July 9, 2008

Wow! Only one week has gone by and it seems as if we've been at McMaster University for a year - which is a good thing! Our P.A.s are constantly building team spirit, Shad students continue to bond and each day unveils a new and exciting adventure. I think all of us Mac Shads would agree that this morning it felt great to wake up at Les Prince Hall after a long weekend of camping.

As usual we began our day at 7:00a.m. with our routinely morning workout. Shads were given the option to play basketball or to go to "the Pulse" which is McMaster University's gym. At 8:00am a buffet styled breakfast was prepared at Commons. Eggs, sausages, hash browns, pancakes, cereal, fruits and yogurt were only some of this morning's menu items. Everyone began to arrive to breakfast and as always we were encouraged to sit with new people and develop new connections.

We then began the lecture filled part of the day with three great lectures. At 9:00a.m we listened to Marvin Ryder who is a university professor specialized in marketing and entrepreneurship. We were taught the necessary skills needed to write a business plan for our final projects. Then at 10:00 a.m. the idolized Sunjay Nath came in to speak to us about motivation and leadership. Sunjay was lively, comical and of course intelligent in every word he spoke. He taught us that the way we perceive things can change the opportunities presented to us in our lives. Lastly, our guest speaker for the day Nick Bontis arrived. Nick Bontis taught us a lot about the business world and helped us to find our average words read per minute with a speed reading test.

When the clock read 12:00pm, lunchtime had arrived. We all headed to the Commons cafeteria for a hearty lunch. After lunch we had recreational time where each recreational group participated in a variety of organized activities for 2 hours.

The rest of the day was filled with participation in dramatic arts-oriented activities. Two workshops were available: Page to Stage and an Improv Workshop. I signed up for the Page to Stage Workshop and I must say that I was quite impressed. Meg Barker, one of our exceptional P.A.s ran this workshop. Within 2 hours Shads took a script, divided into various groups and put together a play for our fellow Shads with lighting, props, sound effects and much more. It was amazing to see how much we were capable of doing when we worked together. Once we finished our presentation at 6:00pm, dinner was served.

My highlight of the day came at 7:00 when Rob Salerno, a Shad Alumni, came to McMaster University to present a play which he had written and performed at the Fringe Festival. This play titled "Balls!" touched the hearts of many Shads as the play revolved around a real-life experience of a young Shad from Acadia 1999 who was diagnosed with testicular cancer. Many of us were in tears by the end of the performance.

Once the play was over, we gathered for announcements, snack and nightly entertainment as a group. We were then granted free time and by 11:00 we were all expected to make curfew and be in our dorm rooms. So far I must say that Shad Valley has truly been a great experience. I can't wait to see how amazing the rest of the month will be!

Joseph Palmieri
Shad Valley McMaster
Hometown: Woodbridge, Ontario