2009-2010: Holly Black

Reading Day

Hello,

My apologies for not updating this sooner, but I have been extremely busy with exams, preparing a presentation, and writing papers!  Today is Reading Day, a day set aside for studying prior to final exams which commence tomorrow morning.

This semester I have two finals:  Pathophysiology on Friday & Med/Surg II next Monday (Org. Psych was a final project due last week).  Luckily, a lot of the material overlaps for these exams that should help with studying because there is A LOT of material.

Other than that, not much has changed.  My platoon surprised us the other night by decorating our hallway and posting "stockings" on our doors with our names written in glitter glue.  They used boot socks to make them, so it was both creative and funny at the same time.

When I get home, it will be time to help cook!  We have so many people coming over for Christmas dinner that we are serving buffet-style.

I hope to write again before the year is out.  Otherwise, MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Until next time,
Holly

Thanksgiving break

Hello,

Last week was Thanksgiving break, which was much needed.  However, as soon as I got home I had to write my Med/Surg paper that was due by midnight on Nov. 22nd!  After 25+ hours of work over a weekend, the paper was finished, submitted, and I proceeded to relax for the remainder of the week.

When I go home, I enjoy low-key activities such as walking my dogs and cooking with mom.  Being Thanksgiving, much time was spent making pies and cutting up vegetables.  Dinner on Thursday was delicious.  =)

Soon enough, it was time to head back to Norwich.  Soooo...here I am!  With less than 3 weeks until Christmas break, it is the typical crunch time in the semester.  I have a few papers left, a presentation, 2 finals, and a few other loose ends.

I am also pleased to announce that I am an aunt [again!]  My sister-in-law gave birth to a beautiful baby boy just a few hours ago!  We are waiting the final decision on a name, so until then:  Welcome, baby!

Until next time,
Holly

Rook Recognition

Hi everyone,

I planned on writing a blog last weekend, but it was difficult to write about pre-recognition events when I know that a lot of the freshmen (including my own) read what I post.

Anyhow, last weekend was reversed.  Typically, Saturday is a training day and Sunday is a day of rest (academic day).  Because of the impending recognition ceremony for the freshmen, Friday & Saturday were study days.

While the freshmen conducted study hall on Friday afternoon, 3rd Battalion staff had an OPORD brief to explain what the plan of the weekend would be.  We also got to ask a lot of questions about upcoming training for the freshmen & how the rest of the year should turn out.

Saturday was the last football marchdown of the year for the conference championship that Norwich won.  Congratulations to the football team!

Sunday started early.  At 0615, there was a Regimental room inspection for all of the freshmen & cadre staff.  At 1100, we stepped off for a 9.9K ruck march up Dole Hill, and administered a Rook Knowledge Test thereafter.  At this point, the freshmen were really pumped up and because of the "rumor mill," they thought Sunday night was recognition night.  Well, it wasn't - but we pretended!

Most cadre staffs had a "fake recognition" wherein we got each platoon on the wall in Super B uniform and gave speeches on how far they've come.  From there, we told them to go to bed.  Sure, it may sound cruel - but it was necessary to deter the rumors about when recognition ceremony would take place.

Recognition was, in fact, on Monday night.  When I returned from clinical, I went through my nightly routine of asking my freshmen how their days were and so on.  At 2155, while our Platoon Sergeant was conducting nightly passdown (letting the freshmen know what's going on the next day), Artillery fired the cannons and we quickly got the freshmen into Super B's for the ceremony.

Not to give too many details away, but we marched all the rooks down to Plumley Armory & the ceremony commenced from there.  Afterwards, we marched back to the barracks and gave them a speech about how far they've come & what needs to be accomplished now.  Now that the freshmen have learned how to follow, they can begin learning how to lead.

Because recognition was so early in the year, few privileges were awarded with their rank of Private.  They still have white nametags, so they're not upperclassmen yet!  In the words of our Battalion Commander:  "It only gets harder from here."  The real test has yet to come.

