Saint Mary's seniors celebrate last week on campus

At Saint Mary’s, Senior Week activities sought to commemorate the tradition and rich sisterhood of the College.

Vice president of the senior class Lauren Osmanski said the week kicked off May 8 with a Yacht Dance in Chicago. The Yacht Dance was a new addition this year because the senior class raised a surplus of money, she said.

After the dance, official events resumed Monday with an alumnae brunch at 11 a.m. in Noble Family Dining Hall. Later in the afternoon, seniors departed for Chicago again to attend a Chicago Cubs baseball game.

Osmanski said the senior week activities incorporated some new events and some traditional ones to help seniors say goodbye to the College.

“I hope that the students can end Senior Week believing that they were able to give Saint Mary's a proper goodbye,” she said. “Our Senior Week is designed to bring the seniors to campus and visit all best spots on campus and just enjoy the campus as students before they leave.”

Wednesday, Osmanski and the senior class council planned a scavenger hunt on Library Green and field day activities on Dalloway’s Green, ending the evening with karaoke in Rice Commons.

Seniors were able to leave a physical mark on campus with handprint painting in the Le Mans tunnel Thursday.

“Every Saint Mary's student has walked through that tunnel, and placing our handprints in the tunnel is a great way to leave Saint Mary's knowing that we are leaving something behind,” Osmanski said.

The Le Mans Bell Tower was open for seniors to explore Thursday from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m., and the Opening of the Circle ceremony began at 3 p.m. Closing of the Circle happens during first-year orientation, and Opening of the Circle signifies the way students are sent forth from Saint Mary’s campus and into the world beyond after graduation, Osmanski said

This year at the Opening of the Circle ceremony seniors will be presented with letters written during the Senior Letter Writing Project, Osmanski said.

The Senior Letter Writing Project is a new tradition Osmanski said she hopes will carry on to the future. The project has allowed students, faculty and family members of the class of 2015 to write letters to individuals in the graduating class.

Senior class president Tori Wilbraham said the project began as a way for members of the senior class to show gratitude to one another and to the Saint Mary’s community.

“Our hope is that the Saint Mary’s community will take a few minutes to say thank you to one another for their presence and influence during their time at Saint Mary’s,” Wilbraham said. “I think writing letters is such a beautiful way to preserve a feeling or relationship.”

Senior Nora Clougherty participated in the project and wrote letters to her peers.

“I have written letters to all of my friends who have impacted my life, even if it was a small memory we shared,” Clougherty said. “It has been so great to relive memories and let people know the impact they have made in my own life.”

Clougherty said she also hopes other classes adopt the letter writing project as part of their Senior Week festivities.

“This project is a great way for friends, family or professors to let the seniors know what a big impact they have made or to let a senior know how much they mean to them,” she said.