BY RACHEL GALATIS
It’s starting to feel like Christmas on the Stonehill campus.
The second annual Ace’s Holiday Wonderland, organized by the Office of Student Engagement, will be held from Monday Nov. 28, to Thursday Dec. 8.
The events give clubs the opportunity to host festive celebrations, ranging from a hot chocolate bar, discounted movie passes, and a dance company performance. The events conclude with a late-night breakfast from 9:00 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. in the dining commons.
Last year’s events were an experiment to gage what students want to see. This year, the events span a longer time period.
Christina Puccio, a coordinator for the Office of Student engagement, said the purpose of the event is to allow students to relax as they prepare for final exams.
“Our hope is that with having activities to look forward to that students can take the opportunity to not only enjoy the final days of the semester but have events where everyone can come together as a community,” she said.
Final exams start Friday, Dec. 9 and run through Thursday, Dec. 15. Wonderland ends the day before so that students will not miss out on any events.
Aidan Shea, an intern in the Office of Student Engagement, said that the office is encouraging as many clubs to participate as possible.
“Every year, we look to enhance the event even more,” he said. “It was a different look last year than it was pre-Covid, but this year during our ceremony, we are adding performances from student groups. It will also be more interactive for the audience, so those who come will be a part of the ceremony.”
Some of the clubs and organizations on the list include the art club, the gaming club, the chemistry/biochemistry club, the commuter council, and the programing committee. Clubs performing at the tree lighting will be the Concert Ensemble, Girls from the Hill, Surround Sound, and the Chorus.
John McEnaney, leader of the Gaming Club, said that his club will be hosting a deduction game called “Holiday Clocktower” on Tues., Nov. 29, from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. in the College Center.
The club hosts clock tower events every other Saturday throughout the entire semester.
“The game involves a good team made up of players with a special and unique power, and the team must figure out who among them is evil,” he said. “They can receive information with their powers or through public discussion. However, for the holiday edition, Dylan Prew and Jen Bradford modified the game to include famous holiday characters. The evil team will involve notorious holiday villains like the Heat Miser.”
The Tree lighting will be on Thursday, Dec. 1 at 6:30 p.m.