So for that, congratulations on your acceptance into the Corps of Cadets - Class of 2013.

As for me?  Being in the cadre role of the recognition ceremony was nothing like what I expected it to be.  I actually got kind of nervous.  I felt really proud to be changing the rank on my squad's uniforms.  That's a once in a lifetime experience I am glad I got to take part in.

That's it for now!  It's Thursday & as I said before, I do not have any classes on Friday.  That means Thanksgiving break starts today for me!  I'm headed home.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

Until next time,
Holly

Ring orders =)

Hi everyone,

I figured I'd take a break from studying and write on here.  This week was pretty much the usual - clinical, classes, study, PT, study, freshmen, studying, and more studying.  This morning, the freshmen took their 2nd Corps PT test of the semester and it was SO COLD outside.  It took me nearly two hours to warm up after getting back to my room.  One would think you get used to the cold after living in Vermont for 2 1/2 years:  not really.

Clinical is awesome.  We're at that point in the semester where we know the hospital staff and they know us, so we work together really well.  The nurses are very willing to take the time and teach us new things (the doctors too!)

Wednesday & Thursday were 2 very exciting days for the Corps juniors.  We ordered our class rings!  There were so many choices.  We are allowed to purchase 2 rings:  1 garrison (dress ring) and 1 field ring.  I spent $1300, which is cheap compared to some of my classmates.  The countdown for Junior Ring REALLY matters now.  I'm pumped. =)

Well, these next couple of weeks will be a big push until Thanksgiving break.  Mid-semester break is always great, but a weekend at home is such a tease.

Until next time,
Holly

Weekend at home

Hi everyone,

Last week was pretty uneventful, other than anticipation of going home.  My roommate was awfully sick all week.  Then again, most of the school has been sick. =/  The weekend prior we had the Navy/Marine Corps Birthday Ball.  As usual, it was a nice ceremony and the food was great.

On Tuesday we had the official PRT for the Naval Dept.  I was really pumped because I got my best score ever.  Thus, I reached my goal:  time to set a new one.

It was a long weekend for Norwich students, so I headed home on Thursday night.  It was nice to get away and spend some time with my family, but I still had a lot of work to do!  A good portion of Friday was spent writing a care plan that was due by midnight and Saturday/Sunday was spent writing a paper for my psychology class.  However, I did get to have some fun!

Because my boyfriend lives in Maryland, it didn't make much sense for him to go home for the weekend...so he came home with me.  On Friday we did a bit of shopping at the mall and checked out the costume store.  I didn't plan on buying a costume, but checking them out was a lot of fun.

On Saturday we went to go see Saw VI at the movie theater (I love horror movies!) and had dinner after that.  It was perfect Halloween weather:  75 degrees, full moon, and windy with lots of leaves blowing around. =)

Yesterday was my sister-in-law's baby shower, which was really exciting!  I was the baby in the family for so long and now we have little ones on the way.  She's due just before Christmas.

Back to the grind today!  I'll be leaving for clinical in a couple of hours.  I just drove back here last night & now I have to drive back to Dartmouth:  ugh!

My freshmen will be having a company run on Wednesday.  Unfortunately, I'll miss it due to clinical.  I hope they enjoy it.

18 days until Thanksgiving break.

Until next time,
Holly

Mid-Semester -- already?

Hi everyone,

I have been extremely busy.  In fact, I've barely had time to call home over the past week or so, engaging in five minute phone calls here-and-there with my parents.

Following Parents Weekend was Alumni Weekend.  There were tons of alums on campus and I fortunately got to talk to a few.  Many were excited to see the new buildings.  Following 2 parades and a football marchdown in less than 24 hours--I was tired!  However, sleep doesn't seem to ever be an option:  I spent the remainder of that weekend studying, as usual.

