ADPi crafts for the fall and winter seasons

With our amazing Alpha’s are soon-to-become Delta members, why not welcome our newest Delta class with some adorable DIY crafts, all prepared with lots of pi-love!  These crafts are perfect for your violet and/or diamond sister and are guaranteed to put a smile on any sister’s face! 

These precious pumpkins are sure to spice up any sister’s dorm room or apartment.  For those who are not skilled in carving, painting a pumpkin in traditional azure blue or white makes for perfect ADPi-themed fall décor.

Protect your hair from the harsh winter winds in the valley with an adorable ADPi hat!  A hot glue gun and rhinestones make for a quick and easy bedazzled cap!  Some fabric paint markers make for easy crafting if stitching is not your forte.  Baseball caps and hats are an easy and comfortable way to show Alpha Delta Pi Pride.

‘Tis the season to make a perfect handmade ornament for the start of the holiday season!  If you are not a professional Lilly print painter, you can mod-podge your favorite design or print onto a clear ornament.  These little ornaments will make any                                                       sister’s heart grow three sizes bigger.

These are easy crafts that are sure to please.  Hopefully these crafts fuel your creativity and inspire future crafting parties with sisters!

Ashley's "Aha" Moment

    Ashley (left) and Kelly (right) 

Sister Ashley discusses her “Aha” moment which is when she knew Alpha Delta Pi was the right home for her:

The moment I knew that ADPi was right for me was when I participated in hands for Greek Sing. Of course there were moments before that where I thought 'these girls are great' or 'I am so happy I am here', but practicing almost every day for hands really brought me close with many girls.

Some nights were hard and stressful, but we were also able to joke about it and know the more we practiced the better we would be. Everyone was really helpful with critiques and we became closer during the process.  The day of Greek Sing we had to practice for a few hours and I came late because of class. One of our sisters, Kelly, stepped right up and braided my hair for me with little time left. We were all so excited to perform and as we were lined up to go on stag everyone started chanting 'ADPi'. I felt extremely proud to be a part of a wonderful group of girls and no matter what the outcome of Greek Sing was I was so glad that I participated in hands :) Featured below is the video of our performance.

  

Big & Little Diamond Sisters: Madison & Daria

This fall, the Theta Omicron chapter of Alpha Delta Pi had the privilege to experience formal recruitment for the first time. After recruitment was over, particular delta members in the chapter were matched with an alpha member to take on the role as a big diamond sister.

This year, I decided not to take a diamond sister because I did not feel as if I was ready to mentor a new member. However, my roommate, Madison, was more than ready to take on the role, and I knew her little diamond would love having her. Madison was paired with freshman alpha member, Daria. After watching their relationship blossom over the semester, I cannot wait to take on the role as a big diamond sister next year. Madison and Daria exemplify a loving, caring, and exciting relationship. The two sisters are inseparable. I love how Madison and Daria care for each other under any circumstance.

I have an older sister at home, and I know what it is like to have a great mentor and someone who is always there for me. Madison takes her position as a big diamond seriously and from observing them together, I can see Daria appreciates having Madison in her life.

Madison and Daria truly live for one another, and their relationship is a perfect example of great diamond sister love.

- Paige L (Sophomore Delta sister)

Big & Little Diamond Sisters: Gina & Jacqueline

              

This year we had our very first Formal Recruitment which was an amazing week for not only the Delta members, but the Alpha Members as well! With recruitment comes the excitement of revealing Big and Little Diamond pairs. A Big Diamond Sister is a Delta Member who is a mentor and helps the Alpha member through the first steps of her membership, as well as any time after. The Little Diamond Sister is a new member.

One of our pairs of Big and Little Diamond sisters is Gina Marinelli and Jacqueline Angel. Gina is a sophomore from Pennsylvania who came home to Alpha Delta Pi as a founding member last fall. When asked why Gina wanted to take on the challenge of being a Big Diamond Sister, she said, “I wanted to be her eyes and ears of the sorority. I wanted her to come to me with any questions she had and to be her mentor through the whole process... And I’m obsessed with her! Haha.” Her Little Diamond Sister is Jacqueline, a freshman from Virginia who joined this fall.  These two sisters had not met during recruitment. The first time they met was on bid day, when Gina was announced as Jacqueline’s Big Violet Sister (another mentor that is there for the Alpha as soon as they become a member). Jacqueline said on bid day she was, “excited and a little nervous” but happy when she found out Gina was her Violet Sister.

