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Foolsapalooza

Hopefully you were so curious about that title that you’ve continued reading this blog post. If so, hello! This blog post will be about Holy Cross’ only co-ed a cappella group, Fools on the Hill. There we (most of us) are below!

 

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Fools Fam! 

Last week Friday, we had our biggest campus event Foolsapalooza. It’s our end of the year a cappella show, where Fools and other Holy Cross and off-campus a cappella groups perform as well! This year’s turnout was incredible and the energy in the room was just fantastic!

We advertised with some foolish facts about each member on our Facebook page! Might regret adding this photo later, but here is a little snippet of it!

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Some of the songs we sang were All These Things I’ve Done by the Killers, Water Under the Bridge by Adele, Sweater Weather  by the Neighbourhood, I See Fire by Ed Sheeran, and a really fun Queen Medley. As you can see, there’s no real common thread or certain genre — it’s just the love of all kinds of music that makes a cappella groups so fun.

Usual Holy Cross a cappella performances happen right in front of the Hogan cafe, Cool Beans, on different days during the week. However, this event was held in the Hogan Ballroom so that friends and family could attend as well.

Speaking of family, Foolsapalooza (coincidentally on April Fools Day) was my sister’s birthday, so she too attended the show and I got to sing my solo to her! Here we are after the show below:

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Yay, family.

If you love music and everything about it, you can join one of these groups! Many of the groups have YouTube channels, so I’ll post the names of the groups below so you can check out any videos. If a cappella isn’t an interest of yours, there are also many choir groups you can join as well! OR, you can do both!

A cappella groups:

Sons of Pitches

The Delilahs

Off the Record

Sound of St. James

And of course, Fools on the Hill.

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So much thanks to Colleen Paddock '16 for taking such lovely photos!

Thanks to Colleen Paddock ’16 for taking such lovely photos!

So, the blog take-away is: If I’m having a rough week at Holy Cross (which won’t necessarily be a normal occurrence), I can always go grab a coffee and head to any of the a cappella performances that week. AND if I love music, then I can join one of the many different music-based groups on campus! How exciting. 
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Organization Thank Yous

Hey, guys!

Well, it’s happening. My first year here at Holy Cross is slowly, but surely coming to an end.

Projects, presentations, and papers are all due this upcoming week. Everyone is undergoing a period of pressure right now, attempting to stay steadfast until finals. However, once Friday arrives, Spring Weekend begins! That’s why the anticipation for Spring Weekend is so great — something to look forward to.

Sadly, Spring Weekend is not here yet (nor is Jessie J). But Fools on the Hill and CASA are! I wanted to make a thank you post for the organizations I am a part of before the year ends. Both Fools and CASA have been so amazing to be a part of and I am so grateful to be a member of such fantastic organizations.

CASA has given me so many laughs and memories this past year. I began the year as a timid, CASA first-year intern, and now I am ending the year as an imminent CASA Co-Publicist.

My parents are both Jamaican and I grew up in a Caribbean church and community, so joining CASA really eased some my fear of not fitting in at Holy Cross. During set-up for our first campus event, another CASA member and I went off campus to get true, authentic African and Caribbean food. Needless to say, I was overjoyed. We returned with patties, samosas, fried rice, and so much more.

In terms of Fools, I had never been in an a cappella group before Holy Cross, but I am so glad I joined one. Fools has truly helped me adjust to campus. It provided me with comfort during stressful weeks and when I needed to smile, it reminded me that I have hilarious, musically-inclined friends.

Our Fools Senior Show is this Thursday, when we will sing many songs from this past year.

Here are some examples of our 2014/2015 songs:

Ain’t It Fun by Paramore

Fallin’ by Alicia Keys

Blackbird by the Beatles

Stay with Me by Sam Smith

& a Beyonce Medley

Thank you, CASA and Fools, for making my first year on the Hill a great one!

So, the blog take-away is: Holy Cross has a myriad of incredible organizations. These groups will not only be fun to join, but will also make Holy Cross feel more like home. 

Below: An assortment of Fools Pictures and CASA Culture Night Pictures (shout out to my fellow decorations committee folks)!

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My Week back from Break

Hi, again!

So the first week back from break is officially over. In translation, the work begins again. I have an extremely immense amount of work to do, not because of procrastination, but just because I have quite the busy schedule.

I won’t bore you with personal dilemmas, though. Instead, I’ll give a little synopsis of my week back from break.

I returned on Sunday sometime in the evening and minutes later went to my CASA Members Meeting. Joining an organization (or a sports team) here on campus is a huge commitment; you will have events on weekdays/nights, so make sure you manage your time wisely. Monday strolled around and I had classes, my a cappella rehearsal in the evening, and Campion House cookies (below: a picture of my gorgeous friends and Campion House cookies)!

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The rest of the week went by quickly. Midterms were returned, tears were shed.

Just kidding, no tears. Midterms were returned and I was pleasantly surprised with my grades. Utilizing the Office Hours of my professors truly helped and they are always eager to see you succeed.

Finally, Friday dawned, as did Holy Cross Family Weekend! This weekend was jam-packed with cool events for families and friends. Fools on the Hill (the a cappella group I’m in) sang multiple times for different events and it was really nice being supported by students and their families. Here is a picture of us singing for families at the a cappella concert in costumes – I’m the nerd on the far right!

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Other cool events included festivities in the Hoval, the small lawn area in front of Hogan Center. My friends and I played some cool games, painted pumpkins, and listened to live music. It was so nice seeing everyone’s family come out and just have a great time. Below are some pictures of the Hoval festivities and a photo of a nice Fall walk with some friends.

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All in all, it was a good week back on the Hill.

So the blog take-away is: The first week back from Fall Break may seem brutal, but Holy Cross will always do a fantastic job of making you feel right at home again.