Unveiling of 2000 Edition of Seaswells at First Copy Program a Huge Success!
by Andy Moseley - reprinted with permission from the April 2000 Mariners' Log
Friday, April 28, 2000, is a day that will live in CGCC history as the day the first Seaswells First Copy Program of the century was held. What a program it was! As it is every year, the program was held in the Science Lecture Room at noon. The First Copy Program is an annual tradition, the campus's first chance to get a copy of the brand new Seaswells, hot off the press, as well as a chance for winners of the year's art, photography, prose, and poetry contests to be recognized.
Seaswells 2000 was a first for the college's journalism program. Sure, there have been many Seaswells before, but any given year, they were all the same. This year, no two copies are identical! That's right, the Seaswells 2000 you are holding (hint, hint) is unlike any other edition that has ever been printed. The Seaswells staff chose a special rainbow foil this year for our cover that looks amazing, but the rainbows are slightly different on each cover! The contrast of the dark purple ('Iris') cover and the foil make the Seaswells 2000 cover a real stand-out.
However, the First Copy Program was a chance to do more than just marvel at the cover. If it were not for what is inside the magazine, we wouldn't have any reason to design such a cool cover!
The stage for this year's First Copy Program tried to match up with the cover, with a great purple background that actually looked as if it had seaswells flowing through it as the fish swam around. Colorful fish hung from the ceilings in both the lecture room and the lobby of the Science Building. Every guest at the program received as a memento an angelfish m ini-eraser. In addition, all winners, presenters, and readers during the program received fish magnets.
The ceremony kicked off with comments from editor-in-chief Andy Moseley, followed by the presentation of the very first copy to Dr. Douglas Tuech, vice-president for academic affairs. He accepted the magazine for Dr. Lord on behalf of the college, as she was required to be in Atlanta for a meeting. Next, a first copy was presented to Marcie Sellers, president of the Student Government Association, who accepted for the entire student body.
The First Copy Program continued with thanks for the numerous people who were all a part of the fine edition of Seaswells. This included the hundreds of contributors, contest judges, and Darien Printing and Graphics, the printers.
The first awards presented were for the Phi Theta Kappa Photo Contest and were presented by Phi Theta Kappa's president, Brenda Crooms. The theme for this year's contest was "The New Millennium: Past as Prologue. Sharon Bartkovich won third place and $20 for her photograph of the slowly-rising Jekyll bridge, which she titled "Bridge to Tomorrow." The second-place prize of $30 was awarded to Stephanie Sopp for her beautiful ocean photograph, "The Beginning and the End." First place and a check for $50 went to Lisa Rash for her color photograph entitled "They're Coming to Take Us Away -- Ha, ha!" The picture of Signal Mountain appears to be an unidentified flying object that has landed in the middle of a forest. (Somebody alert the media! Oh, we are the media.)
Next up were the awards for the Seaswells Photography Contest, presented by Seaswells staff member Susan McCormick. The award for Best Color Photograph, which included $75 and a nifty certificate, went to Lynn Skelton for his great lighthouse photograph. Titled "From Dusk to Dawn", it features a beautiful purplish sky setting off the stark white lighthouse. Receiving $75 for Best Black and White Photograph was Susan L. Waldrip for her beautiful picture. "Queen for a Day" features a princess-like child brushing her hair while a princess-like cat plays at her feet. This year's Best Overall Photograph was taken by Brandi Fleming, as she also received $75 for her photograph, "Having a Ball." The photograph is visually thrilling, featuring a little girl playing in bright blue and green balls. All three winning photos, along with many others are worthy of recognition, are featured right now in the nearest copy of Seaswells 2000.
The fun continued as the awards for the Austin/Garner Prose Contest were next. Seaswells 2000 editor-in-chief Andy Moseley presented these awards. Third place and $50 went to Iona Sikes for "I Wonder What Dad Is Dreaming." Read by Joyce Jackson, it is a daughter's recollection of her father's afternoon nap. The $75 second-place award went to BJ Corbitt for "Anachronism." BJ's story, read by Michael Hannaford, is a swashbuckler's account of a campus dance. For her first-place prose entry, "Waterfront Park: An Unforgettable Memory," Pamela Herzig received a check for $100. Linda Brown read Pamela's look back at one of her must precious memories, her husband's proposal.
Next, it was time to announce and recognize the winners of the Seaswells Art Contest. Presenter for this category was Seaswells staff member BJ Corbitt. The amazing artistic abilities of this campus are certainly well represented by this year's winners. A check for $50 was presented to Charles Reid for his third-place charcoal eraser drawing, "Still-Life: Muscle-bound." How Charles captured the musculature in the statue is stunning. The second-place certificate and $75 went to John Broz for "Alias: Poor Jorek," also a charcoal eraser materpiece. It is a self-portrait of the artist grasping a skull before a lofty cathedral. "Abstracted Portrait" by Dawn Jarrels is an incredible unfinished pencil drawing of a face. The unique artwork earned the judges' first-place award and a $100 check.
BJ also presented the awards for the Barr Poetry Contest. Andrew Piwowarski won the $50 third-place prize for "The Trees n Winter," a haiku about the sights and sounds of trees in winter. Dr. Mary Freeman read Andrew's winning haiku. Second place and $75 went to Rory Finnerty for "Netherworld." Dr. Ronald Ridley's reading was perfect, setting up a mental trip to this netherworld for the audience. Finally, the big $100 first-place prize went to Bobby Burns for his hilarious poem "Give a Hoot 'n' a Holler, Ol' Stephanie's Gettin' Wed." As you would expect, Dave Leenhouts captured the essence of Bobby's wonderful ballad.
Following the presentation, a group of CGCC faculty and staff read their favorites from Seaswells 2000. This part of the program is always memorable. Poems and prose take on deeper meanings and the accomplishments of the artistic campus become even more evident with the readings. The words really come to life when pronounced by someone who hand-picked the selection because it spoke to him or her.
A reception followed the program, with refreshments being served in the lobby outside the Science Lecture Room. Those in attendance let the Seaswells 2000 staff know exactly what they thought of this year's magazine. The staff, a little tired after weeks of hard work, was grateful for the snacks as they autographed copy after copy. What, you didn't get yours signed? Man, you missed out; this staff is going to be famous one day! Hey, I'm still around in you want my autograph. Hang onto your copy for a few years until I'm a famous journalit and you can probably bring in a few thousand dollars for it on eBay.
Seaswells 2000 is now a part of history, just another small chapter in the Seaswells legacy. Next year's staff will be triving to make Seaswells 2001 an ever better magazine -- if it's possible in the messy workroom that the Seaswells 2000 left for them.
The Seaswells 2000 taff would once again like to thank everyone who helped make this year's magazine a success. Back in October, many of CGCC's students, faculty, and staff swapped a ph oto or art or a poem or a story for a delicious snack, giving the staff trying to hold everything down in the windy weather a reason to smile. Even with the staff behind schedule on preparing the contest entries, the judges thankfully got their opinions back to us on time. We would also like to thank the teachers who allowed Seaswells staff members to interrupt their classes early in the fall semester for a few minutes to beg for entries. Mot of all, thanks to everyone who has picked up a copy of Seaswells 2000 (or is going to pick one up, you lazy bum). A lot of hard work and endless hours have gone into making the magazine, and we did it just for you (and some other people, too, but mainly you... that's right, YOU). Feel free to send us any feedback at our e-mail address, seaswell@bc9000.bc.peachnet.edu or fill out the feedback form on the Mariners' Log website at http://www.geocities.com/marinerslog/.
