Family Weekend will be held at Cabrini from Friday, Sept. 23 to Sunday, Sept. 25. With the anticipation of many activities, Cabrini students, parents, friends and alumni look forward for this fall event each year.
There will be many activities that the Center for Student Engagement and Leadership has created for those in attendance to enjoy. Activities from lacrosse, volleyball, bingo and an ice cream social will be offered. Family weekends have been a huge success; it brings everyone together and gives students an opportunity to make new friends. It also gives parents an opportunity to connect with the faculty so they can get to know each other. Some of the highlights include a clue mystery dinner in the Mansion Saturday night from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Tickets are $10. Families can come enjoy dinner while searching for clues during a performance. There will also be a family movie shown in the Widener Center Lecture Hall at 8 p.m. The featured movie will be “Cars 2,” appropriate for the whole family to enjoy. If you like to fly kites you can join in on Cabrini’s Kite Festival which isfun for families with children less than 10 years of age. The kites are free for everyone to try out.
While supplies last, there will be snacks offered for those who participate. There also will be face painting, a balloon artist and a moon bounce. The kite festival and other festivities will take place on Edith Robb Dixon Field. While you’re down at the field you can join the men and women soccer teams. For a free soccer clinic, you can learn the basic soccer moves to become the perfect soccer player. There will be no registration necessary for those activities.
Sophomore John Eddings was pleased with his first family weekend last year.
“Last year’s family fun weekend was very interesting for my family and I,” Eddings said. “I didn’t know what to expect because I was an incoming freshman at Cabrini but the whole weekend turned out to be great. Taking pictures in the big chair was one of my best memories that I took from the weekend, I got to enjoy that with my friends. I also think my parents and family enjoyed spending the weekend with me because they got to see a little more of what Cabrini College was about and its history.”
A ride into town will be offered in a special form of transportation for this year. SEaL has rented a trolley that transports you from the school to downtown Wayne and Jenkins Arboretum. Students can take this chance to explore the town. The Mummers will be performing for entertainment.
The honors convocation will be held Saturday morning at 10:30 a.m. The yearly ceremony awards the students who made the Dean’s list and the President’s list. During the ceremony the students will be recognized for their achievements in academics, volunteer services and athletics. President Marie George will give a speech to the students and parents as well.
Sophomore major Leslie Lange is also a student who attended Family Weekend last year. “I thought overall, that last year’s family fun weekend was good,” Lange said. “I loved the first day the most because there was not only food but a big inflatable chair to take pictures on, and that was my favorite activity.”
“I honestly think that some parents had more fun than others during the weekend. Overall this event was a pretty big success. My favorite memories of that weekend are how proud my 10-year-old brother was of me. It made him want to be like his big sister and go to a school so involved and welcoming when it is time for him to go on to a higher education, if he so chooses,” Lange said. “For once he finally looked at me more as a big sister rather than just another parental figure that is nagging him to get his homework done or to brush his teeth. I would like for the school to bring the big chair back out this year, and hopefully the rain will hold off.”
Family weekend caught the eye of sophomore education major David Watson.
“I had the chance to have my family come out and visit me for a whole weekend and see exactly why I chose Cabrini College and have some quality of time with them after living away from home for a month,” Watson said. “Last year’s family weekend was a lot of fun and an enjoyable experience for both parents and students. My favorite part was probably the ice cream social and seeing ‘Toy Story’ with my family.”
The weekend holds many options and opportunities for students, family, friends and the faculty. Family weekend will be a good experience for parents to be able to see what Cabrini students, sports teams and the entire college community is up to. “I’m curious to see how the trolley is going to be like, how big it is, and how fast it is going to be because I keep hearing about it,” Watson said.
Family weekend will be held Sept. 23-25. “I would strongly recommend that students invite their families to come out to this year’s family weekend so there parents can see what Cabrini is all about,” Watson said.
