GC by Me: Showcase Day

Show us what you’ve got!

By Imaya Parks

Posted March 22, 2019

If you’ve gone to Greensboro College, then you have heard of Showcase Day. It’s a day near the end of each semester dedicated to the achievements of GC students during that semester. It ranges from the music department to the ethics department.

Greensboro College’s Main Building, where theatre, ethics and other classes present their work on Showcase Day.

How did Showcase Day become an every-semester thing?

Michael Sistrom, a history professor at GC, created this day. As a member of the school’s Humanities board, Dr. Sistrom decided that the students needed a day to present what they had been learning and practicing all semester long. Originally, Showcase Day was only for freshmen who were new to the school, in order for them to show what they had accomplished in their First Year Seminar classes. But it grew to encompassing all departments so that everyone could showcase their wonderful talents.

“I value education, and the students deserve a day where they can show everyone at Greensboro College what they have grasped over the semester.” — History Professor Mike Sistrom

What does Showcase Day have to offer?

Since this day is open to every department that Greensboro College has, people have the option to watch the strings department play Christmas music; to watch the theatre department perform entertaining one-act plays, and to sit in on dance presentations. You can attend senior capstone presentations led by many of the professors at the school, such as Dr. Anna Peluso, Dr. John Barbrey, Dr. Mike Sistrom, and Dr. Kathy Keating. You can even attend Finch Chapel and hear the campus chaplain, the Rev. Dr. Robert Brewer, preach.

Dance class presentation

Display by members of the art department

GC community

Since official classes on Showcase Day are canceled, you might expect students to sleep in or not come at all. But, in fact, because Greensboro College is a close-knit community, the students always come out to support their friends and fellow students.

Alicia Helms ’18 presents her senior art exhibit

“GC is a community that supports their students unlike any other university, and the students know this.”

Defining your path

As a student at Greensboro College, you are urged to participate in Showcase Day; and the experience of being able to give presentations to people who want to listen to what you say means a lot. What other school has a day dedicated to its students and their accomplishments? It shows just how much GC’s professors care for the development of their students. In the end, you might even say that the professors, who are the backbone of this campus, get to showcase their talents, too.

Imaya Parks ’21, an English and Communication Studies major from Durham, N.C., plans to pursue a career in broadcasting.