Howdy, y'all! I'm Alex, a queer and trans student from Tennessee. This year I'm involved with a lot: I'm serving as the Production Manager for the Dartmouth Rude Mechanicals, acting as Social Chair for Amarna, rushing Phi Tau, giving tours on campus, exploring the offerings of the Dartmouth Outing Club, joining Farm Club, getting more involved with the O-Farm and sustainability on campus, and generally enjoying my second year here at Dartmouth!
As a theater-kid-turned-English-major who already loved Shakespeare before taking this class, highlighting this as my favorite class of the term is a no-brainer. This class is completely accessible to anyone who is has never read Shakespeare while still being an engaging class for seasoned Shakespeare enthusiast. Class time is mostly devoted to discussion of the texts, and I feel like I came out of the class with a strengthened ability to analyze the themes present in Shakespeare's works as well as a better comprehension of the nuances of language used in the plays.
Before this class, my experience on the technical side of theater was severely limited. I've been acting onstage for a decade, and even though I knew that productions would be impossible without what goes on behind the scenes, actually learning how to DO what goes on behind the scenes was another experience entirely. THEA 40 is an incredibly fun and informative class, and I can confidently say I have a much more comprehensive understanding of what it takes to make a show come together. And next term, I'll have to opportunity to apply my new knowledge and skills as Production Manager for the Rude Mechanicals, Dartmouth's student-run Shakespeare company! I can't wait!
In this class we read stage plays through various lenses. These lenses comprised a general overview of the different readings of a play necessary in order to get it from script to stage: reading as actors, writers, directors, designers, dramaturgs, etc. I had an amazing time I feel my foundation of theater knowledge has been enhanced by what I learned in this class! I've been able to apply this knowledge as I continue to read and write plays in my spare time.
I took this class to fulfill one of my distributive requirements, but it ended up being my favorite class this term. I found the readings fascinating, the lectures engaging, and the group work super enjoyable (we were assigned to stream video games a couple hours per week!). Despite the large class size (100+ students) the lectures remained engaging and the professor made sure to hold weekly office hours to get to know as many of the students as possible; he even brought donuts sometimes! Overall, if this class were a video game, I’d hit replay as soon as the credits rolled.
I don't know if I'll ever be able to spell "Moosilauke" correctly on the first try… but that just means I have to go back.
Just to learn the spelling.
Not for the delicious dinner.
Or the view…
Nestled in the heart of the White Mountains, Dartmouth College's Moosilauke Ravine Lodge is not only a perfect destination for outdoorsy folks but a hidden gem for Dartmouth students looking to have a unique dining experience, completely free of charge. This past term, I visited the lodge for an evening that left me with memories lingering long after my last bite.
The drive to the lodge was an adventure in itself. Plenty of Dartmouth students don't have cars, which would normally make it difficult to complete the hour-long drive – but the Dartmouth Outing Club (aka the DOC) runs evening trips to lodge dinners that make the excursion incredibly convenient. The process of registering for a lodge dinner trip is the exact same as signing up for a hike, canoeing, or any other trip the DOC offers: students can go to Trailhead, the virtual DOC platform, to view and register for trips. Once you sign up, the trip leader takes care of booking the dinner reservation. There is no cost for undergraduate students, and a significantly discounted cost for grad students – this applies to both meals and lodging, but I only stayed for dinner as opposed to overnight.
And, as previously mentioned, the drive is about an hour long, so if you don't know the other folks you're going with, you have plenty of time to get familiar with each other (it is also entirely possible to sign up with a group of friends). When I went, I knew the trip leader – he was a fellow '26 who I met during O-week – and the rest of our van was grad students who I got to know on the way there.
It was a truly picturesque ride through the forested mountains. When we arrived, golden hour was gently turning into a sunset, so I snapped the pics below to commemorate our arrival.
Golden Hour in the Mountains
The lodge's interior is huge, rustic, cozy, and timeless. I'm not entirely sure how to describe it, so I've posted pictures below. There's also an indoor swing, not pictured, which was super fun to swing on. There was also a screened porch which I enjoyed the view from.
While waiting for dinner to start, some of us made tea or hot cocoa (I opted for the latter) and then ventured back out into the crisp mountain air to enjoy the view once more.
Drinking cocoa in the sunset!
Dinner at Moosilauke is served family style, with a unique menu chosen by the workers (all Dartmouth students on off terms or recent graduates) each night. The night I went we had bread, potato soup, pasta, "crispy, cheesy carrots," and lemon bars for dessert! Each course was delicious, and I ate every last thing I put onto my plate.
Menu at Moosilauke!
Dinner also featured a brief show of sorts where the chefs introduced themselves and then led us in an activity (which we were also told differs every night). As part of our activity we all had to share things we were grateful for with our table. It was a nice way to center ourselves in the moment and get to know the folks we were sharing our meal with.
I appreciate that night at the Moosilauke Ravine Lodge even more now as I look back on it, currently writing from my hometown of Nolensville during our winter break. The combination of homemade food, charming ambiance, and the natural beauty that surrounds the lodge created a truly memorable evening.
I took advantage of the crisp autumnal weather and vibrant foliage to explore beyond Hanover and cross off an item on my bucket list, just in time for Halloween!
SIP, or Social Impact Practicum, is a type of course that is offered at Dartmouth that centers around engaging with local community partners. I have taken two of these courses now and have found them to be enriching and interesting.
