Cammie Wilks, Campus Carrier features editor
Bella Patton, Campus Carrier asst. features editor
One aspect of most colleges and universities that unites their students, past and present, is its traditions. Berry is no exception to this, with a tradition that students have participated in for over 100 years: Mountain Day. This day is a celebration that honors Berry’s founder, Martha Berry. It consists of the Grand March, a delicious picnic and more, alongside a thrilling carnival that night at Marthapalooza. This year’s Marthapalooza theme is “Martha in Wonderland.”
Every year, alumni are invited back to celebrate and indulge once again in Berry’s traditions. Some even return every year to reconnect with friends and current students. Whether attending the football game or a class reunion, Berry has something for students and alumni of all ages.
Every Mountain Day weekend is planned over a year in advance, and it takes many on-campus partners and organizations to put together. One organization that is heavily involved is the Office of Alumni. Director of Alumni Relations Cecily Crow (94C) assists with organizing Mountain Day and helping organize every class reunion and alumni event. Every year, Berry not only helps to plan class reunions for certain milestone years, such as the fifth, tenth, and twentieth year reunions, but also helps with any class reunion that alumni wish to recognize. The Berry African-American Alumni Chapter is also having their annual meeting this weekend. With the amount of different reunions and meetings being held, the Office of Alumni is helping plan 28 events in total.
“We want to engage alumni because that relationship is important,” Crow said. “We ask alums to mentor our students. We ask alums to come back and speak to classes. We ask alums to come back and recruit our students for jobs and internships. We want these alums to feel like they are still connected to Berry, so that they know what’s happening and feel like they’re still part of that community.”
Mountain Day has changed extensively throughout the years. Though the Grand March and the picnic have stayed the same, many events have been added, such as Marthapalooza and the Mountain Day Market. However, there are also events that Berry does not plan anymore that alumni have missed, such as a soccer game and a talent show. Despite the fact that these events have been discontinued, there are still many fun events, new and old, to fill up the day.
“We’re inviting students to have new traditions and make memories with their friends,” Crow said. “And the alums get to come back to a place that is special for them. Mountain Day is for everybody who is involved with Berry. It’s a shared weekend, and I think that is really important.”
Many seniors this year will be participating in Mountain Day festivities for the final time. Senior Anna Yard spoke of all the things that make the feelings and atmosphere of Mountain Day weekend so special, especially for alumni who choose to return every year.
“Students have the same feelings on Mountain Day, no matter how the [Mountain Day Markets] changed or the Olympics changed or even when we did the march a little differently last year,” Yard said. “I love to use the analogy of when I’m walking down the Grand March every single year. I look down the line, and it’s people I’ve never met before, but we’re all doing it together.”
Yard is also the current senior class president for the Student Government Association (SGA). SGA is another organization that helps prepare and run the events of Mountain Day, particularly the Grand March.
“We handled the Grand March portion as our duties along with the Grand Marshall, who is Dr. Calloway this year,” Yard said. “Then we’ve been a part of conversations of, for instance, the Mountain Day Olympics and just how to get students involved, how to get them there and how to spread the message.”
Seniors, like Yard, are going to miss their Mountain Day experiences as they prepare to graduate in May. They look forward to enjoying the traditions and games one last time as students before they become Berry alumni.
Ever y year, Mountain Day Weekend is a special chance for all students, staff and especially alumni to come together. These traditions have long kept Berry students connected, no matter what years they studied. As campus prepares to host another successful Mountain Day Weekend, there is care that goes into celebrating all things Berry, past, present and future.
“If you are a student on the fence, I would encourage you to go out and be part of a tradition that goes all the way back to when Martha Berry was young and present,” alum John Hinman (72C) said. “You’re a part of a tradition that has been going on year after year. There should be a little bit of pride that you are a part of the current generation of Martha Berry’s students.”