around campus
Celebrating success, one chime at a time The sound of the Chapel Bell has been ringing across campus as a new way for graduating seniors to celebrate their accomplishments. The opportunity, called Sound of Success, offers students the chance to ring the bell if they have received a post-graduation job offer or have been admitted to graduate school, postbaccalaureate internships, research fellowships and military and law enforcement training. The idea came to President Susanna Baxter as she reviewed some of the college’s traditions. “I just didn’t see many things that highlighted the success of our students,” she said. “Honors Day only celebrates a handful, and I wanted something larger. We do so many amazing things to transform lives, and one of those is to set students up for their next steps—including graduate school and career. Their accomplishments deserve recognition.” Now a labor and delivery nurse at Wellstar West Georgia, Dariene Scott ’21 took advantage of Sound of Success and said she was amazed at the experience. “After ringing the bell, I walked out of the Chapel and heard a professor yell, ‘Congratulations!’ as he ran to meet me,” she said. “I didn’t even know him, but it was very special to celebrate with him and a few friends.” Meghan Gross ’21 will be attending Asbury Theological Seminary next year. She is ecstatic about the program. “Ever since I was a freshman, I have hoped for a really cool tradition at LaGrange that could possibly be a catalyst for gaining new students who
would be excited to carry on that tradition,” she said. “I love that it’s an opportunity to keep up with and reach out to classmates to celebrate their accomplishments, not just mine. I love getting to share in the joy of my peers every time they get to ring the bell.” Dr. Baxter is thrilled with the response to Sound of Success. “It is so exciting because for each bell that rings there is a hardworking student who reached this milestone because of the dedication of faculty, staff and parents,” she said. “So, in many ways, the celebration belongs to us all.”
STUDENT’S REACTION TO GIFT GOES VIRAL Baseball's McKinley Erves ’21 became a viral sensation in January when a video of him receiving colorblind glasses was posted on his Twitter account. “Mac,” who plays outfield for the Panthers, didn’t know he was colorblind until he was 11, but it never slowed him down. “I just didn’t know what I was missing,” he said. “I had no idea.” That all changed when friends surprised him with a pair of colorblind glasses for his birthday. His reaction was caught on video and ultimately was viewed on Twitter more than 2 million times. The story was featured on The Today Show and the Kelly Clarkson Show. It also was picked up by media around the world including England, India and Australia. See the video here.
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