New Year, New Team

Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls, I would like to present to you Team Ramapo!


From left to right: Kevin Shutrop, Steven Piorkowski, Danielle LaPointe, and Ann Gennaro
This fun little photo was taken the first night we all came together as a team!  One of the most exciting nights at FOCUS's Summer Training (more fondly referred to as New Staff Training or NST).  All of the first years are asked to gather somewhere--in the cafeteria, or Lewis Lounge, or some other room--for something.  They don't know what until they arrive, but the rumors sure do fly and everyone is asking the older staff members, "What's going on?"  "Are they making placements tonight?"  "Where do you think I'm going?"  The buzz is ceaseless.  The anticipation is amazing!  Finally all of the first years come together and their names are read off and they receive an envelope...in which rests their campus placement for the next year...  Some rip it open immediately after waiting all day to know!  Others hem and haw as they pace back and forth debating on whether they should open it in the chapel or not.  It is an incredibly exciting night and I know I will never forget my first placement night, as well as my second one, though it was quite a different experience than the first!  For us second years and above, it was a different kind of anticipation.  It was the excitement of simply waiting for your teammate to find out he (or she) is on your team!  Waiting to be united for the first time, knowing that this will be the group you are working alongside for the next year!  What an incredible night!  I was so excited to welcome Steven (our only first year) to our team!  I can't wait to see what the year brings!

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