Every year the temperature drops significantly in New England and it becomes a perfect winter wonderland for those who love the snow and cold weather.

To make this chilly time even more exciting, an ice rink in the middle of the quad opens every year for students to take some  stress off from school work, sports and jobs to go ice skating with friends. Not only is this a great time to skate with friends, but it’s a fun and easy way to exercise.

Whether they are good at skating or not, students at AIC think that the ice rink is a great way to have some fun at campus.

To make things even more exciting during these cold winter months, everybody’s favorite staff member, ‘Moose’, agreed to skate with the students on a cold Thursday morning in January. As an extra addition to the event, the first 35 people who joined Moose at the rink got their own Moose hat, which is another way to get the students to come together.

Most of the students at AIC are well aware of who Moose is. Know to all as Moose, but some family members by his real name, Kevin Panetta, he knows all students at the school by their names and even has his own nicknames for some of them. He always has a smile on his face and is always thinking of others before himself. Therefore, no other person would be a better fit for this specific event.

“It was the president, Vince Maniaci’s idea to do this event,” the ever so happy Moose said while putting his skates on.

“I have not skated in 30 years, although I grew up playing hockey my whole life,” added Moose while on shaky legs entered the ice. Any person can relate to being a little rusty after taking such a long break.

The ice rink on campus is also a way to bring students at AIC closer to each other, something that Moose agrees with wholeheartedly.

He believes that by skating with the students, they will become closer to each other and to the staff at the college.  For students who do not have any skates of their own, they are available without charge at the information desk on campus.

Students were pleased with the event.

“I think it is a great idea to have Moose skate with the students,” Senior Joshua Gagnon said.

“Unfortunately I have practice with my lacrosse team during that time, so I will not be able to participate in the event, but I will definitely make sure to skate at least once on the ice rink before the temperature heats up,” Gagnon added.

Gagnon’s teammates can often be seen playing pick-up hockey during their time off, a great use of the free rink.

For new students, the ice rink is an impressing addition to the AIC campus. Some coming from the southern parts of the U.S, have never seen snow before, never the less an ice rink in the middle of a campus quad.

Graduate student Callahan Porcher is from Florida said she loves the skating rink and was thrilled to see Moose handling his blades with apparent ease.

“To me, putting an ice rink in the middle of the quad on campus is an absolutely fantastic idea,” Porcher said.

“Because I am new to the area and not being used to this cold weather, having an event where Moose skates with students is a great opportunity for me to get to know both students at staff better at AIC,” she added.

There is no doubt that the ice rink is a great opportunity for students and staff to interact with each other. For those students who own their own skates, the ice rink has become a place where they gather along with their friends to have some fun at any time of the day, even after office hours.