and your committee can determine what is best for you and your event. Factors such as time,venue restrictions, entertainers schedules, vendors and others variables may have an impact on the decision you make. Maintain control and create a solid method and reasoning that makes your event as strong as possible while maintaining the interest level and appeal of your students. The flow can make your event lag or appear to be paced where times seems to fly by, so utilize the flow to your advantage.
Properly Promoting The Event - Regardless of how much planning, the quality and types of entertainment, attractions and activities you’ve selected, the sponsorships generated, and the prizes and giveaways assembled, once all of these elements have taken shape it all comes down to getting the word out to the students, creating a buzz and the proper promotion of your event.
Including it in daily announcements or a blurb on a flyer or in the school newspaper is not enough. Recent research states that students must hear or see a message seven times before it registers enough to consider taking action. This means you must have a multifaceted advertising and promotional campaign that bombards them with your message, while creating interest and generating excitement.
Our advice is to utilize a variety of promotional methods ranging from ticket booths in high traffic student areas such as the cafeteria, at sporting events and school stores, to using in-school medias such as the school newspaper, television monitors, school television or radio stations, and through special group affiliations or events. You want to direct market to your students. Make sure they hear about this event everywhere they go at every turn, and make it easy and convenient for them to buy tickets.
Start your buzz by dropping hints or releasing information early, then releasing additional information throughout your promotional campaign. Promote using contests and publicity stunts. Again be creative and have fun with this process. Grab their attention so they will want to be part of the fun and festivities.
Creating Memories That Will Last A Lifetime - Since these Post Prom, Graduation and Spirit Week/Homecoming events are so closely related to creating memories, make sure your event offers a variety of offerings designed exclusively for this purpose. A photo booth or display for digital pictures offers a fantastic opportunity to create memories. Handwriting and compatibility analysis offer keepsakes that will remembered long after your event. Have a photographer on hand for the entire event to take pictures that will be put up and available for download on your school or event web site. These are just some of the many possible ideas that can help to make your event memorable for years to come.
These entire events are to create a safe and sober celebration that will be remembered while creating long-lasting memories. Keep this in mind at all times as you plan your special event and always step back to insure your event includes these very important components.
You Only Have One Chance To Get It Right - Through careful planning, consideration, and execution you have the ability to combine all of these elements to create a fantastic, safe and memorable event. You only have one chance to get it right, so take the time, preparation and teamwork to create, strategize and plan a winning event.
The success of your event can also have a direct influence and create anticipation for next year’s event, as your impact continues on after your event.
You may not have the opportunity to rest until the final student has left and the cleanup and breakdown is complete, but when you finally are able to sit back, put your feet up with a collective sigh of relief, you and your committee will be proud to know that all of your planning and efforts made a difference and helped to create an event that will stay with your students for the rest of their lives.
Ruth
For many generations Homecoming, Prom and Graduation were highlights of our school years. They are events that were dreamed of, anticipated and have created memories and highlights from our school years. Friends, relationships and milestones in our lives are often related to these very special events.
While these have been popular for decades, recently a newer type of events have emerged to become the popular student favorites, Post Prom and Graduation celebrations, most commonly known as Grad Nights or Project Graduations. Also closely related are Spirit Week/Homecoming events.
For many students, these events have surpassed the longtime standards as the main events of their school years. One of the key reasons for this is that it’s not required to have a date to attend these events (such as with Prom or Homecoming) or to be part of the “in” crowd. These events are celebrations for everyone.
These events were created to offer an alternative to students leaving Prom or Graduation to go off to their own gatherings or all-night parties that often included alcohol, drugs, sex and other inappropriate and even illegal forms of celebrating. Many times these private forms of celebration had dire consequences including promiscuity, intoxication, arrests, pregnancy, and even death. Tragically it was becoming more and more common to hear of teen tragedies following Prom or Graduation usually involving teen drivers under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
Mother’s Against Drunk Drivers (M.A.D.D.) was one of the first to promote the concept of coordinating “safe and sober” celebrations following Prom and Graduation, with events that were supervised and school-approved and endorsed to keep the students from their own private, unfavorable forms of celebrating.