October 6th was a very important day for my class, as it was the unveiling of our Norwich ring design.  We formed up in Plumley & watched a slideshow put together by the ring committee.  The design is AWESOME!  Soon enough, it'll be time to order our rings & of course, continue our countdown until Junior Ring Ceremony. =)

NROTC also held the Fall FEX (field exercises) recently.  The weekend consisted of escape & evasion, VBSS, sailing, some simulations, ship fire drills/first aid, and a ruck march.  Friday evening of that weekend was rather miserable due to the intermittent rain showers, followed by the cold setting in.  All day Saturday, I instructed the first aid class.  While I enjoyed doing so, it was very repetitive doing it 5 times through for the different groups.

It snowed last week.  While the snow did not stay long, it snowed.  Vermont winter is setting in:  here we go again...

Last weekend was Regimental Ball.  I spent a good portion of Friday evening minding my freshmen.  Saturday consisted of a hair party in my room, the senior dinner with my boyfriend who is graduating this year, and finally...the ball.

The ball was fun, but not the best.  The elimination of original companies for the freshmen made "Goodnight Saigon," as I have written about in the past, kind of lame.  Typically, the ball is used to introduce the freshmen to their upperclassmen.  This year, due to the reconstruction of the Corps, most of the freshmen stood around looking very confused when the song was played.

While I personally do not agree with the changes instituted this year, all I can do is follow them.  Maybe it'll be for the better, maybe not.  However, it is sad to watch such a great tradition ("Goodnight Saigon") possibly fade away.

Anyway, here it is:  Tuesday morning.  I just took an exam in Pathophysiology, now awaiting Med/Surg class.  I suppose I should get back to studying until then...

This is, again, a busy week.  The freshmen have a lot going on, including a ruck march tomorrow and a PT test on Saturday morning.  Saturday night is Navy/Marine Corps Ball, to which I will be attending.

Until then,
Holly

Parents Weekend

Hi all,

Time is really flying.  This past week was very intense, as we were preparing for Parents Weekend.  On top of that, I had two big tests, the diagnostic PT test for Navy, a paper due, and a bunch of other little things along the way!

Parents Weekend was nice.  My parents came up and we stayed in Montpelier again.  I was back on campus yesterday morning for all of the rook competitions, of course.  My freshmen did pretty well.  There was a platoon-level drill competition, a drill knockout, and the banner competition yesterday before the football marchdown.

My freshmen placed 5th in the banner competition.  I'm not sure about the drill competition, but one of our recruits placed 2nd in the knockout.

This next week will be equally as busy for academics and we will be preparding for Homecoming Weekend!

October 6th is the unveiling of the Class of 2011 ring design =)  I'm really excited!

Until next time,
Holly

Labor Day & 9/11

Hi everyone,

Another week has come & gone.  Not only did my parents come up last weekend for Labor Day, but my brother and sister did as well!  I was quite surprised.  We had dinner together on Sunday evening, followed by walking around Northfield center where there was some entertainment set up by local organizations.  On Monday, the regiment participated in the parade as usual.  It was not nearly as hot/humid outside as last year, which was good.  However, I was still pretty soaked and tired afterwards.  I'm sure the rooks were too.  Following the parade, my family & my boyfriend all had lunch together at a restaurant down at exit 3 and before I knew it, it was time to say 'goodbye' to my folks!  No worries though, Parents Weekend will be here before we know it.

The rooks are slowly starting to get the hang of marching around everywhere.  My platoon still needs a few reminders here-and-there about technique, but overall--they don't look too shabby.  Yesterday we had the first football marchdown of the year.  The traditional gauntlet has been changed a little bit this year due to the size of the rook class--so it looked awkward for some of us upperclassmen.  Oh well!  This year encompasses a lot of 'adapting,' so I will continue to do so.

Friday marked the 8th anniversary of 9/11.  Small flags for every victim of the attacks were staged in front of Jackman Hall on the Upper Parade Ground, as they were last year.  We had a silent Taps formation at 2200 in tunic, cross sabers inverted.  Those formations always get me teary eyed.

