Offbeat Graduation on Ice, Last Time Down the Bowl

Author: Lanford Beard

The mid-year graduates of the Class of 2001.5 have certainly learned to love the cold.

Having entered Middlebury College during the harsh Vermont winter, they concluded their stay here with a ski down the Snow Bowl on Feb. 2, 2002.

Kate Noble '01.5, one of the many Febs who did not don a coat over her robe, commented on this reality of the Feb experience: "Who needs a coat when you've got a cane and a gown?"

Another Feb reality is that the experience is, as Jason Dane '01.5 put it, "circular." Dane recalled the ice storm that welcomed his class in 1998. He noted that the icy conditions on campus and the glistening trees at the Snow Bowl this year "seemed like an ice storm might happen again."

As the Feb experience is circular, so was the day of graduation. The Febs began their commencement ceremony at Mead Chapel, the very location of convocation, then proceeded to the Snow Bowl and finally ended up again on campus for the last time. This trip had symbolic value for many Febs as they basked in the glow of the winter sun for the last time.

Like all graduation ceremonies, this year's was a combination of celebration and satisfied recollection. President John McCardell's address to the graduates perfectly suited this tone as he discussed the "mystic cords of memory," a phrase coined by Abraham Lincoln.

McCardell cited quotations by several noteworthy figures, including Vermont's own adopted poetRobert Frost. Throughout the address, he encouraged Febs to appreciate their memorable experiences during the four years.

"Don't forget your teachers, and by teachers I do not only mean professors," said McCardell. "Remember the teachers that you have found in your friends, your family, the friendly Middining staff, commons members and others."

After McCardell's address, the parade of graduates receiving canes and the singing of the Alma Mater, the departing Febs headed outside where the scene was flushed with chaos, personified by a few stray hats that found their way into the air. Soon after, the Febs and their parents made their way to McCullough for a reception.

At 2 p.m. the ski down at the Snow Bowl began. A spicy Latin beat punctuated this final procession while the Febs expressed their uniqueness in various ways. Some skied, some snowboarded, some sledded, some walked … and a few unsuccessfully tried to make their last ride on blow-up toys. They all proved that being a Feb is all about adding one's own personal touch to any occasion, as a show of leis, tinsel and even stuffed animals decorated the typical black gowns and caps.

Discussing the anticipation of his ski down, Dane said, "I looked around and thought, 'I know all these people.'" Through their individuality, the Febs have grown to know each other and feel a real sense of unity through shared memories.

This bond is what will keep what Meg Morello '01.5 called "the greatest blessing of my life" an ever-present reality beyond this February graduation festivities because, as she continued, "once a Feb, always a Feb."