Today’s Post Proms and Grad Nights/Project Graduation events are two of the highlights to our high school years. Memories are created, and events are celebrated but are done so in a much more student-appropriate, safe environment. For some students these events are a right of passage, for others they are the memorable highlights of their school years. These are the events that can and will create memories that last a lifetime. The popularity of these events has even begun to appear on the Middle School/Junior High level.
While the idea of these types of “safe and sober” celebrations was welcomed by many schools across America, these events were not quite embraced initially by the students. These events were usually hosted by a planning committee of parent volunteers. It was thought originally that simply having this type of event with a DJ playing some music in the school gym would be an inviting event. It was soon discovered that simply having this type of event was not enough, it had to incorporate several key elements to interest and attract the students, making them want to attend. In order to accomplish it’s purpose just hosting such an event was not enough, it had to be a great event, an attraction. It had to be more appealing that the long-standing alternative of private celebrations.
Working with school’s Post Prom Committees (usually a separate committee from the Prom Committee) and Grad Night/Project Graduation Committees nationwide since the inception of these types of events, School Programs USA has been a part of these special events from the beginning. Based on this knowledge and experience we offer the following tips, pointers, advice and information to allow your school’s committee to plan a safe, well-attended, successful Post Prom, Graduation or Spirit Week event.
Start Early - One of the greatest bits of advice we can offer is to begin your planning early. It may seem like the beginning of the school year is a long time away from Spring events, but to properly plan a successful event requires months of planning and preparation. Another reason to begin early is directly related to the businesses you will need to incorporate and work with that will make your event a true success.
You must remember that all of the schools in your area are more than likely all planning similar events and are vying for many of the same vendors, entertainment, attractions, rentals, venues, and sponsorships that will be crucial to your success. Simply put, to have the best options, selections and to receive the most for your efforts you want to be the first to approach and secure these relationships, services, locations and products. For example, when contacting a local business for a sponsorship or donation, you stand a much better chance to receive what you desire if your reach them first, rather than waiting until several other area schools have approached them. By this time they may decline or only minimally participate with you and your event. To get what you want and not have to settle for secondary or backup options, be aggressive and reach them first.
Assemble your planning committee as soon as possible. Many schools even have their planning committee in place just before the previous year’s event, so they new committee members can attend, witness the event , take notes and enjoy the experience first hand to better familiarize and educate them with all facets of the overall event. Other schools form their planning committee in late August or early September right after the beginning of the new school year. The single most common area we find is with schools that assemble their planning committee in October or November, have an initial meeting and then do not really get started on their planning efforts until after school returns from the winter break in January. These committees are regularly faced with setbacks and disappointments as the vendors they wish to work with are already booked or unavailable, it becomes much harder to secure donations and sponsorships, and they are under the pressure of having to work harder and at a much faster pace, as in reality these events are only 12-18 weeks away.
Start early, stay on track with your planning committee and your goals. Have regular meetings, at least monthly initially then every other week or weekly as the event gets closer. Allow for problem areas and setbacks. It’s inevitable that someone will drop the ball somewhere in the process, committee members will quit or need to be replaced and problems will occur. By starting early you are not only getting a jump on creating a great event, but you are allowing yourself room for Murphy’s Law to present itself.
Your Planning Committee - The most importantly component to the success of any Post Prom, Graduation or Spirit Week event is the planning committee. Committees can range from only several people doing all of the work, to a more complete committee of many members each with individual duties and responsibilities. Your event will only be as good as your committee.
Choose a good committee leader, someone who can work well with others, coordinate many people and tasks simultaneously, and can have good lines of communications with each member. Organization and attention to detail are good qualities, as are leadership and people skills. This is the single most important position on your planning committee.
While many schools have difficulty getting parents or volunteers to participate, you should still be selective in choosing your committee members. Find the best candidates for the positions required. Use the best person for each position. Teamwork and communication is the backbone of any successful planning committee. Make your choices and designations wisely.
Once the committee is in place, it’s time to meet and determine your initials goals and plan of action. Each committee member should completely understand the goals and visions of the committee, while completely understand their specific duties and responsibilities. Timetables should be shared and adhered to by all members.
The proper planning and prevention can head off problems and setbacks that may arise. Remember your event will only be as good as the cumulative efforts of your committee. The entire success of your event depends on the decisions your committee makes in each step of the process.
