NSO 2013 is a Success at The King’s College
NSO is designed to smooth the transition into college and welcome incoming freshmen into the King's community. It is a celebration of everything that makes up the King's experience: the curriculum, the clubs, and most importantly, the community.
On the night of August 28th, 2013, The King’s College Class of 2017 lined up and contributed their signatures to this year’s Honor Code, marking their official induction into the College’s community. Convocation 2013, held in the historic Trinity Church just blocks from our Wall Street campus, was the culmination of several days that make up New Student Orientation (NSO) at King’s.
NSO is designed to smooth the transition into college and welcome incoming freshmen into the King’s community. It is a celebration of everything that makes up the King’s experience: the curriculum, the clubs, and most importantly, the community. “NSO let me just jump right into King’s,” said Bonhoeffer freshman Davis Campbell. “The community is one of the most welcoming I’ve ever had a chance to be a part of.”
This year, President Thornbury told King’s students about the significance of the Politics, Philosophy, and Economics core curriculum shortly after moving in. Parents connected with each other and heard from the Parents Leadership Council about the prayer calendar system. An information fair introduced freshmen to various school clubs and organizations like King’s Athletics and International Ventures, as well as great city resources such as Citi Bike and the New York Health and Racquet Club. Watch Dr. Thornbury’s discussion of Politics, Philosophy, and Economics here:
The House System is another integral dimension of NSO. Each incoming freshman is assigned to a House, and NSO is his or her first opportunity to become acquainted with housemates and the executive team. The House System is an essential element of the King’s experience. While speaking about both convocation and House initiation, Thatcher sophomore Kelly Cannon noted that, “there is something really beautiful about both being inducted into your school and then being welcomed into your House. The school and House genuinely value your individual presence.”
A variety of House-oriented events round out NSO to help freshmen settle in and familiarize themselves with their Houses. The first of these is move-in day, where the welcoming faces of many volunteer students greet freshmen on the street and help move them into one of our four student residences. A few days later, incoming students get a taste of New York City dining with their houses during the “Night Out with Your House” event, which has become an annual tradition at the College. Finally, the campus bustles with activity as the entire student body participates in the Great Race, a city-wide scavenger hunt that pits houses against each other in a clue-solving, borough-spanning all out battle, Amazing Race-style.
Last comes the capstone: Convocation, during which students sign the Honor Code and receive an address from President Thornbury. While convocation is only a small part of NSO as a whole, it is assigned a certain gravitas, being that it represents a commitment made by the freshmen to lead lives of honor aimed to please God. “The King’s College is Rivendell,” claimed President Thornbury during his culturally attuned address to students, “It is the last lonely post, the last civilization before you take your journey into Mordor. What we are here to do at The King’s College is to build upon what’s happened in your homes and churches so that we could prepare you to rock and roll and perform at a very high level.”
Dr. Thornbury also noted that The King’s College has a competitive vision for its students and left them with a compelling question: “Where are you going to take your place?” As the Class of 2017 begins their first semester here at King’s, they will begin to formulate an answer.
Watch the full Convocation speech delivered by President Thornbury, a message about how to thrive in today’s secular society, here: