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Kite Tails Spring 2013 Newsletter

Letter from the President Greetings from Alpha Rho! What a semester we have had! I always love this time of year because it is a time of transition. All of the newly elected officers and myself came back to USD in January with a newfound sense of energy and purpose as we all attempted to do the best we could with our new responsibilities and goals to uphold our sisterhood. I won't bore you with the day-to-day happenings from this wonderful semester, but here are some of the highlights that have made me so proud to be the CEO of the exceptionally talented women of Alpha Rho.

1. We received top scholarship for the Fall 2012 semester, with a cumulative GPA of 3.522, which is the highest we have ever achieved in Alpha Rho history. 28 members received a 4.0 GPA, and 31 members received above a 3.5 GPA.

2. We earned first place in the annual Stroller's show with the theme of "Fun Nights.” It was so much fun to be in the crowd cheering on such a talented and humorous cast!

3. We had our wonderful ELC, Justine, visit our chapter in mid-February. Her inspiration and guidance instilled a new energy in our members and she truly motivated us to make tangible improvements to make us better as a chapter. We have and will continuously work to make these improvements into next semester as well, and we were so grateful to be in Justine's company for an entire week.

4. We recruited an amazing spring recruitment class of 14 new members, whom we initiated in mid-April. The initiation of these incredible women brought us up to a chapter total of 100 women!

5. Finally, we ended the year congratulating our 21 incredibly talented and dedicated seniors who graduated on May 4. Although it was very bittersweet to see such a strong and inspirational group of women graduate from USD, we are so confident that they will do many great things with their bright futures. This past semester has increased my love, friendship, and dedication within Theta, and I truly see the rewards of being a member of this incredible sisterhood every day. All in all, my pride and love of being a member of Theta is not measured by the amount of awards or honors we have received. It is, however, measured in the number of congratulatory hugs a member receives when getting a good grade on a test. It is measured in the number of prayers sent to a member who is struggling with a family or personal issue. It is measured by the incessant laughter we hear in the dining room with our beloved house mother, Eunice, during meal times. Finally, the love and pride we have as members of Theta is measured in the high level of commitment we have made to each other. As sisters, we help each other strive to live in accordance with the highest ideals of Kappa Alpha Theta every day. Alpha Rho's sense of sisterhood, friendship, and love is stronger than ever, and I cannot wait to see what next semester has in store; great things, I'm sure.

Loyally,

Anna Hyronimus Inside this issue...

1…Letter from the President

2…Meet the Newly Initiated Members!

3…Letter from Alumnae & Foundation

Liaison and Philanthropy Chair

4…Advisory Board and Facility

Corporation Board Updates

5…What’s happening at 725 E Clark

6… Stay Connected with Alpha Rho! The Class of 2013 on Graduation Day, May 4th

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The class of

2013 posing

before

Formal with

House

Mother,

Eunice

Northey

Alyssa Wendt– Spearfish, SD

Spencer Mathers– Sturgis, SD

Brianna Davis– Dell Rapids, SD

Kendal Hannon– Kody, WY

Paige Foreman– Sioux Center, IA

Erika Arpan– Wagner, SD

Alexa Rupp– Pipestone, MN

Alexa Moeller– Watertown, SD

Aly Perry– Westport, SD

Abby Pierce– Luverne, MN

Annie Kuznik– Hibbing, MN

Michaela Bigge– Mitchell, SD

Dakotah Taylor– Platte, SD

Andrea Kelley– LeMars, IA

Meet the Spring 2013 Newly Initiated Members!

The newly initiated

members wearing their

letters for the first time

Save the Dates!

Recruitment at USD begins August 25th, so

send names and recommendations for

prospective new members to

Andrea Petersen, Chief Recruiting Officer.

Contact her at

Andrea.N.Petersen@coyotes.usd.edu

Join us for Dakota Days 2013 on October

5th and check out the new kitchen at Theta!

