Your ideas, suggestions, photos, and letters to the editor are important!
Please talk with any J-Lab staff member or email hilltopnews@corban.edu.
J-Lab Advisers
Mrs. Christena Brooks
J-Lab Adviser
Mrs. Ellen Kersey
J-Lab Co-Adviser
J-Lab Editors
Shawnee Randolph
Hilltop News Editor
Chelsea Vincent
Hilltop Weekly Big Board Editor
Danni Strom
Hilltop Yearbook Editor
Stephanie Hallman
Hilltop Online Editor
Metamorphosis: "homecoming" to "Heart of Corban"
By J-Lab Staff Writer
Basketball games, pep rallies, crowns—these are just a few pictures the word homecoming triggers in your mind.
To some, it might even trigger a picture of Corban College.
“But isn’t all that stuff about high school?” some reminisce, as they think of the time their team won the game by one point at the buzzer, or how hot it was in that mascot suit, or who won Homecoming Queen senior year.
Ashley Hayes, Corban’s ASB Activities Coordinator, has been planning the transition from Homecoming to the Heart of Corban for about a year-and-a-half.
“I’ve been noticing Homecoming’s bad reputation,” Hayes said. “People didn’t really see it as an honor. Although we’re the kind of campus to pick the same type of people we would have chosen for the Heart of Corban award, I wanted the people who were being selected to feel encouraged by the Corban community.”
Two objections made to this transition were the fact that an ongoing tradition was being put to an end and that this award becomes a sort of popularity contest. Hayes and other members of ASB made sure to keep the transition smooth by keeping parts of homecoming that students have enjoyed while changing the parts that drew concerns from students and staff.
Indeed, changes were made not only to the name of this award (which still happens around Homecoming time), but also the way people vote, who they vote for, and even how videos are put together.
This time, ballots were not just on a write-in basis. Voters had to include why they voted for the candidates, who exemplified Christ-like character, integrity, respect, joy, and diligence.
Another change was who was voted for. Although ballots were counted and considered when making decisions, a Corban staff committee helped decide on who ultimately was chosen for the Heart of Corban award.
“I want people to be recognized regardless of how well-known they are,” Hayes said. “As peers, we tend to choose the most outgoing people for awards like these, and the professors and the staff are outside of a peer relationship, so they don’t notice the most outgoing people first.”
Another change was how videos about the candidates are made. In the past, the videos were entertaining pieces reflecting fun facts about the candidates, shot mostly around campus by peers and occasionally family members. The now video-making process involved many more people, including friends, professors, pastors, and family, commenting on why this person deserved the Heart of Corban award.
A new name, a new tradition, a new focus—the metamorphosis from "homecoming" to the "Heart of Corban."