Make It Worth Attending - Once your committee is solid and in place it’s time to direct your focus onto the event itself. Make sure to review last year’s event if it existed, perhaps even have a member of last years committee attend your first planning meeting to discuss the key points, setbacks, problems, and any other related issues from the previous event.
Initial areas to be addressed should be the date, times and location of your event. Once these are in place then address the individual elements that will comprise your event.
In planning your event be sure to pay close attention to the issues of price and value. What are students expected to pay to attend your event. It shouldn’t be too high to discourage attendance, but yet still enough to cover the costs of having the features and attractions desired to be an event the students will want to attend. What is the value of what the students will receive for their admission ticket? What is included - food, giveaways, activities, entertainment?
Be sure to think of your event from the attending student’s perspective as they’re your target audience. It is their choice, their one time memories and most importantly their special event.
Making It A “Must-Attend” Event - To host a successful Post Prom, Graduation or Homecoming/Spirit Week Event you must make it a “must-attend” event. It must be able to appeal to all types of students on a variety of levels. Your event should be viewed as both a celebration and a main attraction event. You must make your students want to come. This will be the place be. Single or with a date, everyone is welcome and will have a great time.
This is often easier said than done, but with the proper knowledge and planning it is easily obtainable. Do your research. Learn what works well for other schools both in your area and in other parts of the country. Understand what are the main highlights from previously attending students. What did they enjoy or remember the most? Again, do your research.
Offer a variety of activities, events, entertainment, food and areas that can appeal to all types of students. Make sure all areas are chaperoned and controlled or operated by assigned committee members who understand their duties and responsibilities and the proper expectations and execution of each area or activity. Designate specific areas for certain events or activities.
Learn about the hot attractions and features that create involvement and participation. Try to offer a good balance of physical and mental offerings. Most of all have a schedule and flow of your event that is easily understandable to the students, yet is efficient and practical to your committee and venue.
Making it a major attraction is a combination of events and activities, the proper promotion and visibility of your event, and creating an exciting buzz to not only generate interest but to sustain the excitement leading up to your special event.
The Key to Success - Entertainment And Attractions - Simply put, from the students perspective, the entertainment, attractions and activities that your event will feature will be a major factor in determining how your event is perceived and how well it will be attended.
The key here is variety and mass appeal. Be sure your event offers something for everyone. Offer both individual attractions and activities as well as group attractions. Understand what is popular with students. Some things are consistent while others change from year to year. For example the number one form of entertainment at Post Prom, Graduation and Spirit Week/Homecoming events nationwide is a Comedy Hypnosis Show. This has been a longtime favorite for years at college events and over the last decade as become the runway favorite at these types of high school celebrations. The reasons for this are many but one of the key reasons is due to the fact that to most students this is something new and amazing that they have not been over exposed to such as a Disc Jockey or Karaoke. It is a major attraction with all of the elements of a professional performance including audience participation, intrigue, suspense, comedy and laughter and the safe and natural ability of the human mind. Another key reason for the popularity of this type of performance is that it runs continuously from sixty to ninety minutes or more attracting the attention of nearly all of the students in attendance. Compared to other forms of entertainment where students may wander in and out or just sit on the sidelines, this type of interactive performance appeals to both the students and planning committee on many levels.
Other entertainment, attractions and activities that are regularly popular include a Mentalist, inflatables, climbing walls, casino tables, game shows, standup comedy shows, celebrity appearances (popular television and reality stars), competitions, handwriting and compatibility analysis, special viewings and swimming (at aquatic venues).
Trendy activities include Guitar Hero or Rock Band attractions/competition or a video game room. These are activities that, while popular at the moment, may quickly become old news rather quickly.
Have designated areas for different events and activities while having a main stage or area for your major entertainment or attractions. Let some of your activities run continuously while others should be as part of a schedule creating a flow of actions, activities and attractions throughout your event.
A word of caution - be sure to understand the logistics and technical requirements of each entertainer, activity or attraction you are planning to make sure the pre and post requirements will not interfere with with other entertainment or activities in your lineup. Remember to allow for setup time and breakdown. Make sure all of your elements can logistically co-exit with each other without problems, interruptions or creating a lag in your festivities.
