Group Projects

by Travis Rocha

In high school, group projects were a pain. Now that I’m at Christopher Newport, I actually look forward to them. At CNU, we all care deeply about our academics, and do not shirk our responsibilities. So it’s easy to put your mind at ease and have faith your partners will pull their weight! This week, I’ve been working on three different group projects.

The first was assigned a few weeks ago, and it’s for my theater class. My partner and I are working on blocking, designing and acting a scene. It’s been a lot of fun, but also a lot of work. Today, she and I finalized some design ideas and discussed our characters’ motivations. Our official performance is next week, and I’m very excited to finally present everything altogether!

In addition, for my argumentation class, we were put into random groups and told to form an argument either for or against standardized testing. We’ll then present our argument to a group of judges. I love assignments like those. It fosters creative and lively discussion, and the research feels like it has a real purpose, as opposed to just writing an essay for its own sake. Lastly, two of  my friends and I presented on the film “12 Years a Slave” and its connection to Walt Whitman’s poetry. We practiced for about an hour today, so when it finally came time to present, it was a breeze.

I’m so glad my week is filled with projects like these, and I know my fellow Christopher Newport peers are too. It’s great to not only learn from professors, but also each other. Collaboration and team-building skills are just as important as the actual learning, and Christopher Newport knows that.