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D I S P A T C H E S Tell me a story Pajamas welcome as education majors conduct bedtime story hour for kids by Sadie Fenton ’10 and Charmaine Daniels C lad in robes and slippers, youngsters from 2 years old to 10 years old crowd around the couches in the student lounge of Alfond Center. Equipped with blankets and teddy bears, the children settle in for the first story of the night, “Slippers Goes to School.” In the fall of 2008, Danielle Johnson ’10 and Emily Cole ’10 revived a program called Bedtime Stories to promote children’s literacy. Once a month, local children come for an hour and a half of reading and crafts in the comfort of their pajamas. September’s “Back to School” theme included stories with beloved characters such as Arthur, Franklin, and Amelia Bedelia. Cole explains that children set up a space on the floor or tables and then do a coloring activity until everyone has arrived. “It keeps them entertained until we get things going,” Cole says. After a couple of stories, the kids make a craft with beads, glitter, construction paper, and a variety of supplies Johnson and Cole make available. A light snack is also provided. The one in October themed for Halloween entertained 30 children bedecked in costumes and happy to listen to “Magic Pumpkin,” “The Little Old Lady Who Wasn’t Afraid of Anything” and “Costume Copycat” read aloud. When Johnson and Cole heard about a $1,000 grant Target was offering to promote literacy and community involvement, they knew Bedtime Stories fit the bill. “We decided it’s at least worth the try,” Johnson says of the decision to apply for the grant. “Worst case scenario: We don’t get the grant and we’ll still have our $10 per month budget.” After they learned that they had been awarded the grant, they made plans to buy more craft supplies and a book for each student who comes to campus for the Read Across America event next March. Trying to convince kids that reading can be fun, the two seniors took on the program to prevent it from becoming a lost gem. “Hopefully, somebody will want to do it next year,” states Johnson. “Popcorn and Food,” and “Polar Express” round out the fall season. Next spring’s themes include “Multicultural and Folk Tales,” “Farms,” and “Earth Day and Weather.” “It’s always a great time!” says Cole. Danielle Johnson ’10 reads “The Magic Pumpkin” and Rachel Davies ’10 shows the pictures at the Bedtime Stories program just before Halloween. The education majors were among members of Student Education Association of Maine who presented the reading and craft program. 8 S A I N T J O S E P H ’ S C O L L E G E M A G A Z I N E
Getting into game day by Sadie Fenton ’10 Shannon Fitzgerald ’12, conference Defensive Player of the Year I t’s 1:30 p.m. on game day and with Rascal Flats’ “Fast Cars and Freedom” blasting from her iPod, sophomore Shannon Fitzgerald, a fullback and midfielder on the women’s soccer team, begins her stretches. On this particular fall day the team is undefeated in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference and pressure mounts for another win. After donning her jersey, shin guards, socks, ankle brace, and cleats in that order, Fitzgerald, of Amesbury, Mass., finds a quiet space away from the rest of her team. “I always take a moment alone,” she says. “I pull myself away from the chaos and pray to God to keep myself as well as my teammates injury free.” She rejoins the other players and her coach in the Alfond Center for a pep talk and overview of game tactics before heading to the field. During pre-game warm-ups, as her muscles begin to loosen, an electric tension on the field grows as the clock counts down to the 3 p.m. start time. When she enters the game, Fitzgerald picks one thing to focus on. For instance, if she knows the opposing team boasts an extremely fast forward, she’ll repeat, “I will not let her beat me!” to herself. Another way she prepares is to focus on an admired player. “Before we step onto the field, I always think of a professional athlete to model from,” she states. Most recently, Fitzgerald concentrated on Carla Overbeck, captain of the 1999 Women’s World Cup championship team known for her talent and her ability to motivate her team. Motivation plays a large role in game preparation, and there’s no doubt Fitzgerald is motivated. She had to sit out two years in high school because of injury but came back her senior year. “We want to win the GNAC championship!” she declares. “Every time we step on the field it’s because we simply love the sport, but beyond that we want to achieve something as a whole, something bigger than ourselves.” The other side of game day O n game day, women’s soccer coach Michael Bolanz ’00 carefully chooses a quote from a collection he’s compiled over the years and prepares a pep talk for his team. He waits patiently while the athletes change and do their pre-game workout in the gym before he gathers them in the second-floor classroom of the Alfond Center. “I talk myself through the pep talks beforehand. The ones where I wing it don’t end up quite as inspirational,” he says, laughing. Following the pep talk, he goes over the game plan and tactics. He closes with an inspirational quote for his players, such as, “Attitude: I am convinced that life is 10 percent of what happens to me and 90 percent how I react to it. And so it is with you.” After that, he leads the team to the field for dribbling, passing drills and a general warm-up. “The one ritual thing I always do is put my soccer cleats on when we get to the field,” the coach notes. Bolanz asks his players to prepare mentally as well as physically. He assigns journal entries covering topics such as “How do you prepare yourself for a game” Coach Michael Bolanz ’00 The personal reflections help the players examine their motivation and goals, preparing them psychologically for competition. By considering the players’ performance and mental preparation, Bolanz chooses starters for each game. “I try to make sure the players I put on the field are going to give us a strong start that the players on the bench can carry on later in the game,” he says of his method. Following suit with his emphasis on personal growth, Coach Bolanz states that, “I’d love for [the athletes] to become better soccer players, but what I want is for them to become better people.” He regards his job as an influence on his players’ views off the field as well as on it. Of course, they all have their eyes on the win at the start of a game. “But there’s always a bigger picture,” he concludes. A U T U M N 2 0 0 9 9
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Page 25 and 26: softball 1. Alumna Dee Regan ’04
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In touch - Saint Joseph's College of Maine

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