As usual, Alpha Rho is a busy place to be in the spring! On January 27th, we held the annual Founder’s Day Tea at Theta and were excited to celebrate with Tory Freese, Development Manager from KAO Foundation, who traveled from Indianapolis to join us. She educated us on the importance of the Foundation and the role it plays in our chapter. Tory was very insightful and she helped us realize how blessed we are to have such an active chapter on campus and how lucky we are to have an abundance of alumnae and advisors that stay connected with us. It just so happened that we held initiation for the fall recruits the evening before, so we held the ritual service that accompanies the usual Founder’s Day schedule with every member in attendance. It was a beautiful event, despite the cold winter weather, and everyone had a wonderful time. In April, we held the annual State Day Luncheon at the Vermillion Winery. We held the annual Facility Corporation Board meeting and gave a chapter update, which included all of the activities we had participated in for the past year. Scholarships were given out at a total of $28,000 to many deserving members. We are so blessed to have such ambitious members and a successful chapter here at USD. We were pleased to thank our 21 graduating seniors this year for all that they have done for the chapter and the University as a whole. They are a talented group of women and without a doubt, they will be very successful in their lives after college, carrying Theta love in their hearts and minds. Loyally, Erika Swenson

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Juniors posing during State Day

Our second annual KATWalk was held this year on April 6th in the Muenster University Center Ballroom. The event hosted a silent auction, as well as a fashion show sponsored by AMAVO, a Sioux Falls Boutique. Several employees from this store attended to make sure the show ran smoothly, and the clothes that were modeled were available for purchase after the show. With items ranging from weekend get-aways and spa kits, to hand painted portraits, the silent auction alone raised over $2,000. The grand total that will be donated to CASA in Theta’s name is $4,050. In addition to hosting such a successful philanthropy event, the ladies of KAO participated in a multitude of service projects. The Yankton Ice Rink has hosted two different showcases that we’ve helped with on show day by doing

hair and make-up for the performers. Every Thursday two lovely ladies would go to the nearby nursing home and lead the women in a game - or three - of BINGO. After that, they stayed and had cookies and conversation with the residents. The most recent philanthropy activity was a “Girls Night In” with the women of SESDAC. The ladies came over and we did our nails and watched a movie. It was a great break from studying and the girls were very grateful for an evening of relaxation and fun. The house as a whole has made a great impact on the community through their dedication to service and I could not be more proud of their accomplishments. The house had an average of 23 service hours per girl for the spring semester. These hours were acquired through local programs such as Big Pal Little Pal, Hereos, Adopt-a-School, Adopt-a-Grandparent, and USD’s annual Dance Marathon. The women of Kappa Alpha Theta

have set their goals high for the next semester and will continue their love of philanthropy and unprecedented dedication to service. Loyally, Kate Turner

Members posing at KATWalk

Junior Corryn Celmer models

during KATWalk

The chapter has had an amazing year, and the advisors and Facility

Corporation Board (FCB) members have enjoyed working with the officers and

planning for the future. Continuing the tradition at Alpha Rho, we were thrilled to award a record $28,000 in scholarships

at the annual State Day luncheon in April to Thetas at USD. A successful chapter begins with caring, talented and

committed young women, and it's critical to have alumnae to help guide the officers through their responsibilities and

support them as they develop into strong, capable college graduates.

The FCB is embarking on a summer project that will transform the kitchen and dining room into a beautiful,

well-functioning space for all to enjoy! We will be spending in excess of $100,000 this summer on a complete kitchen

renovation and replacement of the buffet area in the dining room. This will include major plumbing and electrical

updates in that area of the house. In addition to the first floor project, we will also be continuing the closet renovations

on 3rd floor in order to improve the dressing rooms for the sophomore dorm.

As the chapter continues to grow, we have a large number of juniors and seniors living outside of the chapter house. This

presents some unique challenges but we encourage them to eat lunch and/or dinner at the house whenever possible and

to make it a point to be present. The members living out realize the importance of staying connected and demonstrating

leadership to the younger members in order to support the rest of the chapter.