Use your financial resources wisely when dealing with this area as these are the main highlights of your event and your students memories. Try not to cut corners in this area. This is an area crucial to your event’s overall success so be sure it receives the budgetary support, promotional support and the featured position in your actual event. Once in place it usually becomes quite easy to fit in secondary or support activities around these features.
Involve The Local Business Community - Funding for your special event usually happens through a combination of fundraising and support from the local business community. Typically the two main components that are highlights and main attractions of your Post Prom, Graduation or Spirit Week/Homecoming events are the entertainment/attractions and the prizes and giveaways. These two very important elements are often the areas where planning committees turn to support from the local business communities.
Through sponsorships, donations and in-kind promotional arrangements, do not underestimate this area of your event. This can often be the difference in hosting a less successful or mediocre event to having an event that is a smashing success.
Target businesses that are the staples of your local and regional community, as well as those that share a professional interest in the demographics of your student and their families. Banks, car dealerships, restaurants, recreational businesses are always good possibilities, as are sports centers, movie theaters, and department or electronics stores.
Offer several plans or packages for these business to show support to your event and your attending students in the form of financial donations and support, donation of products or services, or the actual underwriting of an activity or entertainment offering. Remember they usually expect a return of their efforts or investments so strategize how becoming involved with your event can benefit their business. Understand the interests of these businesses as their concerns are showing community support while expecting to generate business in the form of traffic, exposure and sales as a result of their participation.
By combining your fundraising efforts along with the support of the local business community you can often take control of your committee’s funding potential in order to be able to host the level and quality of event you desire. The greater the support from the business community, the more likely you are to position yourself for success.
Prizes & Giveaways - This is another area that can be crucial to your event’s appeal and success. It’s a fact - everybody likes to win and everybody likes to receive something free. The most successful events we have noticed all have one thing in common - every student attending receives a prize or giveaway. Not a pen or balloon, but rather something of a perceived value.
Prizes and giveaways usually consist of several levels of value ranging from smaller items with a value of $10.00 - $15.00 to larger items such as lap top or desk top computers, personal electronic devices, cash, and yes even automobiles. Each student should be guaranteed a gift or prize worth the value of their admission price. Then additional prizes or giveaways with larger valued items should also be available as well. Items to prepare students for college are regularly offered at Graduation events such as dorm refrigerators, televisions, electronics, gift cards, etc. The possibilities are nearly endless.
Nearly all of the items are obtained through the support of your local and regional business community and other organizations. Creating a profitable and successful campaign to assemble a great variety of prizes and giveaways requires careful planning, direct marketing and promotion, follow-up, and most of all time. It is really an ongoing effort beginning early on in your planning stages and often continuing right up until near the time of your event.
Most business will be more accommodating when approached to provide a product or gift certificate rather than cash, so utilize this mentality to your advantage. There are some great strategies available to not only generate some fantastic prize giveaways but to use this as a means to raise a great amount of cash that can also be given away or used in other areas of your event.
Be creative, consistently work hard, and allow plenty of time to contact as many potential business as possible. It is a numbers game. You will face rejection, but that too is part of the process. Stay on top of the process, maintain excellent communications and rapport and you will find this to be a very lucrative and beneficial area for your efforts with great rewards.
Planning The Flow Of The Event - As with many produced events the flow or structure of your actual event can play a role in becoming a contributing element to your success. All events should have a beginning a middle and and end. You must decide the balance. Many committees choose to have a major attraction early in the event to assure students arrive on time and are offered impact right from the very beginning. Others prefer to have a highlight attraction later in the event to maintain the energy level and interest though out the event. Both mentalities work well. You must decide what serves you best.
Keeping the interest and energy levels up is important. This is where having both group and individual activities and attractions can alter the flow of your event smoothly from one event to the next. If your event utilizes multiple areas or rooms, the flow offers you control. While the students are in one area, another may be setup for an upcoming performance or attraction. When that begins the previous room or area may be converted or prepared for another attraction or activity, or perhaps even cleaned up it not being further utilized.
Mentalities vary from committee to committee. Some chose to start strong, maintain the mid-portion of the event, and end strong. Others start easier and continually build though the entire event ending with the biggest feature at the end. Only you and your committee can determine what is best for you and your event. Factors such as time,venue restrictions, entertainers schedules, vendors and others variables may have an impact on the decision you make. Maintain control and create a solid method and reasoning that makes your event as strong as possible while maintaining the interest level and appeal of your students. The flow can make your event lag or appear to be paced where times seems to fly by, so utilize the flow to your advantage.
