“Work Day is the Best Holiday of the Year,” says Andrew Axelrod
Ana Risano & Quinn Bonney | April 7, 2022
Quinn Bonney
Students work to remove the old-pond dock.
Warren Wilson College, on Thursday March 31, held and celebrated its 101-year anniversary of Work Day. Work Day is a day where classes are canceled for the WWC community to come together to build relationships and beautify the campus.
This Work Day, over 300 students and staff collaborated on 11projects that related to the maintenance of campus or ability to serve the community. Some of these projects included creating an accessible path next to the Pavilion, building bird boxes, taking down the old not-pond dock and painting a mural on the side of the Pavilion.
Associate Dean of Work, Paul Bobbitt, led the opening rally to work.
“This year’s theme is regeneration,” Bobbitt said. “The reason it is regeneration is that we get the opportunity to regenerate not only the sacred holiday that is work day but we get to regenerate our campus and our community.”
During the pandemic, Work Day was put on hold. In 2020, the college closed and students attended classes virtually. In 2021, work crews were given the option to do something together for bonding or sprucing up their crew space.
“I am so happy it's back,” said Mary Fields, donor relations and database coordinator. “I feel so bad for the students. I'm really glad that the students are getting to experience that again after a couple years hiatus.”
New and returning students share a similar sentiment; everyone participating showed excitement and eagerness for the day.
“It cuts right through my natural cynicism,” Watson Jones, first-year student said. “I feel like a member of the community. This is dope.”
Sarah Scott, senior outdoor leadership major, talked about the importance of engaging with peers and being a part of the WWC community.
“All the people I'm working with, I don't interact with,” Scott said. “They're not on my crew, I don’t have classes with them and we're all just chatting away, and it feels awesome to be with people on different crews and different smaller communities on campus than myself.”
Quinn Bonney
Jay Lively winding down from a hard day of mulching.
One Work Day group built bird boxes with specific-sized holes for cavity-nesting birds. The houses are meant for the Carolina Chickadees and are supposed to protect their habitat space against the invasive House Wrens. Daniel Baron conducted their natural science undergraduate research (NSURS) on Carolina Chickadees with Olya Milenkaya. This Work Day project is one example of work that will serve future students doing research as well as creating homes for birds.
Work Day is a tradition at WWC. Every year, the projects look a little different to reflect the needs of campus. The tradition of Work Day is not solely the work that is done but rather an opportunity for the community to come together. Matt Hoffman, associated director of Interfaith Initiatives and instructor of religious studies, spoke about the importance of Work Day as a tradition.
“We’re quick to throw out traditions and think of them as antiquated or in the past, and I think for me Work Day is a good reminder of who we are but also I think that we can modernize … and redefine it,” Hoffman said.
President Lynn Morton described the importance of work in the student experience, given “work has been so central to this college since its founding in 1894.”
A couple of students who helped smoke two 200 lbs pigs for the Work Day picnic, shared some perspectives on work at WWC.
Vinnie Grossi humorously said, “WWC: We Work Constantly” after talking about his love for the work program.
Andrew Axelrod added, “I’m not even in the work program anymore. I just came here to smoke the pig … I still go to school here but Work Day is the best holiday of the year — that, Krampus, Hanukkah and Passover.”
Work Day, overall, was a success as multiple projects were finished and the campus community was left in high spirits.