A huge thank you to all the alumnae who support the Alpha Rho chapter by serving as advisors, members of FCB, and

provide financial support through your donations!

Missy Radigan

Advisory Board Chair

Barbara Raus

Facility Corporation Board Chair

Page 4 Alpha Rho’s Advisors

Θ Melissa (Miller) Radigan Θ Meaghan (Anderson) Neuberger Θ Amber (Anderson) Edelen Θ Paula (Graves) Keller Θ Katie (Larsen) Feimer Θ Heidi (Kunstle) DeVries Θ Tami (Carnes) Kwilinski Θ Carly (Ellefson) Heard Θ Amanda (Geraets) Liebl Θ Nancy (Hoy) McCahren

Members of the Executive Board pose with

our visiting Educational Leadership Consultant,

Justine Rosenberg

Θ Barbara Raus, President Θ Ann Schiltz, Vice President Θ Krissy Herboldt, Treasurer Θ Michelle Cwach, Secretary Θ Barb Doorn Θ Marci Smith

Alumnae Members of

Facility Corporation

Board

In March, the women of Kappa Alpha Theta, along with the men of Delta Tau Delta and

Lambda Chi Alpha brought home the grand championship title for the 2013 Stroller’s

Show! Along with 1st place, the cast also won the title of best costumes. Allison

Lightfield and Kristine Brown were the directors, and the theme for the show was

“Fun Nights Arcade.” To set the stage, Erika Swenson painted an intricate arcade

themed backdrop. The plot of the show was centered around two young adults

visiting their old favorite (and abandoned) arcade. Once inside, they are forced to

win various games in order to free the characters inside of them. The dances were

centered around various classic arcade video games, and were filled with challenging

and visually appealing stunts. It was amazing seeing the long hours of practice and

dedication go towards a first place victory.

Theta brings home

Strollers Championship

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At the annual Greek Awards held in mid-April, Theta received a wide variety of

awards, including the Leadership Pillar, Citizenship Pillar, and the Corinthians/

Iconic Award. Courtney Krcil also won the award for outstanding junior.

Additionally, Theta was given the Sorority of the Year Award at President

Abbott’s Celebration of University Leadership.

Alpha Rho Receives multitude of awards

The 2013 Stroller’s

cast at the end of

their first song

Starting from left, Miss

USD, Rayna Pearson,

poses with Miss

Brookings, Katelyn

Breen, and Miss Dakota

Rose, Carrie Wintle

As pictured below, Theta was very proud of three active members participating in

pageants across the state. In February, junior Katelyn Breen was named Miss Brookings.

In March, sophomore Rayna Pearson was named Miss USD, and freshman Carrie Wintle

was named Miss Dakota Rose.

With yet another year in the books, the women of Kappa Alpha Theta are off to various

jobs, internships and summer vacations. But the promise of another extremely successful

year is just around the corner. Campus Activity Board

members Darcy Leischner &

Sam Drake pose with

country singer Jerrod

Niemann, who performed

at USD this spring

Check us out on Social Media

Like us on Facebook Search “Kappa Alpha Theta at the University of

South Dakota”

Follow us on Twitter @SDKAO

Visit our Blog www.alpharhotheta.blogspot.com

View our pictures on Shutterfly www.kaoalpharho.shutterfly.com

Stay connected with what’s happening at Alpha Rho,

through posts, tweets, and pictures!

Page 6 Kappa Alpha Theta

725 E Clark St.

Vermillion, SD 57069

www.kappaalphatheta.org/

chapters/alpharho

***Our website was created to promote

our chapter as well as to keep in touch

with our Theta sisters***

Check it out for…

Current events

National and local fraternity infor-mation

Alumnae information

Visit our Website

Look for…

Reunion Planning Ideas

Mailing Lists

Complete House Accommodations

House Tours

Meet and Greets

Mock Meeting

Pledge Year Scrapbooks

Plan a Reunion

*Contact Alumnae Relations