Properly Promoting The Event - Regardless of how much planning, the quality and types of entertainment, attractions and activities you’ve selected, the sponsorships generated, and the prizes and giveaways assembled, once all of these elements have taken shape it all comes down to getting the word out to the students, creating a buzz and the proper promotion of your event.
Including it in daily announcements or a blurb on a flyer or in the school newspaper is not enough. Recent research states that students must hear or see a message seven times before it registers enough to consider taking action. This means you must have a multifaceted advertising and promotional campaign that bombards them with your message, while creating interest and generating excitement.
Our advice is to utilize a variety of promotional methods ranging from ticket booths in high traffic student areas such as the cafeteria, at sporting events and school stores, to using in-school medias such as the school newspaper, television monitors, school television or radio stations, and through special group affiliations or events. You want to direct market to your students. Make sure they hear about this event everywhere they go at every turn, and make it easy and convenient for them to buy tickets.
Start your buzz by dropping hints or releasing information early, then releasing additional information throughout your promotional campaign. Promote using contests and publicity stunts. Again be creative and have fun with this process. Grab their attention so they will want to be part of the fun and festivities.
Creating Memories That Will Last A Lifetime - Since these Post Prom, Graduation and Spirit Week/Homecoming events are so closely related to creating memories, make sure your event offers a variety of offerings designed exclusively for this purpose. A photo booth or display for digital pictures offers a fantastic opportunity to create memories. Handwriting and compatibility analysis offer keepsakes that will remembered long after your event. Have a photographer on hand for the entire event to take pictures that will be put up and available for download on your school or event web site. These are just some of the many possible ideas that can help to make your event memorable for years to come.
These entire events are to create a safe and sober celebration that will be remembered while creating long-lasting memories. Keep this in mind at all times as you plan your special event and always step back to insure your event includes these very important components.
You Only Have One Chance To Get It Right - Through careful planning, consideration, and execution you have the ability to combine all of these elements to create a fantastic, safe and memorable event. You only have one chance to get it right, so take the time, preparation and teamwork to create, strategize and plan a winning event.
The success of your event can also have a direct influence and create anticipation for next year’s event, as your impact continues on after your event.
You may not have the opportunity to rest until the final student has left and the cleanup and breakdown is complete, but when you finally are able to sit back, put your feet up with a collective sigh of relief, you and your committee will be proud to know that all of your planning and efforts made a difference and helped to create an event that will stay with your students for the rest of their lives.
Ruth
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Jun
22
Filed Under (grad schools) by admin
Eztracks asked:
In our harried and hectic 21st century lives, New Age music just might be the right antidote for all the craziness that seems to surround us every day. New age music offers a magical blend of sounds that reach deep into the psyche and transport listeners to a blissful state of harmony and contentment. New Age music is also known by many other names including ambient, contemporary instrumental, experimental, spacerock, mood music and chillout. Not everyone agrees on exactly what New Age music encompasses. One group of fans claims that New Age is an offshoot of electronic music that includes melodic non-dance pieces. Artists in this tradition include Enya, Yanni and Vangelis, who are all hugely popular. Others consider New Age as an outgrowth of electronic music used primarily for relaxation in Eastern practices like yoga and meditation. There is an entire industry of recording companies that produce cassettes and CDs to teach and compliment these practices. Another point of view is that New Age is purely melodic with long, soothing tracks.
The history of New Age music is also open to interpretation. Some music historians say it can be traced back to a British musician named Brian Eno who coined the term “ambient music.” regarding his 1978 album, “Ambient 1: Music for Airports,”. In the sleeve notes, Eno explained that it was music “designed to induce calm and a place to think.” He explained that depending on the listener, it could be used as background music or be actively listened to. According to these historians, New Age music’s prime source is two 19th Century classical avant-garde composers–Claude Debussy and Erik Satie—who heralded a new openness in Western music to sounds that complimented the musical environment rather than intruding upon it.
