Traditions
Washington College’s best traditions have emerged from our strong sense of community. People come together to celebrate our history, our setting, and the importance we place on friendships.
Orientation Explore!
Washington College’s signature orientation program - Explore! gives new students the opportunity to make close friends and learn more about our local region. Each experience is designed around a special interest area and offers dynamic, experiential activities that help students acclimate to their new environment and connect with a small group of like-minded peers.
The All-Campus Picnic
On the Sunday before the first day of classes in late August, everyone gathers for food, music and conviviality. It’s a good place to meet some of your professors and to make some new friends—including the College’s mascot, Gus the Goose. Be sure to stick around for the fireworks.
George Washington’s Birthday Ball
Think big. Awesome music and a professionally executed theme help us celebrate the birthday of our founding patron. Some people go all out for this huge formal affair that brings together students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends. We’ve had some spectacular themes over the years, including The Great Gatsby, Harry Potter, Venetian Carnivale, Through the Looking Glass, and The City of Oz.
Ringing the Bell
Sports teams celebrate every home victory by ringing the McLain Victory Bell erected outside Cain Gym. The bell is named for the late Joseph H. McLain ’37, the only College alumnus to serve his alma mater as president—and one of the College’s most fervent sports fans.
War on the Shore
Washington College is serious about lacrosse, and is usually a serious contender for the national title. Still, no game draws more fans than this one, pitting the Shoremen against their Eastern Shore rival and nemesis, Salisbury University.
Sophie Kerr Prize
The largest cash award in the nation for literary promise goes to a Washington College senior each spring, thanks to a generous benefactress who shared our community's love of writing and Maryland's Eastern Shore.
Casey Time
Each year, Washington College students devote a day to campus beautification in appreciation of Eugene B. Casey and Betty Casey ’47 for their generous support of our institution.
Celebrating Our Senior Capstone Experiences (SCEs)
During the months of November and April we celebrate the Senior Capstone Experience, the culmination of each student's individual learning journey. A signature aspect of a Washington College education, students spend a year or more researching, prepping, and executing a self-directed project with the help of a faculty mentor.