Over the weekend of Feb. 3, several students in the Boone Honors Program took a break from being students hard at work.

“I think it’s very easy to get into the habit of focusing intently on your studies, especially for really good students like that that forget part of the pleasure of being in college is being a well-rounded student and making connections with other people as well and enjoying the experience,” said Ed Hally, political science professor.

They went to dinner and attended the Railyard Dawgs hockey game at the Berglund Center in Roanoke.

“I thought the game was really fun,” said Laurynn Hackett, senior. “I’ve never been to a hockey game before and it was nice to get away from academics for a while and to something fun with friends!”

Students also got to forget about their studies for a while during their time together.

“The hockey game was a good way to spend time with friends as well as destress by yelling at the game,” said Ryan Gobble, senior.

This was arranged by Hally for the students to take a step back for a moment and spend time with everyone in the program.

“It was immensely satisfying to be able to spend time with Boone Honors Program students,” Hally said. “It may not be dedicated study time, but it’s valuable for the purposes of being a well-rounded person and getting to know your fellow classmates.”