From long-standing traditions like the Junior Junior Olympics and Instructor Jeopardy to new activities like Cherubs Got Talent, the community and academic associates planned activities to take cherubs beyond the journalism corner of campus.
On a typical day of classes, cherubs spent the majority of their time in Fisk Hall, CRC and Allison Hall. CAA Cole Reynolds said it was important to take cherubs to explore the surrounding area.
“You get some island fever, I guess, if you just stay here on Northwestern’s campus,” he said. “It’s good to get out, it’s good to see what’s new, what’s exciting.”
CAA Nicole Markus agreed, saying that familiarizing cherubs with the Northwestern campus is an integral part of the program.
“[Where we live and work] is such a small part of what’s a huge and really diverse and cool campus,” she said. “There’s no point in being here for a month if you don’t really get to know the campus.”
Markus said her favorite experience as a CAA was coaching the East Coast team for the East Coast vs. West Coast basketball game, a longstanding opportunity for cherubs to participate in sports.
“It was in the middle of a really stressful time for the CAAs, and it was just so nice to have everybody come out and be together,” she said.
In addition to hosting longstanding events, Markus said the CAAs did not want to be confined to traditions from the last time Cherubs were on campus in 2019. One new activity the CAAs planned was Cherubs Got Talent, CAA Juliet Allan’s favorite event.
Allan said she was unsure beforehand how the new event would be received.
“I thought it was so cute, I was beaming the whole time,” she said. “I just loved it.”
Allan said it is also important to preserve long-standing activities that students can expect from the program.
“There’s a lot that changes year-to-year, and having these little traditions and routines that we do every year really help embody the history and the life of the program,” she said.
Each group of cherubs brings a diverse group of interests and talents, which Allan said she took into consideration when planning activities.
“You get a brand new batch of 84 kids every year, and so it’s hard to know what the dynamic is going to be like,” she said.