In the mid 20th Century, historians say, the New Age genre was blown wide open by a composer named John Cage who experimented with a wide range of sounds from countries around the world. Cage even challenged the notion that music could not be a recording of silence. In the 1960s, the New Age floodgates opened when American composers with classical backgrounds started to explore the idea of repetition whether with orchestras, electric instruments or non-Western instrumental arrangements. The invention of the analog synthesizer led to the development of many other types of compositions by this school of composers who came to be known as minimalists. In the 1990s, some historians note that the term “New Age music,” for better or worse, was co-opted by self-help gurus who thought that it could lead to self-realization and new levels of consciousness. In the new millennium, historians say that New Age music belongs to a whole new group of listeners known as the ‘rave’ generation.
Whatever your perception of the origins or purposes of New Age music, it’s clear that there is a prominent place for it in today’s culture. Yes, we’re caught up in a harried existence, but we always find time to take a chill pill with this soothing genre of music.
Listen to free New Age Music MP3’s at EZ-tracks.com
Where does your favorite top New Age songs rank? Visit EZ-tracks to check out top country music charts.
Want a soothing ringtone for you cell phone? Download New Age Ringtones for your mobile now.
Frances
In our harried and hectic 21st century lives, New Age music just might be the right antidote for all the craziness that seems to surround us every day. New age music offers a magical blend of sounds that reach deep into the psyche and transport listeners to a blissful state of harmony and contentment. New Age music is also known by many other names including ambient, contemporary instrumental, experimental, spacerock, mood music and chillout. Not everyone agrees on exactly what New Age music encompasses. One group of fans claims that New Age is an offshoot of electronic music that includes melodic non-dance pieces. Artists in this tradition include Enya, Yanni and Vangelis, who are all hugely popular. Others consider New Age as an outgrowth of electronic music used primarily for relaxation in Eastern practices like yoga and meditation. There is an entire industry of recording companies that produce cassettes and CDs to teach and compliment these practices. Another point of view is that New Age is purely melodic with long, soothing tracks.
The history of New Age music is also open to interpretation. Some music historians say it can be traced back to a British musician named Brian Eno who coined the term “ambient music.” regarding his 1978 album, “Ambient 1: Music for Airports,”. In the sleeve notes, Eno explained that it was music “designed to induce calm and a place to think.” He explained that depending on the listener, it could be used as background music or be actively listened to. According to these historians, New Age music’s prime source is two 19th Century classical avant-garde composers–Claude Debussy and Erik Satie—who heralded a new openness in Western music to sounds that complimented the musical environment rather than intruding upon it.
In the mid 20th Century, historians say, the New Age genre was blown wide open by a composer named John Cage who experimented with a wide range of sounds from countries around the world. Cage even challenged the notion that music could not be a recording of silence. In the 1960s, the New Age floodgates opened when American composers with classical backgrounds started to explore the idea of repetition whether with orchestras, electric instruments or non-Western instrumental arrangements. The invention of the analog synthesizer led to the development of many other types of compositions by this school of composers who came to be known as minimalists. In the 1990s, some historians note that the term “New Age music,” for better or worse, was co-opted by self-help gurus who thought that it could lead to self-realization and new levels of consciousness. In the new millennium, historians say that New Age music belongs to a whole new group of listeners known as the ‘rave’ generation.
Whatever your perception of the origins or purposes of New Age music, it’s clear that there is a prominent place for it in today’s culture. Yes, we’re caught up in a harried existence, but we always find time to take a chill pill with this soothing genre of music.
Listen to free New Age Music MP3’s at EZ-tracks.com
Where does your favorite top New Age songs rank? Visit EZ-tracks to check out top country music charts.
Want a soothing ringtone for you cell phone? Download New Age Ringtones for your mobile now.
Frances
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Jun
22
Filed Under (grad schools) by admin
Carlo T asked:
I did a Roman project for school and I decided to do a mosaic of the Roman aqueducts. How do you think I did?
I did a Roman project for school and I decided to do a mosaic of the Roman aqueducts. How do you think I did?
Here’s what aqueducts look like: http://yatin.chawathe.com/photos/1997-10-Europe/images/pont-du-gard.jpg
Here’s my project: http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff106/anti_usc_guy/PIC_0001.jpg
Floyd
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Jun
13
Filed Under (grad schools) by admin
John Burton asked:
France’s most famous naïve painter was born in 1844, the son of an ironmonger. At school, Rousseau was a poor student and failed most of his exams. By the age of 19 he found work as a clerk in a lawyer’s office, until he was sacked for stealing stamps, and imprisoned for a month.
