On Sunday, March 6, Marymount girls celebrated and honored their mothers at the annual Mother-Daughter Luncheon at the Beverly Hilton. The event consisted of photos, lunch, a raffle for top-notch prizes, and the seniors’ final “thank you” to their moms. During the event, Ruby Lightbourn ‘17 relayed many of her classmates’, as well as her own, thoughts about their wonderful moms and some of the best advice given to them by their mothers. It was an emotional and heartfelt moment for everyone in the room – they even passed out tissues among the tables!

For some girls, this was their first experience at the Marymount Mother-Daughter Luncheon, while many seniors have already attended the delightful event three times before. Sophomore Skyler Brown shares about her second luncheon as she states, “It was a wonderful opportunity to spend time with and appreciate our mothers.” She also acknowledges, “The slideshow recognized and commemorated the seniors’ time at Marymount, while celebrating the influence that their mothers have had on them. It was really touching to hear the seniors’ favorite qualities of and advice from their mothers.”

Senior Genna Whittell reflected on her last luncheon and says, “The location was great and everyone got to feel like they were in the Golden Globes for a couple hours.” Indeed, the prime location and scenery in the room, such as the dazzling lights behind the stage, brought about an air of elegance. Genna also goes on to mention, “The luncheon was the first real goodbye to the seniors, which left the entire class feeling pretty nostalgic; overall, it was an upbeat experience where I got to hang out with my favorite woman in the world: Ms. Whittell.”

In addition to the luncheon being the last for the seniors, it was also the last for most of their mothers. Ms. Whittell, mother of Genna Whittell and head of the math department at Marymount, felt honored at the event by receiving a beautiful yellow rose and speeches of gratitude. Ms. Whittell shares her experience of taking Genna to the luncheon for the last time and expresses, “In the past years, it has been hard to socialize with other moms in Genna’s class. Being a teacher at my daughter’s school, I don’t typically get to do the things that most mothers do with their children.” However, Ms. Whittell put this aside and believed the luncheon was, “a great chance to not be a teacher for a day, but to be a parent and enjoy the event with [her] daughter. And that slideshow – it was wonderful.” The slideshow that Ms. Whittell mentioned included pictures of the seniors as babies (many with their mothers) as well as their senior portraits. It served as a “thank you” to the mothers for raising capable and determined young ladies.

Because of the beautiful location at the Beverly Hilton, because of the wonderful memories and experiences shared among the students and mothers, and mostly because of the heartfelt smiles and hugs that passed throughout the room, it is safe to say that the Marymount Mother-Daughter Luncheon was a genuine and uplifting event for everyone!