“We decided to go to the Groundhog Day event because we had all heard stories about how big a celebration it is. Most of us grew up knowing about Groundhog Day, and two of the girls that went with us, Krista Lawson and Emily Gearhart, had been there before (both had grown up in surrounding areas).

In order to get to where the festivities started, we had to leave the school at 1 a.m. Thursday Night/early Friday morning. So, all 6 of us piled into a car, and headed for Punxsutawney, where we took the shuttle that runs from a parking area to Gobbler's Knob, where Phil actually predicts the weather.

Once there we realized just how big the event is, because by 4 a.m. the unofficial count was over 4,000, and by 7:30, when Phil emerged, it was thought to have doubled. During the activities leading up to the big moment, the crowd is entertained by music and games on the stage, along with the occasional giveaway, and of course the sheer excitement of seeing a groundhog predict the weather.

A.J. Schell, Casey Dugan, Becky Bayer, Emily Gearhart, Krista Lawson, and myself were the representatives from Seton Hill that day, and once the prediction was read at 7:30 a.m, we headed back to the parking area with sore feet, and sleepy eyes. Phil did not see his shadow that day, which is rare, and was very scientifically proven, as a group of Inner Circle members carefully presided over the prognosticator, and read a series of ancient scrolls informing the crowd that Spring is just around the corner. I personally love winter weather, so I was a little disappointed, yet after 4 hours in temperatures that had dipped down into the teens, Spring wasn't sounding so bad.

The next day, a few of us still had classes, and I know that we attended what we could, and it was all worth it. Now that I have been to Punxsutawney, I know the immensity of this ‘silly holiday,’ and participating in it was truly a once in a lifetime event.”