In an effort to redeem his standing, Rousseau joined the French Infantry. After 5 years, he left the army, moved to Paris, and found work with the Customs Office. His job was to check carts for smuggled goods at the city gates. His duties were limited due to his lack of capability. At the age of about 27, Rousseau started to paint and draw in his spare time.
In 1885, some fourteen year later, Rousseau made his public debut as an artist, and exhibited two pictures at the “Salon des Artiste Independents”, an exhibiting society formed by avant-garde artists who were unable to gain acceptance at the “Salon des Artistes France”. Visitors mocked and laughed at Rousseau’s paintings, but undeterred, he continued to exhibit each year.
At the age of 59, Rousseau retired from his Customs Office job, and dedicated himself to painting. At about this time, he struck up a friendship with the writer Alfred Jerry, who acted as his publicist, and introduced Rousseau to a new circle of contacts, including Gauguin, Toulouse-Lautrec, Degas, and latterly Picasso. Rousseau painted a portrait of Jerry, who destroyed it by using the picture for pistol target practise!
Rousseau’s new friends found his naivety, and gullibility amusing, and he was subjected to a number of pranks, such as falling for a story that the President of France had invited him to a grand reception. Rousseau turned up at the gates of the Elysee Palace, only to be turned away. At the age of 63 he was arrested for fraud, because an acquaintance had persuaded him to open a bank account in a false name for the purposes of embezzlement. At his trial, Rousseau’s paintings were presented as evidence of his childish mentality. The defence counsel’s strategy worked, and Rousseau received a suspended sentence.
Rousseau died in 1910 at the age of 66, and was buried in a pauper’s grave. Few of his drawing survived; his family disposed of most of them after his death!
Rousseau’s lifelong desire was to paint in a precise and realistic style, but he lacked the necessary skill and training. In his paintings, the conventions of perspective, proportion and illumination were ignored. Rousseau liked to paint animals, and copied photographs from books using a pantograph. He could not paint feet, so always placed his subjects ankle deep in grass. To prevent the need to create an impression of depth, he often painted a profusion of vegetation.
Rousseau’s most famous painting is possibly “the Sleeping Gypsy”, for which he drew inspiration from Gerome’s fabulous “Two Majesties”. Rousseau offered to sell his painting to the mayor of his hometown, but the mayor declined the offer, and the painting was discovered 25 years later in a plumber’s workshop.
Rousseau was indifferent to the works of the progressive avant-garde artist around him, finding their paintings too unfinished. Paradoxically, these artists became appreciators of Rousseau’s work, and were instrumental in his posthumous recognition as a great painter. In his work they saw the beginnings of Surrealism, and took pleasure in the childlike quality of his pictures.
For my part, I can admire Rousseau for his dedication and effort. I cannot admire his artistic ability, because he was an adult painting like a child (in the same way that I can draw little gratification from a childish book). Rousseau believed that his paintings were stylised, yet highly realistic representations, and their surrealistic worth is entirely accidental. That doesn’t make him a great artist.
Portraits by John Burton
Suzanne
France’s most famous naïve painter was born in 1844, the son of an ironmonger. At school, Rousseau was a poor student and failed most of his exams. By the age of 19 he found work as a clerk in a lawyer’s office, until he was sacked for stealing stamps, and imprisoned for a month.
In an effort to redeem his standing, Rousseau joined the French Infantry. After 5 years, he left the army, moved to Paris, and found work with the Customs Office. His job was to check carts for smuggled goods at the city gates. His duties were limited due to his lack of capability. At the age of about 27, Rousseau started to paint and draw in his spare time.
In 1885, some fourteen year later, Rousseau made his public debut as an artist, and exhibited two pictures at the “Salon des Artiste Independents”, an exhibiting society formed by avant-garde artists who were unable to gain acceptance at the “Salon des Artistes France”. Visitors mocked and laughed at Rousseau’s paintings, but undeterred, he continued to exhibit each year.