Soon after, matching for Big and Little Diamond Sisters began. I asked the two sisters why they thought they were a good match for each other, Gina’s response was, “We clicked right away. I don’t know what it was but we immediately got along.” Jacqueline said, “I am comfortable around her and I love hanging out with her. I think she’s really funny and I wanted to keep getting to know her!” Lastly I asked the girls to describe their relationship/friendship now that they have had more time to get to know each other and spend more time together.  “We’re super close. I feel like she’s actually my little sister, haha”, Gina says. And as for Jacqueline, her response was just the same reason Gina wanted to become a Big Diamond Sister, “I can go to her for advice or if I have a problem, and I can trust her.” I think this Big and Little Diamond pair truly shows how bonded our sisterhood is, and the matching could not have been more perfect!

Sister Spotlight: Christina

Christina Litchfield is definitely one to be recognized as an admirable ADPi! Christina is a sophomore Health Sciences major and is putting forth a tremendous amount of effort with her classes this year. As any JMU student knows, taking chemistry isn’t all that easy… well apparently, hard work pays off! Christina has been doing an excellent job by achieving all B’s and above on her exams! You go girl!

As an active Delta member of Alpha Delta Pi, Christina is the Black Diamond Ball Chair. She’s been a huge help to our social chair by helping planning this extravagant event! She has also been open to suggestions for this event from sisters so that everyone can be involved too!

Christina multitasks her social and academic lives by attending ADPi study hours to keep up with schoolwork and she has done a wonderful job balancing everything!

As said by one of her sisters, “Christina is an all around great sister who puts
extra effort into everything she has been doing lately.”

Thanks for everything you’ve done Christina; we’re definitely lucky to have
you as an ADPi!!

Sister Spotlight: Allison

            Everybody knows Allison for her amazing voice that fills ADPi events with love and her happy demeanor. We are lucky to name her our Music Chair and Greek Sing Coordinator. She has being doing a lot of the planning and behind the scenes work for Greek Sing.

            Allison is a Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD) major with music and exceptional education non-teaching minors. She is extremely passionate about being a speech pathologist. She cannot wait to work with kids and adults in a hospital setting. She also wishes to use her music minor to help clients, ‘find their voice’ since most of them will not be able to communicate normally.

            Her background and involvement in JMU Chorale and JMU's Treble Chamber Choir makes her the perfect candidate for her positions in ADPi. She is also an active member in the JMU community.  She was chosen for TCC to be a section leader for the Alto 2's where she holds weekly to bi-weekly outside practice sessions for the girls in her section.  This way they are allotted extra time to practice their music.  

            She is also involved in JMU’s intervarsity, is in the honors program, and will be going on a study abroad program in Barcelona, Spain this summer.  She is a volunteer at the Rise House where she is a mentor for the girls who come every other Friday night to do different activities and crafts. As if she doesn’t already have enough on her plate, she additionally volunteers at RMH.

            In her small amount of free time she loves spending time with her family and friends, singing, dancing, and acting! She also loves do indoor and outdoor activities like soccer, swimming, and hiking. Thank you so much for all you do for not only ADPi, but for your community Allison.  You are truly an inspiration and someone that makes a difference in everything that you do!

We are happy to announce that we will have our own place to call home in Fall 2013!

Sister Spotlight: Mary Shannon

She never hesitates to be the loudest and most energetic sister during ADPi chants. She’s our corresponding secretary and is always punctual with writing thank you letters. Mary Shannon is a sophomore communication sciences and disorders major and loves to give back!

Instead of spending her spring break lounging on her couch or on the beach she decided to participate in an Alternative Spring Break (ASB). She went to Bristol, Florida and worked with The Nature Conservancy. 

While most ASB trips involve working with people, Mary Shannon dealt with improving the environment.  She labeled herself as an, “outdoor girl at heart” but explained she doesn’t have a lot of time at JMU to participate in outdoor activities.  At home she is used to working with disabled adults and children so she decided to branch out from her usual work and help make this world a better place in a different way.

During the ASB trip Mary Shannon lived on only $6 each day which is below the poverty line.  She had $1 delegated to breakfast, $2 for lunch, and $3 dollars for dinner. While she did not find the work very glorifying, she labels the people who worked there as infectious. They had so much passion for restoring the environment and dedicate their life to the restoration of the Longleaf Pine forests. Mary Shannon enjoyed giving them just a few days of service for everything they do on a daily basis.

Mary Shannon explained it was, “Cathartic to escape from the little things we get caught up in every day. No cell phone, no worries.” She found it was so easy to simply live in the moment without dwelling on the past or worrying about the future. She was able to step out of her comfort zone and found herself living Bristol, Florida with eight new friends.

In conclusion she happily stated, “If every night could end with Reese's s'mores and non-stop laughter around a campfire I'd be set for life.” I hope her story inspires other sisters to participate in ASB trips in the future and to give back on a daily basis even if it is in a small way.

Sister Spotlight: Lisa

Lisa, one of our amazing Alpha members, is already making such an impact on ADPi, and her fellow sisters. She contributed to ADPi’s presence at Sigma Chi’s Derby Days with perfect attendance!

