Sherman PRIDE

Graduation

I'm so proud of the 37 doctors that graduated from Sherman College of Chiropractic yesterday!! I know you all will touch thousands of lives through your practices.

Thank you Alumni Assoc.

I just wanted to right a quick thank you to the alumni association for the wonderful business card holders 9th quarter students were given today. I encourage everyone to be apart of the alumni association. If you need to pay your dues you can contact Marggi Roland. Thanks again!
Melinda Hallam

Sherman Pride Day

I can't wait for Sherman Pride Day Oct. 27th! Last year we rolled out the official school dance the Sherman Shuffle. You can join us in showing your pride by posting pictures on Instagram and Facebook. Visit www.sherman.edu/pride-day for Larry cut-outs and I love Sherman signs!

This year I want to share my pride about the new bookstore on campus!! There have been a lot of people who contributed to its success! Thank you all for your hard work.

Melinda

C is for cumulative.

C is for cumulative. That is what the chiropractic curriculum is, cumulative.

I hear people all the time say things like “C’s get degrees” or “C is for chiropractor”. I encourage everyone to strive for a grade higher than a C. The problem is that a C means your understanding of the topic is just enough to get you by. But just getting by becomes a struggle.

There comes a point sooner than later where the questions start to build on one another. Information from one class can be tested in a different class, and the information that you crammed in before the last test and then forgot comes back to get you.

Or my personal favorite…You must answer the first question correctly to know what the second question is even asking! If you goal is only to get a C by the time you have forgotten parts of your classes (and you will forget parts) you will most likely not pass your boards!

This week my fellow classmates and I are reviewing for our entrance exam. Entrance Exam has 6 stations timed at 5 minutes each. It is a culmination of several classes starting from 1st quarter. As we are reviewing and asking questions it becomes very obvious of our areas of weakness. Things we half learned the 1st time, things we have forgotten, or areas where we know the information but struggle to compile it correctly.

We will make it through entrance exams with a C or better because C is for Chiropractor!

Top 5 tips to a successful finals week!

1. Eat a good breakfast - I am sure everyone has heard breakfast is the most important meal of the day.  Give you brain the food it needs to get you through those tough exams.  One of my childhood favorites is an egg in a hole.

2. Get lots of sleep - I know it is hard to sleep when you are trying to cram as much information in as possible, but the more you sleep the better. Things you have studied go from short term to long term, and you will be able to think clearly when your professors give you those questions that are not straight from the notes, and you actually have to apply the information!

3. Study for your last final first. By the end of the week you will be so burnt out that you just want to be finished. You will not want to study for that last final, but if you study for it first,  then all you have to do is review!

4. Stay calm. When you are in the middle of your exam, and you are starting to feel overwhelmed, close your test, put down your pen, take a deep breath. Pray if you feel so lead to do, and then get back to work! 
You have worked had all quarter. Now is the time to be rewarded!

5. Remember this too shall pass - in 4 days summer breaks starts! 

General Sherman

For those of you that do not know, my husband is a woodworker from England. I thought it only appropriate on our recent trip to CA to take him to see the Sequoia Trees. I had never been before, but I had heard they were quite big. I always enjoyed joking with Phil about how many pieces of furniture he could make form just one tree!

The General Grant Tree is located in Kings Canyon National Park. It is the 3rd largest tree in the world. The 2nd largest is the General Sherman! (it is near Grant, but I did not have enough time to visit both). The dimensions of General Grant are:

Height: 268.1 feet
Circumference: 107.5 feet
Diameter: 34.2 feet
Volume of trunk: 46,608 cubic feet

The Rings of the Sequoia trees tell show us the innate intelligence of the tree and its ability to adapt and survive even against something that seems as impossible as fire. The rings are curved and new growth covers the scars.

The picture below helps give you an idea of the size of these trees. I tried to get a good picture of the General Grant, but I did not have a wide enough lens to take a picture that would capture the whole tree. I would highly recommend a visit to the General Grant or the General Sherman, which is even larger then Grant. Plus I just happen to like the name of the General Sherman!

Cake Decorating

I know it is silly, but I have always been envious of people how can ice a cake and make it look professional. Or maybe not even professional, but not like a 5 year old did the icing.

This past week Graceway, the local church I attend, had a women's fellowship night and the craft project was cake decorating 101! It is great to be involved in the community and to learn a new skill. I highly enjoy my time with these women, and am so grateful that they have welcomed me to this community.

A few tips I learned:

1. Make sure your cake is completely cooled. If your icing starts to melt/run your cake is too hot.
2. A crumb layer is needed if your icing is thin. This is a layer of icing that you add then let the cake sit for 30 mins then add a second layer of icing.
3. Use a spatula not a knife. It gives you a much longer smooth surface.
4. Dip your spatula in water when smoothing the icing.
5. It takes way more icing then one tub you buy at the grocery store!

I have now added a new skill to my tool box on my journey to becoming a well rounded southern woman!

How Does a _____ Remind You of Chiropractic?

First quarter Philosophy I final exam. Dr. Decken asked us to prepare an answer to a question about how any item or topic reminds us of chiropractic. It is an exercise that makes you think about how you can incorporate chiropractic into every situation, and prepares students to begin to think about patent education. The topic that we were given was how does a waiter/waitress remind you of chiropractic. I have since thought about this exercise several times.

Right now I am sitting in an airport. I can just imaging Dr. Decken sitting next to me asking me, “Melinda, how does an airport remind you of chiropractic?”

Well Dr. Decken, I am glad you asked. As I walk my daughters to the terminal at the airport we come upon the moving sidewalk. The sidewalk allows us to reach our terminal faster. The moving sidewalk reminds me of myelinated axons in the nervous system. As my husband walks next to us on the non-moving sidewalk I am reminded of the unmyelinated axons.

If both sidewalks are blocked we will not be able to reach our destination as fast or maybe even at all! The same is true in our body. Subluxation interferes with information reaching its target resulting in decreased function. Chiropractic can remove interference and allow the sidewalk to run again getting everyone where they need to go.

There are many more examples in an airport, and everyday life around us. Can you think of some?

Ripley's Believe it or not!

Over this past weekend I took Rachel, Ryan, and Courtney home to Tennessee with me.  This was Courtney's 1st trip to Sevierville so I wanted to give her the grand tour.  Our weekend started with the BBQ and bluegrass festival in downtown Sevierville.  Followed by outlet shopping at the Tanger outlets.  Then off to Gatlinburg to Ripley's Believe it or Not! as well as moonshine tasting!!

One of my favorite parts of the exhibit was the giant Lite-Bright. For those of you who don't know about this nostalgic toy. There is a black piece of paper with a light behind it. You then have colored pegs that you push into the black paper the make shapes, words, or more advanced pictures. We decided to show our Sherman pride with the ADIO arrows!!  I hope you all enjoy the pic as much as we enjoyed making it!

Renovations

Sherman has been a buzz with renovation. Dr. Cordero and the maintenance crew have overseen many renovations to the grounds. The first and most noticeable renovation was the roof/siding of the Scallon building. Sherman has had cedar paneling for at least the past thirty years. It has now been updated to a metal panel to match the other buildings on campus.

The floors in the main building have also been re-done. The old carpet has been replaced with a primarily red, speckled finish.

There has also been an addition of sinks in the bathrooms. The men’s room has an additional three sinks. I cannot speak for the women’s room, but I am sure it mirrors the additions in the men’s room.

They also repaved portions of the parking lots to get rid of some of the more nasty potholes. Still to come are renovations to allow for a tutoring space and additions to our computer lab.

Overall, Sherman is getting a makeover, and I am excited to see what other changes are in store!