At the age of 59, Rousseau retired from his Customs Office job, and dedicated himself to painting. At about this time, he struck up a friendship with the writer Alfred Jerry, who acted as his publicist, and introduced Rousseau to a new circle of contacts, including Gauguin, Toulouse-Lautrec, Degas, and latterly Picasso. Rousseau painted a portrait of Jerry, who destroyed it by using the picture for pistol target practise!
Rousseau’s new friends found his naivety, and gullibility amusing, and he was subjected to a number of pranks, such as falling for a story that the President of France had invited him to a grand reception. Rousseau turned up at the gates of the Elysee Palace, only to be turned away. At the age of 63 he was arrested for fraud, because an acquaintance had persuaded him to open a bank account in a false name for the purposes of embezzlement. At his trial, Rousseau’s paintings were presented as evidence of his childish mentality. The defence counsel’s strategy worked, and Rousseau received a suspended sentence.
Rousseau died in 1910 at the age of 66, and was buried in a pauper’s grave. Few of his drawing survived; his family disposed of most of them after his death!
Rousseau’s lifelong desire was to paint in a precise and realistic style, but he lacked the necessary skill and training. In his paintings, the conventions of perspective, proportion and illumination were ignored. Rousseau liked to paint animals, and copied photographs from books using a pantograph. He could not paint feet, so always placed his subjects ankle deep in grass. To prevent the need to create an impression of depth, he often painted a profusion of vegetation.
Rousseau’s most famous painting is possibly “the Sleeping Gypsy”, for which he drew inspiration from Gerome’s fabulous “Two Majesties”. Rousseau offered to sell his painting to the mayor of his hometown, but the mayor declined the offer, and the painting was discovered 25 years later in a plumber’s workshop.
Rousseau was indifferent to the works of the progressive avant-garde artist around him, finding their paintings too unfinished. Paradoxically, these artists became appreciators of Rousseau’s work, and were instrumental in his posthumous recognition as a great painter. In his work they saw the beginnings of Surrealism, and took pleasure in the childlike quality of his pictures.
For my part, I can admire Rousseau for his dedication and effort. I cannot admire his artistic ability, because he was an adult painting like a child (in the same way that I can draw little gratification from a childish book). Rousseau believed that his paintings were stylised, yet highly realistic representations, and their surrealistic worth is entirely accidental. That doesn’t make him a great artist.
Portraits by John Burton
Suzanne
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Jun
11
Filed Under (grad schools) by admin
killykole2 asked:
I’m planning on going to grad school starting January. I’m taking 9 credits a semester (full course load is 12). How many hours a week: class/reading/studying does that come out to do you think?
Tracy
I’m planning on going to grad school starting January. I’m taking 9 credits a semester (full course load is 12). How many hours a week: class/reading/studying does that come out to do you think?
Tracy
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Jun
09
Mary M asked:
I have some money in savings, otherwise my income this past year was real low. For financial aid for grad school what would be recommended to do to maximize financial aid?
Eric
I have some money in savings, otherwise my income this past year was real low. For financial aid for grad school what would be recommended to do to maximize financial aid?
Eric
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Jun
09
Filed Under (grad schools) by admin
Elizabeth asked:
I never know who to ask for recommendations when applying for grad school. I have one professor I want to ask but I was only in his class for a month in the summer. Is that not long enough??
I’m applying for a Forensic Psychology Psychology Doctoral. Program…. thanks for all the great advice!!
I’m applying for a Forensic Psychology Psychology Doctoral. Program…. thanks for all the great advice!!
Chris
I never know who to ask for recommendations when applying for grad school. I have one professor I want to ask but I was only in his class for a month in the summer. Is that not long enough??
I’m applying for a Forensic Psychology Psychology Doctoral. Program…. thanks for all the great advice!!
I’m applying for a Forensic Psychology Psychology Doctoral. Program…. thanks for all the great advice!!
Chris
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Jun
06
minda marie asked:
this boy that is a freshman(i am a 8 grader) was talking to me. he ask me to share a stand with him next year and that we would have fun and he ask me if i was gooing out 4 gard when i said no he said good. do u think he likes me are he was just being nice.
Christine
this boy that is a freshman(i am a 8 grader) was talking to me. he ask me to share a stand with him next year and that we would have fun and he ask me if i was gooing out 4 gard when i said no he said good. do u think he likes me are he was just being nice.
Christine
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