While many of us caught up on sleep or soaked up sun on Spring Break- Lisa was selflessly volunteering at home. She spent 7 hours helping mentally challenged students. Lisa is also eager to help ADPi’s philanthropy, the Ronald McDonald House, and has already signed up to volunteer at a house. She has taken the initiative to sign up, and attend practices for Hands to be a valuable part of Greek Sing.

Not only is Lisa representing ADPi through her actions, she is marketing ADPi in fashion! Lisa has already purchased letters, a pullover, and other fun ADPi merchandise!!

 Her sisters describe her as bubbly, talkative, and exciting. Lisa is a freshman majoring in Studio Art, and her favorite food is cookies. She enjoys  drawing, painting, crafting, and

spending the summer at her cottage in New York.

Sister Spotlight: Kathrine

Kathrine is a junior double majoring in Psychology and German. Many people do not know that she is also an International Student! Kathrine grew up in Norway and can speak three different languages; Norwegian, German, and English. This allows her to communicate with many different people. She explains her favorite part about knowing multiple languages is she can have private conversations in public and it’s fun!

Kathrine is currently Co-President of the psychology club along with sister of Tri Delta in addition to her involvement in ADPi.

Her international experiences began in high school when she participated in a student exchange program. She was placed with a family in Sterling, Virginia. She learned about JMU from her high school friends in Sterling, and it was then Kathrine realized one year in the United States was not enough.

Kathrine loves the community at JMU. She boasts, "The people here are so nice and open- it just makes you feel welcome. The campus is beautiful and the summers are way nicer than in Norway". Kathrine loves Alpha Delta Pi because she has met so many great women through the experience and has only expanded her international journey. She feels very fortunate to take part in the “all American experience”.

Sister Splotlight: Alexis

Everyone should remember her name because our very own, Alexis, a sophomore Communication Studies major and aspiring singer/songwriter could be the next big artist on the scene! Just this past week, she performed at SXSW (South by Southwest Music Festival) in Austin, Texas. In preparation for her big performance, she recorded two of her own original songs.

When Alexis isn’t performing at one of the biggest music festivals in the country, you can find her on Tuesday nights at TDU’s Open Mic Night! This past year, she also participated in the Make Your Mark on Madison Leadership Development Program. Alexis is not only an extremely talented performer, but also an extraordinary sister and friend. During MYMOM, she was very eager to get to know new people and what they were interested in. She also is involved in Greek IV and attend the Greek Conference in Charlotte, North Carolina this past February!

Her fellow sisters have also described Alexis as a generous and selfless friend. Alexis’ loyalty and generosity as well as her talent makes us very proud to call her an ADPi sister!

Sister Spotlight: Allison

This nomination goes out to Allison! Allison is a freshman IDLS Elementary Education major with a minor in women’s and gender studies.  Allison is an honors student and recently one of her papers was chosen to be read at DePaul University in Chicago.

Her paper is titled "'What Do Women Want?' In Real Life Versus 21st Century Hip Hop Culture". It uses a poem and various lyrics from five hip hop songs.  In Allison’s words it, “Compares how women are objectified and forced to rely on men in the hip hop culture versus how in the poem women need/desire freedom, sexual liberation, and equality to make their own choices for themselves and not for a man”.  Allison is very interested in feminism/women’s studies and exemplifies many strong traits of the ideal sorority woman.

So there you have it! Not only is she super smart, but she is always willing to help other sisters out even though she has a lot on her plate.

Sister Spotlight: Jessica

You can always find Jessica, a senior organizational communication major, with her DSLR camera in hand.  From day one she has been excited about being a part of our sisterhood. 

This past semester she asked sisters if they would like to participate in her photo-shoots.  She has taken various individual and group photos of sisters!  She has also documented various events from this past semester such as; Funky’s Skate night, Chapter Retreat, Recruitment Funshop, and Bid Day 2013. The pictures are of great quality and will be wonderful to look back on for years to come.

Let’s not forget that in the fall she was our leader for the Theta Chi Philanthropy week and Theta Chi awarded her with the “Miss Philanthropy” title for all of her hard work. Thank you Jessica!

Sister Spotlight: Kathryn

Our first ever sister nomination goes out to Kathryn! Kathryn is a junior IDLS elementary education major.  You can find her giving freshmen rides around Harrisonburg, helping sisters majoring in IDLS with their school work, and this Spring Break she went on a trip to Florida with Habitat for Humanity!

Additionally she is a Teacher’s Assistant for an education science class and always looking to get involved in and outside of her commitment to ADPi. Some sisters even feel as though she acts as an “older sister” should and she never hesitates to give back to others.

We appreciate all that you do and our proud to call you our sister!