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Community News Picket

Historic Firsts: Shepherdstown’s First Annual Pride Parade 

Shepherdstown, West Virginia – On Sunday, June 1st, hundreds of people, both Shepherd University Students and local community members, lined Shepherdstown’s German Street as they prepared to kick off the 2025 Pride season with the first annual Shepherdstown Pride Parade.  

The parade, founded and largely organized by Joan Moossey, followed the theme of “Historic Firsts”, with the parade celebrating local queer icons such as Silas Starry, the first openly gay mayor of Shepherdstown, and Stephen Skinner, the first openly gay person elected to the West Virginia state legislature. 

“We need to show our strength as a community,” says Shepherd University student, Katherine Aronhalt, “We’re so strong here. There are so many people that showed up, that are supporting each other, that are complimenting each other’s outfits, and there’s so much community and love here,”  

The parade, which ran through German Street, started at 6:00 pm and ended approximately. 20 minutes later. Though it was a short parade, it was a beautiful one. The celebration was opened by Grand Marshall Rosemary Ketchum, the first openly transgender person elected official in West Virginia. Ketchum was followed by a group of people holding a banner that read “1st Annual Shepherdstown Gay Pride Parade.”  

Participants included local businesses, including Alma Bea, Bee City, and The Back Alley Garden Tour & Tea, and local churches, such as the Shepherdstown Presbyterian and St. Peter’s Lutheran Parish. The parade ended with the crowd joining in on the route and eventually dispersing at the intersection between German Street and Princess Street.  

There was no hide nor hair of a homophobic protester in sight. The parade was a pure expression of love and celebration of identity.  

“I think it’s important now, especially with everything that’s going on in the world, to go out, and support, and be a part of that community,” said Solace Gildowan, Shepherd University student and active member of the campus Gender Sexuality Alliance. 

For many Shepherd students, this was their first Pride parade. “This is my first time being truly at a pride parade… I feel like I get to be a part of something great, something that’s hopefully going to continue for a long time,” says Brenna Nowlan, another Shepherd University student.  

Reporter Carter Combs

Categories
Picket Spring 2025

April 14, 2025

Transcription:

In a March SGA meeting, members of the Student Government Association outlined blueprints and concept designs for the proposed dining hall/multipurpose facility that will be built on Shepherd University’s West Campus. 

The building will house meeting rooms, locker rooms, training and treatment rooms, offices, and a state-of-the-art weight room that will accommodate the athletic department. Along with this, the building will feature a new dining hall to offer more dining options to students living on campus. 

According to Hans Fogel, Executive Director of University Communications, moving forward with the construction of the new dining hall/ multipurpose building aligns with Shepherd’s “strategic plan” to give students on west campus more dining options and to meet the needs of student athletes. 

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Shepherd University’s School of Music will offer summer camps again this year. The camps include a one-level string orchestra camp and a two-level jazz camp that will run concurrently from June 23 to June 27. A junior string camp is open to intermediate-level string musicians in grades 3-12 for the current academic year and to intermediate adult musicians. All students should have basic note-reading skills. The cost is $150.  

Junior and senior jazz camps are also available, with students in grades 6-8 during the 2024-2025 academic year invited to junior camp and students currently in grades 9-12 invited to the senior level camp. Both levels include jazz band rehearsals, individual and group coaching, combo/improvisation classes, theory classes, and faculty performances. Senior camp also includes master classes. Both camps conclude with concerts on June 27 and cost $310. All three camps culminate with concerts on June 27. To learn more or to register, visit www.shepherd.edu/musiccamp. 

Shepherd Performs on 89.7 WSHC

The Bonnie & Bill Stubblefield Institute for Civil Political Communications at Shepherd University announced the 2025 Campus Civility Award winners. 

Shepherd University students in the Stubblefield Institute Civility Club selected one student, one staff member, and one faculty member to recognize for their dedication to civility on the Shepherd University campus. This year’s student awardee is Joshua Molina; the staff awardee is Rachael Meads, director of Student Activities; and the faculty awardee is Dr. Craig Cline, associate professor of Social Work. These individuals engage in constructive interactions, show respect despite disagreement, and inspire others to be civil. 

Important Events:  

Sans Merci, Volume 49, release party will be on Tuesday, April 15, at 6 p.m. in the Marinoff Theatre.

The American Conservation Film Festival will be showing Planet Walker, a 31-minute film on conservation. The film will be followed by a discussion led by faculty member Pippa McCullough on the power of listening.   

Shepherd Panhellenic and Fraternity Council are hosting a Car Wash at Domino’s Pizza on Thursday, April 17, from 11a-3p. All proceeds will go to Relay for Life.  

The 77th Annual Student Recognition Day will be held on Tuesday, April 22, at 4:30 in the Frank Center.  

Midnight Breakfast will be held on Sunday, April 27, from 10 pm to midnight.  

Categories
Picket Spring 2025

April 7, 2025

Transcription

A Student Government Association meeting took place on March 25. SGA applications ended on April 4. Shepherd Students had the chance to vote on Rampulse. Nobody applied for the Junior and Sophomore Class President position or the Student Life Council position. Those spots will be appointed by the President and Vice President. The applications for the SGA Executive Board will remain open until April 7. 

As fellow reporter Courtney Blank writes, “In April, the Rude Mechanicals are performing four plays. One is Hrothsvita’s The Conversation of Thaïs. The other three were written by Shepherd students from Dr. Carrie Messenger’s Creative Writing: Drama Class. Rachel Carroll wrote Earth Boys are Easy. Caitlin Carson wrote The Galathea Effect. Hannah Tinsman wrote Blood and Garlic. There will be performances on April 4 and 5, as well as April 9 through the 12 at 7:30 pm. There will be a performance on April 6 and April 14 at 3:00 pm.” 

A recent string of hot dog-themed vandalism has taken place in parking lots across campus. Users have been posting to location-based, anonymous site, YikYak, photos of their cars, hotdogs skewered on antennas. One user even posted where The Mystery Meat Marauder had taken a bite out of the sausage before placing it on the user’s car. Rain or shine, parking lot to parking lot, hot dogs continue to appear on people’s personal vehicles. Contact the Shepherd Picket Newspaper with tips. 

Author Denise Giardina will be talking about her novel, “Saints and Villains,” on Tuesday, April 8 from 7 to 8:30 pm in the Robert Byrd Center for Congressional History and Education Auditorium. 

Hannah Williams-McNamee, director of Student Support and Transfer Pathways, announced on April 2 that the next selection for the Shepherd University Common Reading Program is Black Bear Creek: Stories by Shepherd English alumnus Dr. Joshua Cross. Cross is the first Shepherd graduate whose book will serve as a common reading selection at the University.  

Set in the fictionalized town of Black Bear Creek in West Virginia’s Coal River Valley, the book explores a community that has been ravaged by the declining mining industry. The characters in Cross’ debut story collection struggle to survive against poverty and environmental degradation; ultimately, they find ways to have hope and resistance.   

Important Events: 

  • Graphic Design Portfolio Exhibit will be this Thursday, April 10, from 4:30 to 6:30 at the CCA, room G-03.