{"id":62440,"date":"2021-12-07T10:39:03","date_gmt":"2021-12-07T16:39:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/?p=62440"},"modified":"2021-12-07T10:39:06","modified_gmt":"2021-12-07T16:39:06","slug":"annual-tree-lighting-ceremony-of-fhsu-returns-full-swing-with-the-holiday-spirit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/?p=62440","title":{"rendered":"Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony of FHSU Returns Full-Swing with the Holiday Spirit"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>BY KIERNAN McCARTY<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>PHOTOS BY LOREN McQUEENY<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>VIDEO BY LIZ STOECK<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Last Tuesday marked the return of Fort Hays State University\u2019s annual Tree Lighting event. This holiday ceremony has sustained its momentum against the test of the COVID-19 pandemic with last year\u2019s drive-through event which was reported to be overly successful with the complete expenditure of goodies by the end of it. This year kept up with the turnout as the students, community members, and families of Hays gathered to reinvigorate the spirit of togetherness for the holiday season.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"FHSU 2021 Campus Tree Lighting Ceremony\" width=\"790\" height=\"444\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/K3Gv2-bFoXs?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Dickens Carolers made an appearance outside of Sheridan Hall to sing multiple Christmas carols before the lighting of the tree. As much as everyone looks forward to the cookies, hot chocolate, horse-drawn sleigh rides and Santa Clause every year, the human connection and support was definitely one of the most important aspects of the Tree Lighting ceremony.&nbsp;<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI enjoy the Christmas spirit and lots of festivities and my roommate wanted to come, some of my other friends too, so we all came together,\u201d said Sadie Schmanke, a freshman student at Fort Hays.&nbsp;<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Particularly after coming out of the last several years of dealing with loss and isolation, people were appreciating the opportunity to meet and interact with new and old friends more than ever.&nbsp;<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Another sophomore student, who came with a close friend, said that this was her first tree lighting ceremony she\u2019s attended and that the best part was the people and the community.&nbsp;<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-gallery columns-3 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\"><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" data-attachment-id=\"62444\" data-permalink=\"http:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/?attachment_id=62444\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/IMG_2810.jpg?fit=640%2C480\" data-orig-size=\"640,480\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1638293464&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"2021 FHSU Tree Lighting\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/IMG_2810.jpg?fit=347%2C260\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/IMG_2810.jpg?fit=640%2C480\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/IMG_2810.jpg?resize=640%2C480\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"62444\" data-link=\"http:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/?attachment_id=62444\" class=\"wp-image-62444\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/IMG_2810.jpg?w=640 640w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/IMG_2810.jpg?resize=150%2C113 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/IMG_2810.jpg?resize=347%2C260 347w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"480\" height=\"640\" data-attachment-id=\"62443\" data-permalink=\"http:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/?attachment_id=62443\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/IMG_2812.jpg?fit=480%2C640\" data-orig-size=\"480,640\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1638295952&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"2021 FHSU Tree Lighting\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/IMG_2812.jpg?fit=195%2C260\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/IMG_2812.jpg?fit=480%2C640\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/IMG_2812.jpg?resize=480%2C640\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"62443\" data-link=\"http:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/?attachment_id=62443\" class=\"wp-image-62443\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/IMG_2812.jpg?w=480 480w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/IMG_2812.jpg?resize=113%2C150 113w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/IMG_2812.jpg?resize=195%2C260 195w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" \/><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"477\" data-attachment-id=\"62442\" data-permalink=\"http:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/?attachment_id=62442\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/IMG_2817.jpg?fit=640%2C477\" data-orig-size=\"640,477\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1638296152&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"2021 FHSU Tree Lighting\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/IMG_2817.jpg?fit=349%2C260\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/IMG_2817.jpg?fit=640%2C477\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/IMG_2817.jpg?resize=640%2C477\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"62442\" data-link=\"http:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/?attachment_id=62442\" class=\"wp-image-62442\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/IMG_2817.jpg?w=640 640w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/IMG_2817.jpg?resize=150%2C112 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/IMG_2817.jpg?resize=349%2C260 349w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/figure><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>For others, the tree lighting ceremony is a tradition they look forward to every year. Another anonymous freshman student said, \u201cthere\u2019s always been a tree lighting ceremony where I\u2019m from so coming to see it here was just kind of a nice tradition, you know?\u201d<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Student Engagement reported that the event went well and that the turnout was more than expected, so it\u2019s safe to say that this year\u2019s holiday ceremony was a pleasant surprise. Since the goal of this year was to bring the community together, it was important to the leaders of student engagement to honor diversity and inclusion within Hays and at FHSU for the holidays.&nbsp;<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When asked about what the Tree Lighting Ceremony was all about, Easton Bradbury, Student Engagement Specialist and Graphic Designer, noted that it is about having fun.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cA lot of it here is for little kids to come have fun. It just provides a safe environment for people to gather together and to get to meet each other and experience different aspects of the holidays for different groups of people,\u201d he said.&nbsp;<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Student leaders and members of groups on campus were invited to contribute their take on holiday celebration to the event. The event featured groups such as the Hispanic American Leadership Organization (HALO), the Black Student Union (BSU), and the Gender and Sexuality Alliance (GSA). Each group got to interact and connect with community members throughout the evening of holiday cheer.&nbsp;<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Members of HALO helped out a lot with setting up and the community engagement aspect of the celebration. Danzel Major, president of the BSU, offered to take pictures of people by the tree in the Sheridan hall lobby while GSA stood at their booth nearby with resources on how to support LGBTQ+ youth and family members during the holiday season.&nbsp;<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As the evening was winding down and kids were writing the last of their letters to Santa, they\u2019d deliver them to the mailbox for Santa to pick up on his way out after he makes his rounds with pictures and Christmas wishes. There were plenty of cute shirts to hand out this year and they didn\u2019t run out until the end of the night long before the horse-drawn sleigh rides were finished, of course. Overall the diversity of the community of Hays is growing year by year and we hope to see more friendly faces next year.<br><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>BY KIERNAN McCARTY PHOTOS BY LOREN McQUEENY VIDEO BY LIZ STOECK Last Tuesday marked the return of Fort Hays State University\u2019s annual Tree Lighting event.&hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":142,"featured_media":62441,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3397,3398,11],"tags":[14069,14460,14358,14459],"class_list":["post-62440","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-area-news","category-campus-news","category-news","tag-campus-tree-lighting","tag-kiernan-mccarty","tag-liz-stoeck","tag-loren-mcqueeny"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/IMG_2802.jpg?fit=640%2C480","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62440","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/142"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=62440"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62440\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":62445,"href":"http:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62440\/revisions\/62445"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/62441"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=62440"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=62440"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=62440"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}