Winter Happening Featuring Seminars Will Be Saturday, Jan. 26
Multiple general-interest seminars led by members of the Hope College faculty will be featured during the college’s annual Winter Happening on Saturday, Jan. 26.
Presented in two blocks in the morning, the seminars will feature the trees of Holland; why boys typically have lower reading scores than girls; the life of Christina Van Raalte; a global study of drinking water; the college’s Strike Time Dance Theatre; and work-related stress. A luncheon with a brief performance by the dance company will follow. Open to the general public, the event is sponsored by the college’s Division of Public Affairs and Marketing.
Other highlights during the day will include two art exhibitions, home men’s and women’s swimming and diving competition, and a home men’s basketball game.
Admission to the seminars, exhibitions, and swimming and diving competition is free. There is an admission charge for the luncheon and basketball game.
The morning will feature six seminars, three at 9:30 a.m. and three at 11 a.m. The 9:30 a.m. seminars are “New Ways to Love a Tree,” “Boys’ Literate Lives: Why Do They Read Less and Less Well Than Girls?” and “The Diary of Christina Van Raalte: Fact or Fiction?” The 11 a.m. seminars are “Insight H2O: A Global Reconnaissance Survey,” “I Hope You Dance: Engaging Children in the Art Form” and “Got Work Stress? Creating Healthier and More Productive Workplaces.”
“New Ways to Love a Tree” will share the story of a survey of the individual trees on public property in Holland and app developed at Hope that provides information about each of them. The presentation will be led by Dr. Kathy Winnett-Murray, professor of biology, and Dr. K. Greg Murray, who is the T. Elliot Weier Professor of Plant Science.
“Boys’ Literate Lives: Why Do They Read Less and Less Well Than Girls?” will consider studies that have found that boys typically read less and less well than girls, and how educators and parents might respond to improve their reading. The presentation will be led by Dr. Deborah Vriend Van Duinen, associate professor of English education.
“The Diary of Christina Van Raalte: Fact or Fiction?” will explore the life of Christina Van Raalte, who was the wife of Holland founder Albertus C. Van Raalte, as framed by a hypothetical diary. The presentation will be led by four scholars with the college’s A.C. Van Raalte Institute: Dr. Bill Kennedy, a senior research fellow who is a professor emeritus of religion at Northwestern College; Nella Kennedy, a senior research fellow who was formerly an archivist and taught art history and Dutch at Northwestern College; Dr. Don Luidens, a senior research fellow who is a professor emeritus of sociology at Hope; and JoHannah Smith, editorial associate and office manager.
“Insight H2O: A Global Reconnaissance Survey” will discuss a research project at Hope that has been using a new testing method to survey drinking-water sources from more than 30 countries to help inform future strategies for providing clean drinking water to those in need. The presentation will be led by Dr. Jonathan Peterson, who is the Lavern ’39 and Betty DePree ’41 Van Kley Professor of Geology and Environmental Science.
“I Hope You Dance: Engaging Children in the Art Form” will highlight the work and mission of the college’s Strike Time Dance Theatre, which seeks to educate young students through and expose them to the art form of dance, serving up to 10,000 school children annually. The presentation will be led by Nicole Flinn, associate professor of dance, and Hope students who are members of the dance company.
“Got Work Stress? Creating Healthier and More Productive Workplaces” will discuss the fundamentals of work stress and strain; the toll in treatments, lost productivity and unwanted employee turnover; and how to create healthier and more productive workplaces. The presentation will be led by Dr. Marcus Fila, assistant professor of management.
The luncheon begins at 12:30 p.m. at the Haworth Inn and Conference Center ballroom, and costs $13 per person. The Strike Time Dance Theatre’s performance will include a piece reflecting on the word “hope.”
Also on Winter Happening Saturday, the De Pree Art Center and Gallery is hosting the exhibition “Middle Grounds,” featuring work by Jonathan Clyde Frey. The gallery is open Mondays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sundays from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., and the exhibition continues through Thursday, Feb. 7. Admission is free.
The Kruizenga Art Museum will be featuring the exhibition “Once Were Nomads: Textiles and Culture in Baluchistan,” which opens on Tuesday, Jan. 15, and continues through Saturday, May 11. The museum is open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free.
The men’s and women’s swimming teams will host Albion College on Saturday, Jan. 26, at 1 p.m. at the Dow Center’s Kresge Natatorium. Admission is free.
Men’s Basketball will host Trine University on Saturday, Jan. 26, at 3 p.m. at the Richard and Helen DeVos Fieldhouse. Tickets are $10 for reserved seating, $7 for adults in general bleacher seating, and $5 for those 18 and under in general bleacher seating.
In addition to being required for the luncheon, advance registration is recommended for the seminars. Registration may be done online or through the ticket office in the college’s Events and Conferences Office.
The Events and Conferences Office is located downtown in the Anderson-Werkman Financial Center (100 E. Eighth St.). The ticket office is open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and can be called at (616) 395-7890.
Registration during the morning of the event will be from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the Haworth Inn and Conference Center, located at 225 College Ave., facing College Avenue between Ninth and 10th streets.