First day toward success

Around town, they couldn’t be missed –; students carrying backpacks, surely filled with textbooks, notebooks and writing utensils.

It was the first day of classes at the Colorado School of Mines.

It was a busy day, said grounds maintenance worker Ron Wilson. But as the semester progresses, people will know where they’re going and things will start to go more smoothly.

“It was kind of hectic,” said incoming freshman Paige Hutchings. “Orientation only skimmed over stuff. You had to jump in on your own.”

But the school did offer lots of “getting-to-know-you” events, said Jack Larrabee, also a new freshman, such as the M Climb, an outdoor movie and casino night.

Larrabee, of Chicago, and Hutchings, of California, had been in Colorado for less than a week. They came specifically to attend Mines.

Chasen Henderson is also an incoming freshman, but he is local to Lakewood. He had only attended one class on the first day –; Calculus I.

“I’m not sure what to expect yet,” he said, but “I’m excited for it.”

The first day of school is different for juniors and seniors.

“Once you’re into your major-specific classes, you get to know people all over campus,” said Jared Clark, a senior studying petroleum engineering.

Fellow senior in petroleum engineering, Zhao Chang, agreed it was a good first day. She got accepted to become a teacher’s assistant for a class that studies the behavior of reservoir fluids. It is a “fun and interesting class,” she said.

“It’s one of those classes that are really useful,” Clark added.

To make everybody feel welcome on the first day, Katie Cionci with the campus Catholic missionary group called FOCUS, offered people a friendly game of volleyball.

The group was hoping to provide a “connection to the community,” she said.

Ben Hamel, a freshman studying mechanical engineering, came to the School of Mines on a football scholarship.

It should be a great year, he said.

“For learning, growing and being a part of the football team,” Hamel said. “They really want you to succeed here.”

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