I was in my 7th grade health class when I first learned about the events of 9/11.  That is one of the days I will always remember, as if it were yesterday.  For many of us, 9/11 wasn't necessarily the reason why we opted for the military, but it was definitely a factor.

I have a lot of work to do, so I'll cut this short.

Until next time,
Holly

Rook Week / Academics begin

TGIF,

In response to a comment on my last post, I wasn't sure if I would be blogging this year until I was asked to do so again mid-summer.  Thus, I wrote my final post of last year as if it was, indeed, my last.

Anyhow, I'm sitting here in the library feeling a bit overwhelmed by my workload this semester.

Med/Surg Nursing II meets every day, pretty much, as there are 2 days of lectures, 2 days of clinical, and a rotating Friday schedule of Simulation Lab with the new, high-tech dummies.  This class includes exams, case studies, a research paper, care plans that are much more involved than last semester, and a whole lot of new skills to master.  This course is 9 credits.

My clinical assignment this semester is at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Hanover, NH.  I'm pretty excited about it because it is a fantastic facility, despite how far away it is.

Pathophysiology is the study of diseases and how they alter the body's normal state.  This class meets twice weekly.  I am excited about it because my professor is awesome (I had her for A&P lab the last 2 semesters).  This course is 3 credits.

Lastly, but which sticks out in my mind the most as far as the workload is concerned, is Organizational Psychology.  This course is all online & is comprised mostly of several research papers.  There is also a service-learning project  that must be completed over the course of the semester & requires a presentation/research paper, weekly discussions, and quizzes.  This course is 3 credits.

While trying to get acclimated to my ever-changing academic life, I have been spending a lot of time with the rooks in my platoon as well.  Rook Week went by very quickly, despite being tired--as cadre, we get up before and go to bed long after the rooks.  By Wednesday of last week, I thought I was going to fall on my face.  However, as a leader it is my job to put my feelings aside and set the example.

I now know why my cadre said that freshman year is the easiest year:  you're told who, what, where, when, how, and why.  As long as you pay attention and do what you're told, you're all set.  Then again, getting the freshmen to actually do what you want them to do is a different story. 

Aside from a little bit of guidance from our superiors, we are basically on our own as NCOs.  The responsibility level has jumped tremendously, the stress level is higher, and the future of our subordinates is dependent on how well we perform.

We lost 2 from our platoon this week, both choosing to switch to the civilian lifestyle here at Norwich.  It is weird looking at this whole lifestyle/environment from the cadre perspective:  I often wonder what is going through my platoon's minds--why they came here, what their motives are, etc.  I guess time will tell.

Monday is the Annual Labor Day Parade in the town of Northfield, wherein the entire Corps of Cadets marches through town with M-14's.  My parents will be coming up to see it, so I'm excited about that.

Back to work I go...

Until next time,
Holly

Cadet Leaders Week / Rook Arrival Day

Greetings,

The timetable for the past week was typical of any other at Norwich:  the days went by incredibly slow, but the week flew by as a whole.  The days were spent learning about the restructure of the Corps, how to perform in our individual leadership positions, brushing up on drill & ceremony, planning, and rehearsing.

After training was all said and done, it was time to kick back and relax one more time before the rooks arrived.  The staff I am working on ordered pizza and played a few games of volleyball on Disney Field.

It was much different being on the leadership end of Rook Arrival Day.  The cadre staff spent the morning unloading cars.  After that, we formed up on the Upper Parade Ground for when the rooks marched up from Kreitzberg Arena.  There are over 500 rooks this year, which is quite overwhelming.  After inventory of their footlockers took place, the cadre were introduced.

So, here I am:  half way through day 2 of Rook Week.  The rooks have a lot to learn, as do I.  We'll see how this goes...

Until next time,
Holly