This weekend, the younger siblings of Saint Mary’s students got the chance to experience college life with their older sisters, bonding over karaoke and t-shirt tie-dying at the annual “Little Sibs Weekend,” hosted by the Residence Hall Association.
Little Sibs Weekend chairperson and sophomore Alayna Frauhiger said the weekend aims to give students an opportunity to share their new home with their siblings of all ages.
“We tried our best to include activities, events and movies for all age groups, but most were directed towards the younger age group,” Frauhinger said.
The event kicked off Friday evening in Angela Athletic Facility with gym events and a photo booth, Frauhiger said. Numerous events took place throughout the day Saturday, including craft tables, movie showings of “Finding Nemo” and of “The Hunger Games” and cookie decorating.
“Overall, I think the Friday night fun event was a popular event for all siblings to get acclimated and settle into campus,” Frauhiger said. “Also, on Saturday, the siblings loved tie-dyeing their t-shirts that they received over the weekend.”
First year Megan Carswell said she and her two sisters enjoyed the scavenger hunt. For the hunt, the girls were instructed to walk around campus with a list of photo challenges, such as taking a picture near a squirrel or on the Avenue, Carswell said.
“We walked around campus with some other girls and their siblings and took a bunch of photos,” Carswell said. “It was fun seeing my friends’ siblings interact with mine. My four and 13-year-old sisters traveled from New York to participate in this weekend and enjoyed every moment.”
First year Emma-Kate Conlin said she and her sister played trivia and painted their nails at home, but having the opportunity to replicate those activities in the atmosphere of Le Mans was special.
“I loved showing [my sister] places on campus she had never seen before,” Conlin said. “She enjoyed seeing what college life was like, meeting my friends and all the options in the dining hall.”
Conlin said Little Sibs Weekend was significant because it gave younger siblings a chance to see what their older siblings do once they leave home and because it allowed college students to share weekend traditions, such as quarter dogs at LaFortune Student Center at Notre Dame, with their siblings.
Months of planning culminated in a wonderful event, Frauhiger said.
“[The] committee and I started planning back in September for the weekend and still were planning up to [last] week,” Frauhiger said. “Overall, the weekend went very well, and great memories were made for all girls.”
