Mitchell College students converge on downtown New London
New London — Incoming students at Mitchell College visited more than a dozen downtown landmarks and businesses on Friday as part of a crash course in all things New London.
Teams of six to 10 students spread out in the downtown area for a photo scavenger hunt — part of welcome week at the school and an introduction to the city.
The groups, totaling about 100 students, converged on places like Sarge’s Comics for pictures in front of a large Millennium Falcon model hanging from the ceiling, Spindrift Guitars to strike a rock star pose and Fiddleheads Grocery Co-op to enjoy a free food sample.
Mayor Michael Passero greeted the group outside Union Station and told them, “now that you’re at Mitchell College, this is your hometown.”
He emphasized the historical sites and urged students to get to know the community.
The scavenger hunt was a joint venture by the school and CTrides working with the Southeast Area Transit bus system.
CTrides is a commuter awareness program of the state Department of Transportation and provides information on alternative commuting options and services.
SEAT donated bus passes to students for the day, along with an additional bus to help build familiarity with the local bus system. SEAT has a new stop at Mitchell Woods this year.
“Mitchell College is reaching out in a number of ways to broaden our connection with New London,” said Sandra Wirth, vice president of student affairs and dean of students at Mitchell.
“Bringing our first-year students downtown for the scavenger hunt is a great way for them to get to know businesses, arts and activities early on,” she said.
Kevin Coleman, a Mitchell College junior, helped lead one group along State Street on Friday.
He said the college is making strides in an ongoing effort to connect students with the local community.
Mitchell student Ben Akselrod said ties with the city should be part of the college experience.
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