Calvin-Parents E-Newsletter: January 19, 2010

Interim 2010

Interim 2010 is shaping up to be an exciting month for Calvin students as they break from the rigors of the regular semester and study a variety of topics.  Check out a growing collection of coverage on Calvin's 2010 interim, including interim classes, the January Series, student blogs and more.  One account to note is On the Ground: thoughts from Cambodia, a blog from Calvin's senior writer, Myrna Anderson.  She writes, "It would be a pretty weird thing if people made a point of rolling down the road where I live every day, snapping pictures of my home. That’s what we did yesterday. We climbed aboard a wooden boat with open sides and chugged through a Floating Village, a long neighborhood of shacks on stilts lining the waterway leading to Tonle Sap lake."  Read more.

A field trip to the Lowell water treatment plant got a Calvin interim class talking about a variety of topics: politics, economics, and even chemistry.

Calvin vs. Hope...#175
Winter sports update

The Calvin/Hope rivalry is in its ninth decade of play, with Hope leading the series 88-86 over 174 games.   This year's date for the immensely popular satellite game---the men's game when fans gather at a satellite viewing location in their city, will be January 30, 2010.  There are 70 sites---one near you!  Read more about the news and history of the rivalry.  The most recent match-up between these two teams had fans leaving Calvin’s Van Noord Arena happy after a victory over their rivals.

In other basketball news, the men's team continued its hot streak in 2010 conference play Saturday afternoon with a 68-61 victory against the Adrian Bulldogs at Van Noord Arena. Also, John Mantel, a senior on the men's team, was recently named the MIAA Player of the Week.  The women's team posted a victory at Adrian on Saturday afternoon which sets up a showdown for first place between Calvin and Hope next Tuesday night.  Both teams will head into the rivalry game with overall records of 14-1 and MIAA marks of 6-0.

The Calvin men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams completed two days of competition at the University of Chicago Invitational Saturday with the women’s team finishing second and the men's team fourth. The University of Chicago women’s team entered the meet ranked 13th nationally while the Calvin women’s team came in ranked 14th.

January Series

For over twenty years The January Series has been the leading lecture/cultural arts series in the country. The diversity of presenters and topics has changed as the world of ideas has changed.  Jimmy Wales, Wikipedia co-founder (pictured at right), spoke to the January Series audience on the same day the site turned nine years old. Read more.

• Presentations begin 12:30 p.m. EST daily, through 26, 2010, in the Chapel (note change of location).
• See the list of presenters for 2010.
• The January Series hits the road with remote webcast locations in Michigan and across North America!
• Listen online with RealAudio (click the link on the right side).
• Read the Grand Rapids Press article featuring the 2010 Series.
• Read along with the January Series---the campus store features 20% off all featured titles.

Student treat

The Valentine Treat features a BPA free 24oz stainless steel maroon water bottle, imprinted with a gold Calvin logo, and filled with treats and a $5 certificate for use at Johhny's Cafe.  The treat costs $25.  The Valentine Treat is included in the Year of Treats. The order deadline is Tuesday, February 2 and this gift will be delivered to students on Wednesday, February 10. Remember that you can surprise your student with the popular "Pizza and a Movie" treat ($25), which can be ordered anytime and often! "Pizza and a Movie" features a certificate for a large two-topping pizza (delivery), a bag of popcorn, and a Blockbuster® gift card! For more information please visit the Student Treats site.

Siblings Weekend, February 26-28, 2010

Mark your calendar for the Siblings Weekend on February 26-28, which provides your Calvin student an opportunity to share the Calvin experience with a younger sibling, cousin, family friend, etc. The cost is $22 per guest, which includes meals in the dining halls and admission to a number of fun activities and events planned for  Siblings Weekend.  For additional information, visit the Siblings Weekend site which is the only way to register and pay.

Older siblings (grades 10-12) should note that Siblings Weekend 2010 is also a Fridays at Calvin visit weekend.

Calvin Symposium on Worship retelling "The Great Stories"

The Calvin Symposium on Worship will be held January 28 - 30, 2010, and is an annual worship conference on the campus of Calvin College & Calvin Theological Seminary.  At this event, worshipers and worship leaders from around the world gather for a time of fellowship, worship, and learning together. Morning and evening worship services are held in Calvin's new Van Noord Arena (*please note this correction*) and are free and open to the public (no registration needed). Those worship services will feature "The Great Stories" of the Old Testament.

Thursday morning: Genesis 4:1-16   Cain and Abel:  Dr. Neal Plantinga
Thursday evening: Genesis 22   The Testing of Abraham: Dr. Marva Dawn
Friday morning: Exodus 2:1-10   Moses Rescued from the River Nile: Rev. Laura Truax
Friday evening: I Samuel 3:1-21   The Call of Samuel: Dr. Frank Thomas
Saturday morning: 2 Sam 11 David, Bathsheba and Uriah: Dr. Mariano Avila
Saturday evening: I Kings 18:16-39  Elijah on Mount Carmel: Dr. Richard Mouw

There are also ten in-depth seminars on Thursday and over 70 workshops each day on Friday and Saturday, offered by more than 80 presenters.  You can find out more and register on the Symposium Web site.

Festival of Faith and Writing, April 15-17, 2010

The Festival of Faith and Writing is a biennial gathering of readers and writers hosted by Calvin College. At the Festival, our goal is to provide a vibrant community where people come together to discuss, celebrate, and explore the ways in which faith is represented in literature and how it plays out in our world today.

We are busy making plans for the next Festival (April 15-17, 2010) and are looking forward to welcoming friends both old and new to Calvin for this gathering. Registration is now open. [Please note that there are scholarships offered by the Calvin Alumni Associaton for recent alumni.] If you want to receive regular updates about the plans for Festival 2010, please subscribe to our e-mail newsletter, Festival News. For more information about the authors scheduled to participate in Festival 2010, please visit our speakers page.

Alumni Ceramics Competition

TRANSITIONS orientation

TRANSITIONS is our orientation program for students who will be starting their Calvin career mid-year with the spring semester. This program, like PASSPORT, is designed to help students and parents during their time of transition to Calvin College.  TRANSITIONS begins on Thursday, January 28 and continues through Saturday, January 30.  Students will meet with an advisor, register for classes, attend workshops, learn about various resources and have opportunity to meet other new students.  Parents are invited to attend Thursday events to help them learn more about Calvin and how to make this a successful transition for their family.

Inner Compass

Inner Compass is a television interview show that explores how people make their decisions about ethical, religious, and social justice issues. Guests include authors, activists, religious leaders, and engaging thinkers from around the world.

Inner Compass broadcasts on public television stations across the United States, starting in West Michigan. Viewers & programmers outside West Michigan can see the national selection of Season 2 episodes here.

Visit their Web site for more information about episodes or topics.

Check the Parent Calendar for important dates