Welcome to Meredith, Annie Ross Hartford!

It is with pleasure that the Class of 2011 announces the senior class doll: Annie Ross Hartford. This young woman’s name is of special importance. Her first name, Annie, hails from our senior Cornhuskin’ skit’s lead character who brought us all together for one last dance.  Her middle name is in honor of our class advisor, Peggy Ross, a woman who has provided guidance and support to us over the past four years. Finally, Annie’s surname, Hartford, is named in honor of Dr. Hartford and her final years of service to Meredith.   Annie’s clothing and accessories are all chosen specifically to draw attention to cultural trends and important moments of our college years. She is dressed in a comfortable yet fashionable outfit of a white tank, a navy blue cardigan, skinny jeans, and sparkly silver TOMS. However, the tag on her TOMS appropriately reads MCG. Her outfit is accessorized by trendy long necklaces and a scarf and classy pearl earrings.  In her hair she is wearing a Corn headband; she just can’t get enough of that wonderful time of year! Of course, her right hand is outfitted with her onyx; it is the only jewelry she can’t leave home without. Annie is also carrying a Longchamp bag with all of the essentials: her Cam Card in a Vera Bradley ID case just like the one her Big Sis got her on move in day, her keys to Apartment 2011 as one of the first residents to move into The Oaks, and sunglasses. She needs something to protect her eyes from the bright future she sees ahead!

Situated next to Annie is her toy box where she keeps all of the items that remind her of her most treasured memories at Meredith. This toy box, even the Think Green at Meredith and Meredith Athletics stickers on the outside are important. Although these 11 items could never take the place of her years at Meredith, they will remind her of the sweet memories and traditions she has to carry with her. First, Annie has a soda can to remind her of 2011’s sense of accomplishment over four years of Can Art victories.  Just looking at the can reminds her of iPods, recycling bins, guitars, and rocket ships. In fact, her freshman year Cornhuskin’ was such a remarkable experience that her iPod, the second item in the toy box, is set to play “Knock on Wood” so she can start a Dance Revolution whenever she wants. Next to the iPod is Annie’s scrapbook with tickets to those special events like Tea for Two, Guardian Angel Dance, Charming Evening, Ring Dinner, and Senior Parent Night. Each ticket carries enough memories to fill pages.  When Annie looks at the next two items in the toy box, her class charm on its black ribbon and a unique rope that is half of a daisy chain and half of a tug-of-war rope, she has fond memories of sophomore year. Although Annie is always sad to think about when her Big Sis left, these two items remind her of how wonderful the transition to an upperclasswoman and role model really was.

And, of course, she can’t forget how the odds were always in her favor when it came to tug-of-war! Annie’s toy box wouldn’t be complete without at least a few items showing her ODD spirit. Her tye-died t-shirt and black glove that she wore at Class Day should be enough to remind her of those Odd Balls and the way they always encouraged her to throw her hands up once every night in November.  The next three items in the toy box are from Annie’s last years at Meredith. The crook with its rainbow ribbon bring back both memories of flashlights and grids of campus as well as the exhilaration she felt when it was found with only 17 minutes to spare.  The paintbrush with its rainbow-painted bristles is a reminder of the countless hours spent with classmates painting Cornhuskin’ props and the tunnel. A few paint drops are even left-over from when she worked tirelessly to repaint the tunnel to show how Meredith girls can work through any obstacle, even vandalism. Finally, the coozie is from Annie’s final days at Meredith where she and her friends worked together to give back to the place that given so much to them through their generous donations to the Senior Class Gift.  The last and maybe most important item in the toy box is the spirit stick. While Annie never wants to forget a Cornhuskin’ dance or speaker at a traditional event, she knows she will never forget the way the class of 2011 bonded over the years and became friends, then sisters, and then family.