Spirits Soar Above Grey Skies on I.S. Monday 2010

Seniors celebrate the quintessential Wooster milestone

** View I.S. Monday 2010 photo gallery**

WOOSTER, Mar. 22 - It was, as they say in the auld country, “a fine, soft day” this I.S. Monday, but by late afternoon the rain had tapered off, and the grey skies and brisk breeze that remained could do nothing to dampen the spirits of Wooster seniors celebrating the submission of their Independent Study projects.

They gathered in the Oak Grove, whooping and chanting “2010, 2010” as the last of their classmates hurried to hand in their theses at the registrar’s office. Just before five, a young man with a trombone mounted the steps of Kauke Hall and began to play the Star Spangled Banner. Hundreds of students began to sing, their voices echoing off the walls of the surrounding buildings. As the last notes died away, five pipers and two drummers moved to the front of the crowd, struck up Scotland the Brave, and with a roar, the 2010 I.S. Parade was underway.

Associate Professor Henry Kreuzman, dean for curriculum and academic engagement, led the way in full MacLeod kilt and regalia, followed by Registrar Suzanne Bates in her Tootsie Roll costume, then the pipers and drummers, and then the seniors, in all their gaudy splendor.

In addition to Kreuzman and the pipers, at least three other marchers sported kilts (though in truth, one looked suspiciously like a parochial school uniform skirt pressed hastily into service for the occasion). Another opted for lederhosen, with a German flag tied around his neck like a cape. Five young women wrote the numbers from their I.S. buttons on their foreheads, perhaps as a hedge against losing the buttons themselves. And of course, there was the usual assortment of tiaras, magic wands, bizarre hats, and custom tee shirts, including one offering an “I.S. Monday Bucket List” that included “Crash a class in Kauke” and “Frolic in the Lowry fountain.”

Hundreds of underclass students, faculty and staff lined the main walk down the campus mall, two and three deep, from Kauke to University Street, cheering and applauding, offering high fives and hugs.

The march followed a longer route this year. Down the mall and across Pine St., where admissions staffers handed out black and gold wristbands that said “I.S. 2010” on one side and “I Did It!” on the other, then past the alumni office, where local alums provided individual packages of Walker’s Shortbread, imported from Scotland.  Turning north up Beall Avenue, then west on University Street, they passed the President’s Home, where Grant and Peg Cornwell distributed College of Wooster window decals.

At this point, in theory at least, the route wound back through the arch and north toward Kenarden, where the dean of students office had Cow Tales caramel candies and Kudos bars (get it?) to offer. But at least a hundred of the seniors decided to just keep going straight up Beall to Kittredge, where they knew pizza, shelter, and a place to sit down awaited.

At the door to Kitt, one senior had parked his four wheel motorized scooter. Like a limo outside a church on wedding day, there were empty cans tied to the back, and a hand-lettered sign that read: “Just Finished I.S.”