The Saint Mary's student body enjoyed a week of food, fun and games during SMC Tostal in celebration of the end of the academic year, which culminated with a concert by singer Sean Kingston Thursday.
"The concert was actually a lot of fun," senior Laura Arnold said. "It's a great way to have the end of the year kind of come to a close."
Kingston entertained students with hit songs, including "Eenie Meenie" and "Fire Burning." He tweeted about his arrival in South Bend Thursday morning, and sophomore Alex Sassano retweeted Kingston's message on her Twitter profile.
"I started my day off listening to Sean Kingston's songs," she said.
Some students were so enthusiastic about Kingston's performance that they staked out seats in the O'Laughlin Auditorium at 5:30 p.m. even though the concert did not begin until 7:30 p.m.
"I just wanted to make sure that I could see everything, specifically Sean Kingston," sophomore Julie Novak said.
Junior Katie Greenspon expressed her excitement prior to the concert.
"I've gone to SMC Tostal every single year to see the special guest they bring," she said. "I got myself a new pair of sunglasses and a t-shirt to go with them, and I'm really excited. It's going to be the best night."
A comedy show entertained the crowd until Kingston's performance began at 9 p.m. Students cheered and sang along as he performed his hits, but the biggest crowd-pleaser was "Letting Go (Dutty Love)," which features Nicki Minaj in the recorded version.
Overall, students were pleased with Kingston's performance.
"It's a great way to end the night, and now I can get some sleep and watch the royal wedding first thing tomorrow morning," senior Kelly Daly said.
Although SMC Tostal week was accompanied by several days of inclement weather, this did not prevent students from enjoying the planned festivities indoors, including a carnival that offered free food, sunglasses and games.
"They had a waffle thing that you can cover with whatever you want. It's delicious," sophomore Paige Edmonds said. "This was a great study break after a week full of homework, exams and papers."
