Following a long tradition of hosting a weekend celebrating the bond between students and their parents, Saint Mary's College held its annual Sophomore Parents' Weekend Friday and Saturday.
"As sophomores, we have conquered the battle of freshman year, and most of us would say that we love having Saint Mary's College as our home away from home," Cassie Palmer, sophomore class president, said. "However, no matter how comfortable we are here, nothing can replace our bonds with our families."
Parents were invited to visit campus and spend time with their daughters in a variety of scheduled campus events.
"Sophomore Parents' Weekend is a valuable experience that I would recommend to every student," sophomore Kami Umbaugh said. "It really is a wonderful time to show your parents your life at Saint Mary's while also giving students the opportunities to create memories that will last for a lifetime."
According to Palmer, the weekend began with an opening reception in the Student Center Lounge where College President Carol Ann Mooney gave a welcome address. Following the opening remarks, students and their parents were invited to participate in a silent auction and trivia game. A slideshow was also presented with baby and college photos of the women in attendance.
Students and their parents were provided with a brunch in the Stapleton Lounge in LeMans Hall Saturday morning. Following the brunch, the a cappella group Bellacappella preformed a private show in the Little Theatre at Moreau Hall. Dance group Troop ND also performed. To educate families on College history, a display of Saint Mary's heritage was exhibited at the Welcome Center.
In addition, students and parents were invited to a special Mass held at the Church Of Loretto.
"My favorite activity was the Mass … I would say this because the homily message by the priest was very inspiring," sophomore Eilis Wasserman said.
A special dinner and dance was held after the Mass for sophomores and their parents at the Hilton Garden Inn to conclude the weekend's events.
"I would have to say that the dinner and dance was my favorite activity because it was nice to converse and socialize with different friends and families while spending time with my own," Umbaugh said.
According to Palmer, 325 participants registered for the weekend.
"Sophomore Parents' Weekend gives us the unique opportunity to see our two worlds come together, and to share our SMC experiences with our families," Palmer said.
Students said they enjoyed having their parents on campus and having the opportunity to spend the weekend with them.
"I really enjoyed getting to spend quality time with my family and show them things on campus that make Saint Mary's unique and special," Umbaugh said.
Wasserman also enjoyed the time spent with her family.
"It was a busy weekend, but I enjoyed spending one on one time with my mom because we love spending time together," she said. "The weekend went by too fast. I wish there was more time."
