Spring in the Air

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Joshua Boley/The Chart

The kites seem to be winning the battle as senior biology Andere Edward tangles with the kite of sophomore biology major Yu Peng Lee. Lee struggles to control his own kite as the two take advantage of springtime on the Oval April 3.

This week, the Wellness Wednesday series hosted a kite flying event from 11 am to 1 pm in the Lion’s Den.  Students were able to choose from 20 different kite styles and fly them on the oval.  Although it wasn’t the best kite flying weather, many students were excited to pick out a new kite.

“Kite flying is a good childhood memory of mine and I love it,” said Stanley Her, a sophomore criminal justice major. “I’m glad for the opportunity to do it again.”

Allisa Warren, a senior general studies major, said, “I wanted to get the one with the smiley face sun to say, ‘go away rainy days!’”

The series is sponsored by the wellness department and promotes the seven areas of wellness:  nutritional, social, mental/emotional, financial, sexual, spiritual, and physical.

Kite flying focused on the social, mental/emotional, and physical areas of wellness.

“Flying a kite captures the idea of Wellness Wednesday,” said Evan Zupan, wellness department assistant.  “It’s a fun way for people to live a more healthy life.”

Kite flying isn’t the only way the wellness department has welcomed spring to Missouri Southern lately.

Last week’s Wellness Wednesday event was the 3rd Annual Easter Egg Hunt.  The Easter egg hunt was campus wide and took place from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. The department hid 800 eggs both on campus grounds and inside buildings.

Some eggs came with prizes including movie tickets, massage packages and gift cards.

Melody Penner, a senior psychology major, said she found out about the Easter egg hunt on the Missouri Southern facebook page. 

“It felt like a nice way to occupy the awkward breaks between my classes, and the weather was beautiful for it,” she said.

Penner said she found three eggs throughout the day: two in the stadium parking lot and one in the drain pipe leading from the Taylor Performing Arts Center. One of them included a prize for a compact mirror.

Next week, the Wellness Wednesday event will be in conjunction with Diversity Week.  The wellness department will host a “Make-and-Take Stained Glasses” craft in the Lion’s Den from 11 am to 1 pm.

“It’s going to be a mod podge type thing,” said Malorie Cashel, director of student activities. “They’re going to do clear, plastic glasses, and take tissue paper to decorate them.”

The Wellness Wednesday series will continue through the rest of the semester with four events left.